Dugu Yan

No, she had to resolve this trouble.

Watching the old man leap out of the cave in a few bounds, Qingxi swayed her leaves.

She could tell that this old man also possessed martial arts, yet she felt no spiritual energy from him; his cultivation method seemed somewhat different.

May the heavens bless this old man to be beaten to death the moment he steps outside.

Qingxi prayed silently in her heart.

She needed to seize the time to cultivate and attain human form as soon as possible so she could leave this place.

Qingxi slowly closed her eyes, immersing herself in cultivation. She did not notice that the little green snake, while she cultivated, was actually absorbing spiritual energy along with the surrounding Strange Flower and other immortal herbs.

Days and nights cycled, and for a time, it felt as if she had returned to her previous life, with no one to disturb her quiet practice.

As her internal circulation completed, the regular, circular solid liquid in her dantian gradually stabilized, transforming into a brownish golden core, before shedding its outer shell bit by bit to achieve a true golden core.

The golden core then liquefied, only to re-condense into an irregular solid, its shape shifting from time to time...

This repeated for who knows how long.

Qingxi could feel that an aura above the sky seemed to have locked onto her; she was only one step away from shattering the core to form an infant.

However, because she was currently a plant, unlike when she was in human form, she struggled to grasp the essence of the breakthrough.

She did not know that as she cultivated, spiritual liquid visible to the naked eye was condensing in the air, the entire space was trembling slightly, and the Strange Flower was quietly blooming.

The immortal herbs around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Pond swayed gracefully with the vortex of spiritual energy. The little green snake, soaked in the pure spiritual energy, wore a look of comfort, and two small bumps had sprouted on its forehead at some unknown time.

"Grandfather, is this the good place you mentioned? Wow, so many strange flowers and herbs! When did you discover this place, Grandfather? You only told me now."

"Silly girl, this has always been our Dugu family's territory. I intended to tell you in a few years, but I recently discovered something good."

"What good thing?"

"Follow me, and remember, do not go near that pond in the middle."

"I know, Grandfather."

The voices of an old man and a young girl approached from afar. The aged, raspy voice belonged to the old man from before, while the other was a young girl's, sounding quite tender.

Qingxi halted her cultivation, and the spiritual liquid in the air fell, to be absorbed by the flowers and plants covering the ground. The little green snake woke up from its dream, shaking its head and looking around, confused by the situation.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the half-bloomed Strange Flower. The plant was already half a meter tall, and golden veins were emerging between its stems. The Strange Flower bloomed, colorless and odorless, yet possessing a greater sense of spiritual charm.

She seemed only a step away from the Nascent Soul stage, yet that step was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

The human race was favored by the Great Dao, while plants and animals faced a much harder path of cultivation.

"What a beautiful flower!" Dugu Yan exclaimed, looking at the strange flowers throughout the cave, especially the one that seemed to shimmer with nine-colored light under the sunlight.

The flower was large, resembling a lotus, blooming in the sun with pale red, crystal-clear petals. In the center was a golden heart with nine leaves, each a different color.

The entire flower looked like a bubble, sacred and ethereal.

Qingxi quietly sized up the young girl. She looked to be about eight or nine years old, wearing a strange dress that exposed her legs from the knees down.

She had short, dark purple hair that gave her a slightly heroic air, and a pair of large green eyes that held a child's innocence, yet also something eerie.

Qingxi frowned slightly; she had never seen such hair color before. However, the toxins in this girl's body seemed even more severe than the old man's. If not resolved, she feared the girl would not live past the age of twenty.

"Such a beautiful flower. Grandfather, can I pick it and take it back?" Dugu Yan, wearing a tender green dress, blinked her green eyes at her grandfather.

"Of course you can. If you like it, Grandfather will pick it right now and make you a soup." Dugu Bo stroked his beard, his eyes full of affection as he looked at Dugu Yan.

"Never mind then. It's growing so well; it would be a pity to pick it. It's so pretty—you must stay beautiful forever, okay?" Dugu Yan reached out and touched the petals of the Strange Flower; they were soft and carried a hint of coolness.

The little green snake crawled along the leaves onto Dugu Yan's arm and rubbed against her affectionately.

Dugu Yan's eyes lit up as she held the little green snake in her palm. "Xiao Jiu, why are you here? You look like you've grown quite a bit."

"Sigh, it would be better to eat it. This is a rare immortal herb; I have never seen such a thing in my life. If you eat it, your soul power might jump several levels." Dugu Bo sighed, looking at his overly naive granddaughter.

A flicker of temptation crossed the young girl's eyes, but she looked at the Strange Flower again and shook her head. "No, I want to cultivate based on my own ability. Besides, it's so pretty. How about this, Grandfather? Give Xiao Jiu to me. Look, hasn't it grown much fatter?"

Dugu Yan held the little green snake out toward Dugu Bo.

The little green snake tilted its head and instantly played dead.

"This..." A hint of surprise flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes. He looked at the little green snake playing dead; it really was a circle fatter than before.

He had been raising the Nine-Section Jade for over a decade, feeding it all sorts of rare poisons, yet he had never seen it grow. How long had it been, and it had already grown a size?

"Let Grandfather see." Dugu Bo took the little green snake. The creature rubbed against him ingratiatingly, then coiled around his wrist, only to be peeled off by Dugu Bo.

He examined the little snake carefully. It was indeed fatter, and what surprised him even more was that two small bumps had appeared on the little thing's head, and there were small, knot-like protrusions under its belly.

It was just that the Nine-Section Jade was too small, making these changes hard to notice.

Dugu Bo's gaze fell on the Strange Flower nearby, a flash of surprise in his eyes. The Nine-Section Jade had always been unwilling to leave this immortal herb; could it be...

"My dear granddaughter, do you feel anything standing next to this flower?"

"Feel anything?" Dugu Yan frowned slightly, closed her eyes, and felt carefully. "Hmm, it feels very comfortable. Does having a clear mind count? My soul power is also increasing much faster..."

Dugu Bo looked at the Strange Flower; he had never seen such a peculiar immortal herb.

"There is still some time before the Heaven Dou Royal Academy opens. Why don't you stay here and cultivate during this time?" Dugu Bo rubbed the little girl's head and coaxed her.

"No! You promised to take me to Spirit City for the next few months, Grandpa is a liar!" Dugu Yan turned her head away, muttering.

"This..." Dugu Bo felt a pang of reluctance. He wanted to tell his granddaughter the secret of their clan, but she was still so young; it would be too cruel to make her face such a reality.

He wanted her to cultivate near this immortal herb for a while to see if it could purge the toxins from her body, yet he found it difficult to explain.

"Don't you want to shock everyone when school starts? I heard that Yu Tianheng from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family is already a level twenty-two Spirit Master. Don't you want to surpass him?" Dugu Bo cajoled her with a mix of coaxing and deception.

"I don't!"