Ice and Fire Tempering the Golden Body

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Taiji diagram above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well rotated slowly, casting red and blue light across the valley. Luo An'an squatted by the spring, drawing circles on the water's surface with a small twig. Luo Chen leaned against an old tree, pulled out his pocket watch, and glanced at it; the second segment was full, and the third was emitting a faint glow. He tucked the watch away and closed his eyes.

Tired of playing, Luo An'an ran back and tugged at the corner of Luo Chen's clothes. "Brother, when are we going home?"

"In two more days. Brother needs to research a few things."

"Is the old grandfather coming back with us?" Luo An'an pointed at Dugu Bo.

The corners of Dugu Bo's mouth twitched. "This old man is not going."

"Why? Isn't it lonely for you to live here all by yourself, old grandfather?"

Dugu Bo opened his mouth, but no words came out. Luo An'an ran over, pulled a piece of candy from her pocket, and stuffed it into his hand.

"Old grandfather, here is some candy for you. An'an is leaving tomorrow, so don't miss me too much."

Dugu Bo stared at the candy in his hand, stunned for a long moment, before tucking it into his robe. He put on a stern face and muttered, "This old man doesn't even like candy."

Luo An'an giggled, ran back to Luo Chen's side, and took his hand as they walked toward the stone cave.

"Brother, I'm hungry."

"What do you want to eat?"

"A sandwich!"

In the many days they had spent together, Luo Chen had made her all sorts of sandwiches. Because they were varied and simple to prepare, they had become a favorite of Luo An'an's!

"There is no bread here. I'll make you one when we get back."

"Then An'an will just have to wait."

The siblings' figures disappeared into the cave entrance. Dugu Bo leaned against the old tree, clutching the candy in his hand as he looked at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well before him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"This little girl is more likable than her brother."

The next morning.

Luo Chen stood by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for a long time.

He observed the two immortal herbs in the center of the spring: the crimson Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb and the icy blue Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. According to his memories of the original story, it was by consuming these two herbs simultaneously and then leaping into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well that Tang San had forged a body immune to both ice and fire. The process was incredibly dangerous, but the rewards were immense.

He needed this constitution. On one hand, the power of time placed a heavy burden on his body; every time he used time acceleration, his meridians suffered immense pressure. On the other hand, while his mental strength was currently very high, his physical body was quite weak. If he didn't temper his body to the limit first, his physical strength would fail to keep pace with his mental growth, and there was a high probability of a total collapse.

"Senior," Luo Chen turned to Dugu Bo, "this junior needs to borrow those two immortal herbs."

Dugu Bo's hand, which was holding a teacup, paused. He raised his eyelids, shifting his gaze from Luo Chen's face to the Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass in the spring, then back again.

"Are you insane? Both of those things are highly toxic. Even this old man wouldn't dare eat them. You're a four-ring Spirit Ancestor—are you trying to commit suicide?"

"Not eating them individually. Eating them at the same time," Luo Chen said. "The medicinal properties of the two herbs are mutually exclusive; consuming them simultaneously can neutralize the toxicity. Then, by using the water of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to temper the body, one can forge a body immune to ice and fire."

Dugu Bo stared at him for a few seconds, set down his teacup, and stood up. He walked to the edge of the spring, looked down at the two herbs, and remained silent for a moment.

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Are you confident?"

"Seventy percent."

Dugu Bo snorted. "You'd gamble on seventy percent? If you die, what happens to your sister?"

Luo Chen glanced toward the stone cave, where Luo An'an was still asleep.

"That is why this junior needs Senior to protect me. If I cannot hold on, please intervene and pull me out of the spring."

Dugu Bo paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, then stopped and sighed.

"Fine. But I can only say I will do my best. If I truly cannot help you, don't blame me."

Luo Chen did not hesitate. He walked to the edge of the spring and first locked his gaze on the crystal-clear Looking-at-Autumn-Water Dew on the east side—since he was tempering his body, he might as well improve his eyesight as well; after all, his second martial spirit was the Evil Eye. He extended his right hand and carefully caught the dewdrop from the herb into a jade bottle. The droplet rolled inside the bottle, shimmering with iridescent light. He stored the jade bottle in his Nightmare Ring and then turned to the two ice and fire immortal herbs.

The Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb grew in the center of the crimson spring, the surrounding water churning with scorching bubbles. The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass grew in the center of the icy blue spring, with fine ice crystals floating on the surface. The two herbs were less than three meters apart, separated by the Yin-Yang dividing line where the red and blue waters met.

Luo Chen took off his shirt, baring his chest, and took a deep breath. He used a jade knife to cut the Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb, then a gold knife to cut the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. He held the leaves of the two herbs with the knives—one red, one blue; one hot, one cold. His hands even began to show signs of burns and frostbite.

Without hesitation, he shoved both herbs into his mouth, chewed them up, and swallowed.

Ice and fire exploded within him simultaneously. Luo Chen did not possess the internal cultivation methods that Tang San had, but he was able to use his mental power to guide the forces of ice and fire to clear his meridians.

The fire poison of the Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb surged like a fire dragon from his stomach toward his limbs and bones, scorching his meridians as if they were being branded by hot iron. The cold poison of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass followed closely behind like an ice dragon, freezing his meridians solid wherever it passed. The two dragons rampaged through his body, and every collision felt as if someone had detonated a bomb inside him.

Luo Chen gritted his teeth and leaped into the center of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The red and blue spring water swallowed him whole. Ice and fire surged in from outside his body, joining the ice and fire dragon toxins inside in a pincer attack.

Red and blue patterns crawled across his skin, and his veins bulged as if they were about to burst. Luo Chen felt as though his body were being torn apart, or like a piece of iron thrown into a furnace—impurities were burned away, and his structure was shattered only to be forged anew.

Dugu Bo stood by the spring with his arms crossed, dark green spirit power swirling in his palms, ready to intervene at any moment.

Luo An'an was awakened by the commotion and ran out of the stone cave. Seeing her brother submerged in the spring water, his small face twisted in agony, she was terrified and started to rush forward.

Dugu Bo caught her. "Don't go over there. Your brother is fine; he is doing something very important."

"But Brother looks like he's in so much pain!"

Luo An'an clutched the corner of Dugu Bo's robe, her eyes red, but she did not rush forward again.

Luo Chen sat beneath the spring with his eyes closed, his mental energy guarding the sliver of clarity in his mind. The power of ice and fire had circulated through his body countless times, and with every cycle, his physical tolerance grew stronger. The fire dragon and ice dragon no longer rampaged, instead beginning to flow smoothly through his meridians. The red and blue patterns on his skin shifted from chaotic to orderly, resembling a Taiji diagram slowly taking shape.

At the same time, the power of time was also at work; whenever Luo Chen's meridians were on the verge of rupturing, it would restore them, repeating the process over and over.

He did not know how much time had passed when Luo Chen finally opened his eyes and stood up from the spring.

Steam still rose from his body, and the red and blue patterns on his skin were slowly fading, leaving his muscle definition more pronounced than before. He raised his right hand and clenched his fist, feeling his body brimming with power. It was not soul power, but the raw strength of his flesh.

"Did you succeed?" Dugu Bo's voice came from the bank, carrying a trace of imperceptible tension.