Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lay quietly in the center of the valley, one half crimson as blood, the other icy blue as jade.

The red and blue colors intertwined above the spring, forming a slowly rotating Taiji diagram. The temperature in the air fluctuated between freezing and scorching, as if two invisible giants were locked in a struggle.

Luo An'an clung to Luo Chen's shoulder, her eyes wide and her mouth forming a small, perfect circle.

"Brother, this place is so pretty!"

"It is! Very pretty."

Luo Chen set her down and, holding her hand, walked slowly toward the spring. The closer they got, the more intense the pressure from the two opposing energies became.

Luo Chen used his soul power to shield Luo An'an, forming a thin, invisible membrane of soul energy around them to keep the excessive icy and fiery aura at bay.

Dugu Bo stood beside the spring with his hands behind his back, gazing at the two immortal herbs growing in the very center of the pool.

"Kid, do you recognize those two things?"

Luo Chen followed his gaze. In the center of the crimson spring, a fiery red plant grew in silence.

It was shaped like a cabbage, but its entire body was crimson, its surface shimmering with a gemstone-like luster, and tiny flames danced upon its leaves.

Even from a distance, one could feel the sensation of extreme, scorching heat.

In the center of the icy blue spring, another plant stood in opposition. It was snow-white, with an octagonal bud at its apex. The bud was crystal clear, as if carved from thousand-year-old ice. Wisps of cold air overflowed from the bud, condensing into fine ice crystals in the air.

"Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass," Luo Chen said. "Immortal herbs of extreme fire and extreme ice. Consuming either one alone would mean certain death for anyone below the rank of Titled Douluo. But if taken together, they neutralize each other's toxicity, tempering the body and granting one a constitution immune to water and fire."

Dugu Bo was stunned. He didn't actually know what these herbs were; he had only intended to show them off, never expecting this kid to actually recognize them.

"You really know these two immortal herbs?" Dugu Bo asked.

"Yes, I saw them in a book once," Luo Chen replied.

He wasn't lying; he had indeed seen them in a book (Douluo Continent).

"You came here this time to borrow this place to help your sister awaken her martial soul?" Dugu Bo looked at Luo An'an. The little girl was very cute, and he remembered his own Yan Yan being just as adorable.

Because of this, Dugu Bo's impression of the siblings improved slightly.

"Yes, I want to use the energy here to help her achieve a complete awakening."

"The energy in this place is too violent. Even a Titled Douluo might not be able to withstand direct contact with the water of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Your six-year-old sister likely won't be able to bear it."

Dugu Bo squatted down and looked into Luo An'an's eyes. "Little girl, are you afraid of pain?"

Luo An'an shook her head and said in a milky, childish voice, "An'an isn't afraid! Brother said he would help me wake up that little black ball, so An'an isn't afraid!"

Dugu Bo's lips twitched, and he stood back up.

"Kid, what do you intend to do?"

Luo Chen didn't answer immediately. He walked to the edge of the spring and squatted down to observe his surroundings.

The soil around the spring was covered in all sorts of immortal herbs—crimson, icy blue, golden, purple—each radiating a unique brilliance.

He closed his eyes and probed them one by one with his spiritual power.

The Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb was too intense; a six-year-old child would be burned to ash.

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass was too cold; a six-year-old child would be frozen into an ice sculpture.

The Wonder-Silk Sky Chrysanthemum was neutral, said to "circulate energy through the four limbs and clear the eight meridians, forging a body of diamond-like invulnerability." It sounded impressive, but An'an was only six; her blood and energy weren't fully developed, and she couldn't handle the medicinal force surging through her meridians. The prerequisite for a body of diamond-like invulnerability was having a certain foundation to begin with.

The Snowy Swan Kiss was for stimulation; Tang San had used it to destroy the Slaughter City, so it wasn't suitable, though he could keep it—he might find a use for it later.

The Wangchuan Autumn Dew was helpful for the eyes but useless for strengthening the physique; he planned to use that himself.

The Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb could neutralize all poisons, and the fragrance it emitted rendered any toxic substance ineffective.

"Within the range of its fragrance, no poison has any effect," but the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb itself could not increase cultivation or alter one's constitution.

What An'an needed wasn't poison resistance, but a solid foundation to possess the capacity to withstand the energy absorbed by her devouring power.

The Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower—these were all nourishing, but their medicinal properties were too strong. They were supplements for adults, but lethal medicine for a six-year-old.

Luo Chen's gaze swept over one herb after another, then suddenly stopped.

On the east side of the spring, a small orchid grew quietly in a crevice of a damp rock.

The orchid was only a palm high, its eight petals spread out in a fan shape. Each petal was milky white, crystal clear, and radiated a faint golden luster.

There was no heavy fragrance, only a wisp of faint, ethereal orchid scent—clear without being cloying, light without being thin.

No other plants grew adjacent to it, not because it repelled them, but because it was so gentle—so gentle that even the surrounding plants didn't perceive it as a threat, naturally leaving a small circle of empty space around it.

Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid!

Luo Chen's eyes lit up.

He remembered. In the original work, Tang San gave the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid to Oscar. It had the effect of "consolidating the foundation and cultivating the origin, removing impurities," enough to compensate for the slow cultivation speed of food-type soul masters, with effects lasting even up to level seventy.

Moreover, it was the most gentle of all the immortal herbs, known as an immortal treasure for "consolidating the foundation and removing impurities from the body."

The absorption process was very peaceful, unlike the domineering nature of other immortal herbs; it nourished the body like a gentle rain that moistens everything in silence.

This was exactly what he was looking for.

Luo Chen extended his right hand, silver-white time energy coalescing at his fingertips, and reached cautiously toward the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid.

His spiritual power blanketed the flower's stamen, sensing the energy contained within. It was incredibly gentle and pure, like a pool of clear spring water—neither fierce nor volatile—making it perfectly suited for laying a foundation for An'an.

"This is the one." Luo Chen stood up and turned to Dugu Bo. "Senior Dugu, I would like to pluck this Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid for my younger sister."

"Oh? The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid?"

"Gold-trimmed and jade-adorned." Luo Chen crouched down and looked into Luo An'an's eyes. "An'an, big brother wants to use this flower to help you get your body healthy. Once you can withstand the power of the Ice and Fire here, big brother will help you fully awaken that little black ball. It might be a bit bitter, though. Can you handle it, An'an?"

"Bitter? How bitter is it?"

"Hmm, it might be as bitter as eating bitter melon."

Luo An'an's small face immediately scrunched up. She hated bitter melon the most; the last time Lin Xiaomei stir-fried a plate of it, she had spat out the first bite and refused to eat another no matter what.

"Then... then can An'an not eat it?"

"If you don't eat it, that little black ball won't be able to wake up. Don't you want to catch soul beasts, An'an?"

Luo An'an struggled with the decision for a long while before finally taking a deep breath. As if she had made a major resolution, she clenched her small fists and said, "Okay! An'an will eat the bitter stuff! But big brother has to reward An'an!"

"What kind of reward?"

"After An'an finishes awakening, big brother has to take me to eat the best candied haws in Tiandou City! An'an wants three skewers!"

"It's a deal."