Humanoid Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well! The Premonition Grows Stronger!

(The earlier parts were revised. After they were posted, a lot of readers didn't like this female lead as a wife, so I simply won't write a marriage plot.)

"Third Soul Skill—Sun and Moon Shine Together."

As his voice fell, a circle of pale golden light spread outward from him, covering an area roughly twenty paces in radius.

The domain surged with Sun-Moon essence so dense it was nearly tangible. It felt warm, as though he were wrapped in a pool of heated spring water, and even the air seemed a little clearer.

He sensed that the life force fluctuations of the surrounding grasses and plants had become noticeably more active after coming into contact with this energy.

The effects appeared far faster than he had imagined.

The leaves of the low-year Sun-Moon Grass closest to him, which had previously drooped in dejection after the old plant's disappearance, began to stand upright again. The purple sheen on their stalks grew a shade brighter than before.

Several clumps of half-dead weeds turned from withered yellow to lush green at a visible rate. Their stalks shot upward, their leaves unfurled, and several even sprouted fresh shoots within barely a dozen breaths.

Lan Tian's eyes gleamed faintly.

He continued pouring in power, driving the catalytic effect of Sun and Moon Shine Together to its limit.

The golden radiance within the domain grew denser, and the Sun-Moon essence poured into the roots and stalks of every plant like streams of tangible energy.

At the same time, he did not stop. He activated his first soul skill, Endless Life, followed closely by his first soul skill, Spring of Vegetation. With the three layers of catalysis stacked together, the plants across the entire valley seemed to have been put on fast-forward.

Under the repeated catalysis, the low-year Sun-Moon Grass grew taller and thicker at a visible rate. Leaves that had originally been only a few inches long became three times their former length within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, while the serrated patterns on their surfaces became denser and more pronounced.

Several clumps of unknown shrubs in the distance crazily sent out new branches. Dense new buds emerged along them, and beneath the golden glow, the tips of those buds unfolded into complete leaves, green enough to drip.

Lan Tian withdrew his hand and looked at the sight before him, his heart surging with intense shock.

Sun and Moon Shine Together, Endless Life, and Spring of Vegetation—the combined effect of these three plant-catalyzing abilities far exceeded his expectations.

If those low-year Sun-Moon Grass plants had grown naturally, they would have needed at least several decades to reach their current state. Yet he had done it in only the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

He lowered his head to look at his hands, then at the plants around him that had clearly grown much larger. Suddenly, a thought emerged in his mind that even made him pause.

Sun and Moon Shine Together could draw upon Sun-Moon essence to accelerate plant growth. Spring of Vegetation could induce plants to grow. Endless Life could nourish plants. With all three abilities stacked together, he himself was like a portable humanoid Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The reason the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was called a wondrous land was not merely because of its two pools of hot and cold spring water. Its greatest value was that its spring water could drastically accelerate plant growth, turning ordinary herbs into spiritual medicines and even immortal herbs in an extremely short time.

And now, with nothing more than a combination of his soul skills, he could force low-year plants to grow to a level far beyond natural growth in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Although the range was limited, and the growth speed surely still paled compared to the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the crucial point was that he could move.

As long as he was there, this growth-boosting effect could move with him.

He did not need to remain in one wondrous land and wait for plants to mature. He could carry plants with him and cultivate them whenever and wherever he wished.

"This ability... is even more absurd than I imagined."

Lan Tian muttered, then swiftly got to work.

He crouched down and carefully dug up the few Sun-Moon Grass plants that had visibly grown much taller under Sun and Moon Shine Together, roots and soil included. He wrapped them one by one in oilcloth and placed them into his storage ring.

Although this batch of Sun-Moon Grass was not particularly old, after his triple growth stimulation, they had already reached a level close to eight hundred to a thousand years. If he brought them back and cultivated them for a while, he might be able to raise a second batch of valuable medicinal materials.

He then swept his gaze over the surrounding catalyzed shrubs and weeds, selecting several unknown plants with the best appearance and strongest vitality to collect as well.

Though he was unsure of their exact uses, any plants that reacted so quickly when infused with Sun-Moon essence clearly had decent potential. Bringing them back for study could only benefit him.

After storing all the harvested plants in his ring, he brushed the dirt from his hands, took out a map, and spread it over his knees. Using a charcoal pencil, he crossed out this valley's location and wrote a line of small notes in the blank space at the edge: "Sun-Moon Grass colony. Three-thousand-year old plant collected. Plant-catalyzing ability discovered to be extremely powerful; worth prioritizing for future development."

After writing that, he put away the map and raised his head toward the deeper sea of forest south of the valley.

Night had fully fallen. The moon hung high overhead, its silvery light spilling across the mottled fallen leaves in the forest.

The lingering golden glow from his earlier use of Sun and Moon Shine Together was gradually fading, but the warm, clear feeling in the air remained. Even the insects around him seemed livelier than before.

He began following the slope southward.

His search for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had already lasted six years.

Over those six years, every time he came to Sunset Forest, he made detailed records and markings—which regions had already been investigated, which showed anomalies but warranted a second inspection, and which were completely impossible. Everything was clearly marked on his map.

After six years of elimination, vast areas in the southeastern and southwestern parts of Sunset Forest had been covered in circles, crosses, and other markings.

There were fewer and fewer unexplored areas remaining.

At his current pace, after no more than two or three more expeditions, he would have completely covered all explorable mid-depth and deep regions of Sunset Forest through elimination.

By then, if the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well truly existed within Sunset Forest, it would have no way to escape his carpet search.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if he truly failed to find the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in the end, the herbs and resources he had accumulated in Sunset Forest over the past six years would still have made the journey worthwhile.

Besides, he had now discovered that the catalytic ability produced by stacking his three soul skills rivaled that of a humanoid Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Even if he failed to find that true wondrous land, he himself was becoming a mobile wondrous land.

At that thought, Lan Tian's steps grew noticeably lighter.

He continued south through the night for roughly two hours before finding a sheltered crack between rocks and setting up camp.

After lighting a fire and roasting some dry rations to fill his stomach, he took out the Sun-Moon Grass leaves and roots he had gathered that day and inspected them carefully. Only after confirming they had been properly sealed did he put them away again.

Before closing his eyes against the rock wall, he looked up at the starry sky overhead.

The night in Sunset Forest was exceptionally clear. The Milky Way stretched across the heavens as if someone had scattered crushed diamonds across it, dazzling enough that one could not look away.

"Soon," he silently said to himself. "I have a feeling the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well isn't far from me! Once I find it and consume the immortal herbs within, I'll be able to truly defy fate, change my destiny, and become a god in the future!"

The night wind blew in through the crack in the rocks, carrying the damp scent of vegetation unique to the depths of the forest.

He closed his eyes, his breathing gradually steadying as he sank into sleep.

Tomorrow, he still had to continue south. That region he had yet to set foot in might hold what he had been searching for.