Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well

"Jade Phosphorus Fungus," Dugu Bo explained casually. "It's a symbiotic organism naturally produced by my Jade Phosphorus Snake martial soul. These fungi release trace amounts of neurotoxins. If an ordinary person wanders in, they'll lose their senses within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, and then they'll be lost in the woods forever."

Qin Chuan nodded, keeping a mental note.

Dugu Bo led the way. His pace wasn't fast, but every step was firm and certain. He knew this area like the back of his hand; he could navigate where the paths were and where the pits lay even with his eyes closed.

Dugu Yan followed behind her grandfather, occasionally turning back to smile at Qin Chuan. "Qin Chuan, keep up, don't fall behind."

"Don't worry, I won't get lost."

The three of them trekked through the forest for about a quarter of an hour when the scenery before them suddenly changed.

The trees vanished.

In their place was a wide, open clearing. The ground was covered in a type of flower Qin Chuan had never seen before.

Those flowers were about half a meter tall with thick stems and fleshy leaves. Each flower had seven petals, and every petal was a different color—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet. The seven colors intertwined, dazzling to the point of being blinding.

But the most eerie part was that the roots of these flowers were all tightly wrapped around piles of white bones.

Human bones, beast bones—large and small, all stacked together.

The flowers sprouted from the gaps between those bones, blooming with brilliant intensity.

A chill ran down Qin Chuan's spine.

"Jade Phosphorus Seven-Absolute Flower," Dugu Bo's voice was flat, as if he were introducing the most mundane of plants. "It took me thirty years to cultivate them. Each flower contains seven different deadly poisons, any one of which is lethal. When the seven poisons combine, even a powerhouse above level ninety would only have half a stick of incense's time to deal with it; otherwise, death is certain."

Dugu Yan nodded from the side. "Grandfather's poison array is amazing. A level sixty-plus Soul Emperor once broke in; he only took three steps before collapsing. Grandfather was kind enough to throw him out afterward."

Qin Chuan looked at the sea of flowers, his awe for Dugu Bo's strength deepening.

Even though this old man was heavily eroded by poison, his methods remained terrifying.

"Stay close to me. Do not take a single wrong step," Dugu Bo's voice turned stern.

He raised his right hand, and a layer of pale green light lit up his palm. Sensing their master's aura, the Jade Phosphorus Seven-Absolute Flowers lowered their petals to the sides, revealing a narrow path barely wide enough for a person to walk through.

Dugu Bo walked in the lead, step by step, steady and sure.

Dugu Yan followed closely behind, carefully stepping exactly where her grandfather had stepped.

Qin Chuan walked at the very back, his eyes locked onto the trajectory of the two people ahead, meticulously replicating their route.

The flowers on either side were within arm's reach. The sweet, cloying scent was so thick it felt tangible, coating his face.

Qin Chuan held his breath, his Heavenly Dao Power circulating automatically to form a thin, filtering barrier in his nasal cavity and lungs, isolating the toxic gases.

It took about five minutes to cross the sea of flowers.

Once they emerged, the view suddenly opened up.

A long, narrow canyon lay before them, its stone walls as steep as if carved by a blade, towering into the clouds. A strange mist permeated the entrance of the canyon.

The left side of the mist was crimson, while the right side was ghostly blue. The two colors of mist collided and churned where they met in the middle, emitting a faint hissing sound.

The temperature in the air also became bizarre.

On the left, waves of scorching heat rushed toward them, as if standing next to a furnace.

On the right, bone-chilling cold rose from the ground, as if standing deep inside an ice cellar.

These two diametrically opposed, extreme temperatures coexisted without any transition, leaving one's skin feeling half-scorched and half-frozen.

"We're here," Dugu Bo turned to look at Qin Chuan. "The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well is at the end of this canyon. However, there is still a stretch of road from here to there. The clash of Yin and Yang energy on that path is extremely violent. Every time I go in, I have to circulate my soul power at full strength just to endure it. You..."

He looked Qin Chuan up and down, hesitating to finish his sentence.

