Don't Fear Bad Guys Rack Their Brains, Just Fear...

Lin Ze'an suddenly withdrew his fingers, and the light of life receded like a retreating tide.

His gaze flickered back and forth between Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

After a moment of silence, he asked hesitantly, "Senior Dugu, do you often let Dugu Yan come into contact with the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb?"

Hearing this, Dugu Yan confusedly unfastened the sachet at her waist, and a flower shimmering with purple light appeared: "It's right here."

"Grandpa said that you mentioned it could neutralize toxins, and since I started carrying it, my spirit power level has even increased."

Lin Ze'an looked at it carefully and asked in confusion, "Why is a leaf missing?"

"Wait a minute..."

He seemed to understand something. Could it be that Dugu Yan thought it was effective and simply absorbed a leaf?

Dugu Bo was stunned by this, and he looked sharply at Dugu Yan: "Yan'er! You didn't absorb that leaf, did you?!"

Seeing the look in the young girl's eyes, he sighed: "It's all my fault, I forgot to tell you that it couldn't be absorbed."

As he spoke, he hurriedly looked at Lin Ze'an, his eyes full of anxiety and regret.

Lin Ze'an waved his hand, soothing him: "Don't worry, don't worry, it's nothing major."

He shook his head helplessly: "I said before not to eat it; the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb is meant for neutralizing toxins when consumed."

Others might be fine if they ate it, but Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan's martial spirits were toxins themselves—wasn't eating it just asking for death?

Fortunately, she had only absorbed one leaf, and the neutralized toxins had been replenished by the toxins that had since reconverged.

Lin Ze'an raised his hand, and emerald-green life force slowly flowed into Dugu Yan's body.

At the same time, the entire palace was filled with a rich aura of life, and Mo Ruier appeared behind him as she always did.

Spirit Kite and Ghost Leopard stood at the entrance, unable to help but exclaim: "The Elder's martial spirit is truly beautiful, his spirit skills are beautiful too, and they feel so warm."

After resolving Dugu Yan's problem and seeing the two off, Lin Ze'an lay on the sofa and sighed helplessly.

It really isn't the bad guys racking their brains that you have to fear, but the sudden "bright ideas" of certain people.

Dugu Yan must have thought that since the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb could neutralize toxins, eating it would have a better effect, perhaps allowing her to settle the matter once and for all and achieve a balance between her body and the toxins.

Forget it, no use thinking about it.

He lifted the necklace around his neck and lowered his head to examine it closely.

Ever since he fed the extracted energy to Little Sprout that day, it hadn't shown any movement for several days. Had it not finished absorbing it yet?

But once it absorbed all this energy, Little Sprout should be able to complete an evolution, right?

Thinking of this, Lin Ze'an got up and walked upstairs.

He had better hurry up and cultivate; Little Sprout was already a "sprout," and he couldn't afford to be even more pathetic than a sprout.

The next morning, on the training grounds.

Xie Yue and Yan were struggling to cope with the leaves and vines dancing all over the sky.

Those emerald-green vines were like living creatures, winding toward the two from all directions, while the leaves also kept attacking them from the air.

"Ah!" Xie Yue was almost tripped by a vine that suddenly struck, and he stumbled back several steps in a sorry state.

Yan's situation was just as bad; several thick vines suddenly burst from the ground beneath his feet, tightly binding his ankles, and no matter how he struggled, they wouldn't budge.

He said with a bitter face, "Little Junior Brother, this is too torturous."

These vines were clearly plants, yet his flames couldn't ignite them at all, and forcing his way through consumed too much spirit power.

Just then, Hu Liena leaned against a stone pillar at the edge of the training ground and chuckled: "Brother, keep it up~"

It was supposed to be a three-on-one to temper their little junior brother, but her spirit skills had no effect on Lin Ze'an, so she could only watch.

And without Hu Liena's help, the strongest of the three, Demon Charm, could not be unleashed, leaving them at a direct disadvantage against Lin Ze'an.

But even if she joined the fight, it would be useless; she wouldn't have a chance to complete the fusion in front of Lin Ze'an.

"Roar--!"

Hearing this, Yan was provoked, and the flames all over his body surged violently!

Scorching firelight shot into the sky, blasting the entangling vines apart.

The next second, before he could make another move, several more vines burst from the ground and wrapped around Yan's waist and abdomen.

In the blink of an eye, he was tightly bound like a large rice dumpling.

"Ugh--!" Yan let out a muffled groan as he was constricted by the sudden restraint, his flames flaring up violently, yet he couldn't even burn through the surface of those vines.

Lin Ze'an stood opposite them and called out helplessly: "Senior, you need to observe the enemy's situation during battle!"

Just then, a cold, shimmering moon blade whistled toward him from behind.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Xie Yue's mouth, as if victory were already in his grasp.

However, Lin Ze'an acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head, gently raising his hand without even turning around.

Massive vines instantly erupted from the ground, lashing out in response to Lin Ze'an's command.

"Crack!"

The crescent blade was struck with precision by a vine; the crisp, loud sound of metal clashing rang out, and the weapon went flying.

Immediately following, more vines coiled around Xie Yue, wrapping him into a cocoon in the blink of an eye, leaving only his head exposed.

With that, the sparring match came to an end.

"I concede, seniors." Lin Ze'an smiled and offered a bow. With a wave of his hand, all the vines released Xie Yue and Yan, slowly retracting back into the earth.

Yan pulled a bitter face and said, "Little junior, why does it feel like you aren't even trying when you spar with us?"

He glanced at the red welts left on his body by the vines, then looked at Xie Yue, who had received the same treatment.

Xie Yue also nodded with a grim expression. "There's a gap of several levels in our spirit power, yet you crushed us without even activating a single spirit skill..."

Though they were loath to admit it, the fact remained that their combat capabilities were simply not on the same level.

Seeing this, Lin Ze'an smiled faintly, and a verdant green halo surged from his palms.

Under the nourishment of the life force, the injuries on Yan and Xie Yue's bodies healed rapidly, and even the red marks left by the vines began to fade away.

"Isn't this just helping you accumulate combat experience?"

Lin Ze'an withdrew his hand and said in a relaxed tone, "Sparring with me is so safe. You get to feel the pressure, and I can even heal you afterward."

Hearing this, the corners of Yan and Xie Yue's mouths twitched in unison.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in the other's eyes.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out not far away: "You were sparring just now? How did it turn out?"

Yue Guan spoke with a beaming smile, his gaze sweeping over the group.

Lin Ze'an turned around and bowed respectfully. "Master."

Hu Liena and the others also hurriedly bowed, saying in unison, "Lord Chrysanthemum Douluo."

At these words, Yan and Xie Yue were too embarrassed to speak, keeping their heads lowered as if they couldn't bring themselves to say it.

Seeing this, Hu Liena shrugged helplessly and confessed, "Lord Chrysanthemum Douluo, the result was that our little junior took on both of them at once, didn't use any spirit skills, and simply crushed them."