A Year, Purple Demon Eye's Third Realm!

Dugu Yan recalled the conversation Xia Yuan had had with Ye Lingling after his spirit battle with Yu Tianheng.

But her feelings were rather complicated at that moment.

"Lingling?" Xia Yuan probed.

Light immediately filled Ye Lingling's eyes.

"Xia Yuan, are you really taking a year off?"

"I have some cultivation questions I need to ask Senior Dugu about," Xia Yuan said. "He is the most suitable person."

"Then... all right."

Dugu Yan looked at Ye Lingling, then turned toward Dugu Bo and the others in the distance.

"Xia Yuan, although I don't know what exactly you and my grandfather are up to."

"But..." Dugu Yan wanted to say something, then shook her head with a smile. "Forget it, what am I even saying..."

"Anyway, a year from now, don't let Lingling and me leave you behind."

Do you remember that you're older than me?

Xia Yuan thought helplessly.

"See you in a year."

Xue Qinghe arrived in a hurry with his people, then left just as hurriedly.

Other than allowing Xia Yuan to meet three more people and granting him leave, nothing else happened.

However, the way Dugu Bo looked at Xia Yuan had changed.

"You brat... I never expected that, at such a young age, you'd already be such a romantic."

Xia Yuan did not respond, merely casting Dugu Bo a helpless glance.

"Fine, you've met everyone you needed to meet. I'll take you back." With a wave of his hand, Dugu Bo picked Xia Yuan up again.

After returning to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo asked casually, "Brat, you said earlier that you had cultivation questions to ask me. Was that an excuse, or were you serious?"

Xia Yuan said, "Senior Dugu, one year from now, I'll need to go to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt my third Soul Ring."

"When the time comes, I'll need Senior Dugu's help finding a Soul Beast."

"Mm... its age may exceed Senior Dugu's expectations somewhat."

"Exceed this old man's expectations?" Dugu Bo snorted. "Even if your second Soul Ring is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, could your third Soul Ring possibly reach the ten-thousand-year level?"

"Fine, this old man agrees."

Xia Yuan did not explain further.

By then, not only would his third Soul Ring be at the ten-thousand-year level—his second Soul Ring would likely have evolved to the ten-thousand-year level as well.

Dugu Bo continued, "The reason you can survive in this place may be because you ate some familiar medicinal herb."

"This old man will not ask about it."

"Just as I said before, you may use the herbs here as you wish, so long as you don't strip bare the medicinal garden this old man planted himself."

"Also, this is this old man's place of rest."

"Pick a time period. During that time, this old man won't disturb you, and you can prepare medicine."

"Early morning." Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Yuan immediately named a time.

In the early morning, he needed to cultivate the Purple Demon Eye.

The mountaintop stood high, and the steam produced by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well dissipated there, so it would not interfere with his ability to capture Purple Qi from the East.

After cultivating the Purple Demon Eye, he could conveniently refine medicine afterward.

"Good." Dugu Bo nodded. "During the day, this old man will go out to find Soul Bones for Yan Yan. At night, I'll return to take medicine."

Thinking of Dugu Bo's abilities, Xia Yuan could not help asking, "You're not going to use your poison attacks to slaughter indiscriminately, are you?"

"What kind of person do you take this old man for?" Dugu Bo shot Xia Yuan a glance.

"Naturally, this old man will first try to find them through legitimate channels."

"Rare treasures like Soul Bones can only be encountered by chance. It isn't something this old man can find merely by slaughtering at will."

"Fine, that is this old man's resting cave. You can go there to rest normally."

Dugu Bo pointed at a cave. From Xia Yuan's angle, he could barely make out some furnishings inside that gave it the feeling of a lived-in place.

"I understand." Xia Yuan nodded.

Dugu Bo left.

Xia Yuan watched Dugu Bo's figure disappear into the mist, then turned and walked toward the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Immortal Herbs could not be consumed carelessly. If too many Immortal Herbs were taken at once, their medicinal effects could clash, causing one to explode and die.

Thus, this year was actually time Xia Yuan had set aside to digest their medicinal power.

For an Immortal Herb like the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, whose effects were mild and mainly improved eyesight, cleared the mind, and increased spiritual power, Xia Yuan could directly consume it after digesting some of the medicinal power from the two Ice and Fire Immortal Herbs.

However, that was not possible with an Immortal Herb like the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, whose effects were rather overbearing.

Remaining at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for a year would help Xia Yuan digest the medicinal power of the two Ice and Fire Immortal Herbs more quickly.

But only for this year. The further it went, the weaker the effect would become, and continuing to stay would no longer be worth it.

However, while undergoing the Ice and Fire Body Tempering, Xia Yuan had also sensed that his "mutated" Martial Soul had undergone some marvelous changes.

Perhaps this would also help him absorb the medicinal power of Immortal Herbs.

One year later.

[Using Empty Handed on target Dugu Bo...]

[Empty Handed judgment in progress... Judgment successful!]

[Congratulations! Theft triggered!]

[Theft from Dugu Bo obtained: Dugu Bo's Poison Refining Notes!]

[Confirm theft?]

"Dugu Bo's Poison Refining Notes? What use would this thing be to me? No."

Xia Yuan muttered to himself. Then he packed up the medicinal liquid he had refined and tossed it to Dugu Bo, saying casually, "Senior Dugu, are you sure you don't want to continue the treatment?"

Dugu Bo shook his head. "Over these past days, I've already felt that if the toxins in my body were completely removed, I might instead suffer a backlash."

"Let's stop the treatment here. It no longer affects my strength or daily life."

"But... I truly never expected my Soul Power to rise by a rank because of your treatment."

Xia Yuan said, "The problem with your Martial Soul cultivation has been resolved, so the Soul Power that had been suppressed naturally rose."

"Since my problem has been solved, let's directly solve yours now," Dugu Bo said.

"You're hunting your third Soul Ring, right? Have you decided what type of Soul Beast you need?"

Xia Yuan nodded.

Over the past year, he had digested quite a bit of the medicinal power from the Ice and Fire Immortal Herbs.

Xia Yuan had long since consumed the Millennium Whale Glue he had obtained by triggering theft with Empty Handed from Yu Tianheng.

However, perhaps because there had only been one piece, or perhaps because it was too low in age, Xia Yuan could not sense any obvious improvement.

Besides that, half a year earlier, Xia Yuan had consumed another Immortal Herb, the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.

The Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was entirely emerald green, with only three snow-white leaves at the center of the herb. In the middle of those leaves was a dewdrop-like bead of water.

Compared to the other Immortal Herbs, this one could not be considered the best.

Neither the two Ice and Fire Immortal Herbs he had taken earlier nor the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew could directly increase Xia Yuan's strength.

Yet their effects were beyond the reach of other Immortal Herbs.

After consuming the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Xia Yuan's Purple Demon Eye skipped several years of arduous cultivation, leaping over the second realm, Subtlety, and directly reaching the third realm, Mustard Seed!