How could a level twenty-nine little Soul Master withstand energy shocks of this magnitude?

Qin Chuan saw his concern and said, "Senior, rest assured. The foundation of Heavenly Dao Power is the harmony of Yin and Yang. To me, this is not a threat."

Dugu Bo was skeptical but said nothing more.

The three of them stepped into the canyon.

The temperature changes inside the canyon were far more violent than at the entrance.

With every step forward, the heat radiating from the left stone wall intensified. Qin Chuan could feel the skin on the left side of his face tightening, as if someone were waving a branding iron nearby.

The right side was the opposite; the cold bit into his bones, and even his breath turned into white mist.

Dugu Bo walked in the lead, a protective barrier of emerald soul power shielding him from the Yin-Yang energy. Even so, his pace had clearly slowed, and fine beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead.

For a Title Douluo eroded by poison, maintaining this barrier was no small drain.

Dugu Yan clung to her grandfather's side, enveloped within that barrier. She hunched her shoulders, hugging herself with both arms, her face pale.

"Grandpa, it's so uncomfortable."

"It's alright. I'm protecting you, don't be afraid."

Qin Chuan walked behind them, the Heavenly Dao Power in his meridians circulating at a steady rhythm.

Strangely enough, the Yin-Yang energy that placed such a heavy burden on Dugu Bo seemed to be attracted to Qin Chuan like a magnet, automatically converging toward his body.

Heat seeped in from the left, and cold seeped in from the right. The two forces met at his Dantian, where they were enveloped by the Heavenly Dao Power, slowly merging and transforming into a gentle, warm current that circulated repeatedly through his meridians.

It wasn't hot, and it wasn't cold. It was actually quite comfortable.

It felt like soaking in a bath at the perfect temperature.

Qin Chuan was somewhat surprised himself. He had braced himself to endure a grueling ordeal, never expecting the process to be this effortless.

The Heavenly Dao Power truly can harmonize yin and yang. The information provided by the system didn't lie to me.

After walking for about ten minutes, the trio arrived at the very center of the valley.

Dugu Bo glanced back at Qin Chuan.

The old man's expression was rather peculiar. He had noticed that throughout the journey, Qin Chuan's complexion had remained as calm as still water, without even a single bead of sweat.

"Young man, are you alright?"

"I am fine, Senior."

Dugu Bo's mouth twitched.

Even he, a level ninety-two Titled Douluo, had to grit his teeth to traverse this path, yet this kid hadn't even changed his expression.

The Heavenly Dao Martial Soul... it certainly lived up to its reputation.

In the center of the valley, not far ahead, lay the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. It was oval-shaped, roughly ten meters in diameter, with two springs—one red and one blue—distinctly separated.

It bore a striking resemblance to the Taiji Diagram.

Looking closely:

The spring on the left was a deep crimson, the water churning and boiling as heat constantly steamed upward, the temperature suffocatingly high. A faint red flame-like glow floated on the surface, resembling liquid fire.

The spring on the right was a ghostly blue, the water as still as a mirror, yet a thin layer of ice coated the surface. Frigid air rose from the water, shrouded in an unceasing, dense white mist.

The two forces collided violently in the narrow space between the springs, creating a visible distortion of energy.

The air there looked like crumpled paper, and even the light seemed to bend.

Standing at the entrance of the cavern, Qin Chuan was stunned by the sight.

He could feel the Heavenly Dao Power within him resonating wildly.

That power surged from the depths of his dantian as if it had found kin, flowing through his meridians to permeate his entire body before pulling desperately toward the two springs.

It was like a man who had been thirsty for three days finally seeing water; the craving was intense and uncontrollable.

"This is the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well," Dugu Bo's voice came from the side, tinged with a hint of emotion. "I have guarded this place for over thirty years, and no one has ever been able to get close to those two springs. The impact where the yin and yang springs meet is so intense that even if I resist with all my might, I can only stay within five meters for a quarter of an hour."

Qin Chuan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging Heavenly Dao Power within him, and tried to make his voice sound calm: "Senior, I would like to try."