Dugu Bo's eyes flashed with shock, but he quickly understood. With a carefree wave of his hand, he said:
"I see. No wonder you were so intent on them. But since I said I'd give them to you, they're yours. I've guarded this treasure trove for years. Although I knew these flowers and plants were extraordinary, I didn't recognize most of them, let alone know how to use them. Trying things at random could cost me my life.
"Since you recognize them, it proves you're fated to have them. This medicinal garden, and everything in it, belongs to you from now on. Take whatever you like, without hesitation. I, Dugu Bo, always keep my word. If I say it's yours, it's yours. No arguments!"
His words rang with boldness and sincerity. Ning Xiaochun was deeply moved; he knew how precious Dugu Bo's gift was.
This wasn't merely a medicinal garden. It was a treasure trove capable of shaping the future!
Dugu Bo's generosity showed not only his gratitude for being cured of his poison, but also his upright, free-spirited character.
"Thank you, Grandpa Dugu!" Ning Xiaochun gave him a respectful bow, then stopped holding back.
His eyes swept across the valley like lightning. His mind raced as he combined what he remembered with the needs of everyone present and began making plans.
First, he walked toward a peculiar flower growing near the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Its color was a strange dark red, its petals layered like velvet, and faint wisps of black mist curled around its stamens.
The flower seemed both dangerously threatening and deeply alluring.
"Blood Swan Kiss." Ning Xiaochun pointed at it and said to Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, who had followed him:
"This is one of the most poisonous things in the world. It's incredibly toxic, and just touching it means certain death. But it has a special property: it can magnify the effects of poison by hundreds or even thousands of times!"
Dugu Bo's green eyes lit up. "Magnify poison?!"
"Exactly!" Ning Xiaochun nodded.
"Grandpa, your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison is already among the best in the world. If you use the juice of these petals, diluted to an extreme degree through a special method, to assist Sister Yan in her cultivation, it might stimulate her Martial Soul and awaken its deeper potential. It could even... trigger Martial Soul Evolution!
"Of course, you'll have to be extremely careful throughout the process. The dose must be vanishingly small, and you'll need to use your own poison cultivation to protect her and guide the medicinal power. Risk and opportunity go hand in hand."
This was his way of returning the favor. Dugu Bo had given him such a generous gift, so Ning Xiaochun immediately offered him an opportunity that could truly improve Dugu Yan's strength and potential.
What was more, the Blood Swan Kiss might also offer Dugu Bo some insight into cultivating his own poison.
Dugu Bo gazed at the dark red flower, his eyes flashing. As a master of poison, he immediately understood Ning Xiaochun's meaning.
Magnify poison... If it could be controlled properly, it was practically a catalyst tailor-made for his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul!
"Yan'er, come here." Dugu Bo didn't hesitate any longer and beckoned his granddaughter over.
He carefully approached the Blood Swan Kiss and circulated his Soul Power. Dark green light appeared on his fingertips as he used a special technique to pinch off an almost invisible sliver from the edge of a petal. He immediately wrapped it in Soul Power.
Even so, the Soul Power around the petal instantly turned dark red and made a faint sizzling sound, a testament to the poison's potency.
Carrying that imperceptible sliver of petal, he went to Dugu Yan, his expression utterly grave.
"Yan'er, sit cross-legged and circulate your Soul Power. I'll protect you with my poison cultivation and guide this trace of medicinal power. The process may be painful, but you must keep your mind steady. Try to feel that power and guide it into your Martial Soul."
Dugu Yan looked at the unsettling dark red speck in her grandfather's hand, then at Ning Xiaochun's encouraging gaze. She nodded firmly and sat down as instructed.
Dugu Bo repeatedly refined and diluted the tiny petal with his own pure poison-type Soul Power until its color grew so faint it was nearly transparent. Only then did he slowly pass it into Dugu Yan's mouth.
At the same time, he pressed both hands against his granddaughter's back. His immense Soul Power, infused with exquisite control over poison, flowed into her body. He carefully protected her meridians and guided the strange medicinal power—magnified yet diluted to the extreme—toward the Origin of her Martial Soul.
At first, Dugu Yan only furrowed her brows slightly. But soon, her body shuddered violently and pain flashed across her face. Dark green Soul Power surged uncontrollably around her, and the phantom of a Jade Phosphorous Serpent appeared behind her.
This time, however, the phantom seemed more substantial. The green in its eyes had grown deeper and more sinister, and even seemed to carry a faint trace of blood-red!
At the same time, the Soul Power fluctuations around Dugu Yan began climbing steadily, and her Soul Power rose.
"It's working!" Dugu Bo exclaimed with delight, focusing even more intently on guiding it.
Everyone watched with bated breath. Under the blood-red halo, the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor behind Dugu Yan seemed to undergo some subtle, mysterious change. Its scales appeared denser and harder, and its aura grew more ferocious.
Though Dugu Yan's face still showed some pain, her aura grew stronger and stronger.
Dugu Yan opened her eyes. Her eerie green eyes shone brightly, filled with delight and lingering apprehension.
"Grandpa! I feel like... my Martial Soul is a little different! My Soul Power broke through, too! I went from level 27 to level 28 just now. It was so uncomfortable, like fire was burning through my Soul Power," Dugu Yan said excitedly.
"Hahaha! Good! Wonderful!" Dugu Bo laughed heartily and patted his granddaughter's shoulder. He looked at Ning Xiaochun with gratitude and admiration.
"Xiaochun, I accept your gift! It couldn't have come at a better time! Yan'er's Martial Soul foundation seems much more stable, and her Martial Soul is evolving in a good direction."
Seeing a mere portion of an Immortal Herb's petals produce such immediate results, no one doubted Ning Xiaochun anymore. They now had a far more vivid and astonishing understanding of the value of the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Ning Xiaochun smiled, then turned and searched near the Cold Extreme Yin Spring and Blazing Yang Spring. He soon found what he was looking for.
One was a large white flower, its petals layered like glittering ice crystals and its stamens resembling icicles, radiating an extreme chill. It was the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
The other was a strange scarlet plant, shaped like a burning flame. Its top resembled a cockscomb, and it radiated scorching heat. It was the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.
He carefully picked the two Immortal Herbs and walked over to Shui Bing'er.
"Bing'er," Ning Xiaochun said, offering her the two Immortal Herbs with a sincere smile.
"This Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass is an Immortal Herb of the extreme ice element. It can greatly improve the purity of your ice attribute and strengthen the ice abilities of your Ice Phoenix Martial Soul.
"And this Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is a top-tier Immortal Herb of the fire element. But its true purpose is to temper and purify the Origin of a Martial Soul and awaken its potential.
"Although the Ice Phoenix is an ice-attribute Martial Soul, the phoenix is the king of all birds, with a noble bloodline. This Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower may stimulate the purer power deep within your Ice Phoenix bloodline, improving your Martial Soul's quality and your innate aptitude."
He looked at Shui Bing'er's blue eyes as they widened in astonishment, then continued:
"The two Immortal Herbs are one ice and one fire. They seem to conflict, but ice and fire may complement each other and produce unexpected, wondrous effects. The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass works on the outside, strengthening your attributes, while the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower works on the inside, tempering your origin.
"If you take them together, with your Ice Phoenix Martial Soul's control and your steady disposition, you should be able to balance their conflicting properties and absorb their essence. When that happens, both your talent and strength will reach new heights!"
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