Harvesting Immortal Herbs

Demon Ding patted its belly with its tiny wings, flashing a brazen grin. Its eyes rolled a few times before it stared at En Zuo with ill intent.

"Waa meow." (Did you hear that? The old dean wants me to discipline you.)

En Zuo could only smile helplessly.

Demon Ding's temperament needed some polishing. He would start with intermittent fasting.

For no apparent reason.

Demon Ding's body trembled.

It had the strange feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Ignoring Demon Ding.

En Zuo began reporting the Tang San he had brought back to En Ci. In matters like this, only En Ci's personal approval would make it official.

"Teacher, the soul master I brought back this time is named Tang San. He possesses innate full soul power, and his martial souls are the Blue Silver Emperor and the Clear Sky Hammer..."

En Ci raised a hand slightly, stopping En Zuo.

"Teacher will not pursue the origins of these soul masters any further. In the future, Teacher will arrange suitable identities for them, but there is one thing..."

En Zuo lowered his head and listened.

En Ci sighed. "I know you have been intelligent since childhood and have your own views on matters. If you recognize the talent of these soul masters, then so do I. But there is one thing that leaves Teacher uneasy."

"Whether it is Tang San or Huo Yuhao, neither has a clear background. They must be carefully assessed. That child Huo Yuhao has concealed something about his martial soul. It seems he has hidden an evil martial soul."

"An evil martial soul taints the origin of the martial soul itself. Even if his heart is pure as a child's now, there is no guarantee that one day he will not be consumed by the violent aura within his martial soul and turn into a monster that knows only slaughter. When that happens, the academy could fall, and his fellow students could suffer."

"Teacher still hopes you will proceed with caution."

En Zuo listened silently to En Ci's earnest advice.

Actually, on Douluo Continent, people were rather tolerant of evil martial souls these days. Yuanen Yehui of Shrek Academy had a Fallen Angel as her second martial soul.

But Star Luo Continent was different. As the owner of the Light Sacred Dragon martial soul, En Ci was no more tolerant of evil martial souls than those of the Angel Clan.

As for Huo Yuhao, who was suspected of possessing an evil martial soul, En Ci had turned a blind eye only out of consideration for En Zuo.

En Ci knew far less than En Zuo himself about the two men's talents, nor did he know just how far they would eventually go.

But En Zuo could not say that.

En Ci's clear voice echoed through the empty dormitory as En Zuo promised, "I understand the gravity of it, Teacher. If either of them falls onto the path of evil soul masters, I will personally act and clean house. I will not trouble you to do it."

As long as they defeated Shrek in the All-Continent Youth Advanced Elite Tournament, the team he had assembled could disband at any time.

To him,

Whether it was Huo Yuhao or Tang San,

They were merely pawns to break Shrek's ten-thousand-year legend of invincibility and achieve his goal. All the academy had invested was some insignificant training time and resources.

"Then I am relieved."

En Ci let out a breath, and the faint upward curve of his lips betrayed his current mood.

As long as En Zuo could come around, that was enough.

It did not matter how many geniuses Monster Academy had. As long as Long Yue and En Zuo remained, the future of Star Luo's soul master world was destined to belong to the two martial brothers.

En Ci slowly stroked his snow-white beard, and at last, an appreciative smile he could no longer suppress appeared on his face.

"Then Teacher will go deal with the sovereign's request. Cultivate at your leisure. Teacher looks forward to seeing you and your senior brother Long Yue sweep through Shrek's younger generation at the tournament."

Watching En Ci depart, En Zuo guessed that the Star Luo sovereign's request was likely related to his most beloved daughter.

But that had nothing to do with him.

He was waiting...

Waiting for Tang San to arrive.

As the sky gradually darkened, a figure in a blue uniform approached slowly and politely knocked on En Zuo's dormitory door. A very soft voice came through the crack.

"Brother En Zuo, I'm here."

En Zuo, having finished cultivating, slowly rose. Demon Ding screeched as it pulled open the door, but when it saw that it was not Long Yue bringing food, it returned dejectedly.

Its stomach was already growling.

So hungry.

En Zuo held Demon Ding in his arms and said gently to Tang San, "I called you here this time not over some trivial matter, but because of the immortal herbs growing beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."

"The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well? Immortal herbs?"

"It's actually those two things."

Tang San froze at first, then his body began trembling with excitement. The Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record had recorded three great treasure basins.

Every one of those treasure basins possessed uniquely blessed conditions. They were places where the essence of the world gathered and heaven and earth's spiritual energy converged—precious lands that might not form even once in tens of millions of years.

How could Tang San not be excited to be fortunate enough to see one of the three great treasure basins where the essence of heaven and earth gathered in his lifetime?

Not to mention that immortal herbs grew beside it. This was simply a heaven-sent opportunity, greatly beneficial to cultivation.

Seeing Tang San's excitement, En Zuo felt not the slightest burden as he promised, "Little San, take whichever immortal herbs you like from this harvest."

To him, immortal herbs were inexhaustible. What did it matter if Tang San took a couple?

Could Tang San possibly have the nerve to take dozens? Obviously not.

"Little San is overwhelmed."

Tang San did not dare presume upon such generosity and nearly fell to his knees before En Zuo. Those were immortal herbs—herbs capable of changing an ordinary person's fate.

He did not know how he could ever repay such kindness.

En Zuo pulled Tang San upright, opened Narak Space, and smiled. "It's nothing. I'll take you to see the legendary Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."

Some parallel time and space.

Sunset Forest.

Within the valley before them was a hot spring. Its oval pool was divided into milky white and vermilion halves.

The two sides were clearly distinct, never encroaching upon each other in the slightest.

Billowing vapor rose from the point between the two springs, constantly drifting upward before slowly dispersing only at the mouth of the valley.

Tang San barely calmed his surging emotions, doing his best not to lose his composure. "The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. This is the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?"

And on the bank where the two springs met stood none other than the Serene Fragrance Qiluo Immortal Herb.

That saves me the trouble of harvesting immortal herbs.

Watching Tang San carefully pick the immortal herbs using Tang Sect techniques, En Zuo could not help but smile.

This was only the beginning.

Become a herb-picking apprentice, Tang San.

Tang San had never seen so many immortal herbs. His initial overwhelming excitement gradually turned into numbness, until he could not even muster much interest.

There was no other reason.

He discovered that under En Zuo's special ability, these immortal herbs seemed impossible to exhaust, no matter how many he picked. Such a method had likely already surpassed the gods.

When it came time for the final harvest.

Tang San modestly took only two immortal herbs: Autumn Dew of Gazing Through Autumn Waters and Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone.

One was for cultivating his Purple Demon Eyes, while the other was a gift for Xiao Wu.

But after En Zuo's kind reminder, he selected another Yearning Heartbroken Red to conceal Xiao Wu's soul beast aura.

That way, she could avoid having her true identity seen through by a Title Douluo and suffering a sudden calamity.