Martial Soul Enhancement

After preparing the two main ingredients, Fang Yuan gathered several other herbs as supplementary materials.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was truly a buffet of the herbal world, with all kinds of rare medicinal herbs scattered everywhere.

Once he had assembled the herbs, Fang Yuan took out a small medicinal cauldron from his storage soul tool.

As the saying went, set fire to a mountain and you would end up behind bars. Fang Yuan had no open flame on him, but the water of the Yang Spring within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well possessed extreme heat in itself—more than enough for refining medicine.

With a sweep of his hand, Fang Yuan used his soul power to send the medicinal cauldron floating into the air. It hovered directly above the Yang Spring, spinning rapidly.

Then, herbs such as the Velvet Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum and Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma were added in batches.

After being tempered by the heat, the various herbs either turned into medicinal powder or medicinal liquid. Fang Yuan divided his attention, controlling the semi-finished products separately—removing impurities from some and merging others in pairs.

Only when the final two slightly murky medicinal liquids fused in the intense heat did the rudimentary form of a pill slowly emerge within the cauldron. All its cloudy impurities were removed, leaving the newly formed pill with a lustrous purple sheen.

About half an hour later, once the pill had been fully nurtured, Fang Yuan guided the medicinal cauldron away from above the Yang Spring.

Yet when the lid was lifted, not even the faintest medicinal fragrance wafted out from the cauldron.

Fang Yuan was not surprised in the slightest. This was because all the medicinal potency had been firmly sealed inside the pill. Not a trace leaked out, leaving nothing wasted.

With top-grade herbs and Fang Yuan's near-miraculous attainments in refinement, accomplishing this was effortless.

The pill flew out of the cauldron, and Fang Yuan caught it in one hand before swallowing and refining it in an instant.

The most remarkable trait of the Supreme Immortal Embryo Physique was that its dao marks did not conflict with one another. In this world, that meant it possessed an extremely strong affinity for any form of energy.

There was no need for him to refine the pill's medicinal potency himself. Fang Yuan merely activated his martial soul, and the Supreme Immortal Embryo immediately assimilated and absorbed all the energy from the pill in his stomach.

The vast medicinal potency swept through his entire body in an instant, only to be immediately absorbed in full by the Supreme Immortal Embryo.

A sharp light flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes. He could feel that as the pill's medicinal potency was refined, the Supreme Immortal Embryo Physique had undergone an enormous improvement!

His skin still appeared fair and delicate, as though it could break at the touch. Yet pressing it with a finger revealed its toughness. The muscles and bones beneath were like refined steel, indestructible.

Feeling the changes in his physical strength, Fang Yuan nodded in satisfaction. At this point, relying on his body alone, he already possessed strength and defense no weaker than that of a Soul Sage after activating their Martial Soul Avatar.

After fully sensing the changes within himself, Fang Yuan turned his gaze toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

He had spent roughly a day refining the pill. By now, Tang San's Ice-Fire Golden Body Tempering was nearly complete as well.

Fang Yuan had not claimed the opportunity of the Ice-Fire Golden Body Tempering for himself, but had still left it to Tang San. This was not only because the Velvet Sky-Piercing Chrysanthemum would also be of tremendous use to him, but because he was considering his own immortality.

Fang Yuan always planned for defeat before planning for victory. Although his chances of becoming a god in this world were not low, he still had to account for the worst-case scenario.

If he truly could not ascend to the God Realm, then he could only rely on someone else to bring him into the God Realm when they ascended, laying the foundation for his next steps.

If he could not even reach the God Realm, how could he speak of immortality?

The Ice-Fire Golden Body Tempering had originally been Tang San's opportunity. If Fang Yuan claimed it for himself now, Tang San's future might be altered as well.

A disciple whose future ascension to the God Realm was practically guaranteed was the best candidate to bring Fang Yuan there. Naturally, Fang Yuan would not steal his opportunity and trigger a butterfly effect.

"Splash!"

The sound of water pulled Fang Yuan back from his thoughts.

Tang San's head emerged from the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, his expression still somewhat dazed.

After being tempered by the waters of the Yin Spring and Yang Spring, the changes to his body had been far too immense for him to fully accept at once.

Tang San swam ashore. Seeing Fang Yuan waiting by the bank, warmth rose in his heart, and he respectfully called out, "Teacher."

Fang Yuan nodded, studying him with an amused, almost smiling gaze.

Confused, Tang San lowered his head to look, and his face immediately turned bright red.

Although his body could endure the extreme environment of the Yin Spring and Yang Spring after consuming the two immortal herbs, the clothes close to his body could not.

Looking at his naked body, Tang San suddenly panicked. It was truly embarrassing to have let his teacher see such a sight.

He hurriedly shook the water from his body, accepted his storage brooch from Fang Yuan, and took out a set of clothes to put on.

Only after getting dressed did Tang San gradually calm down. Recalling his teacher's faintly amused look just now, he could not help feeling ashamed.

"Xiao San, how do you feel?" Fang Yuan asked.

Tang San gathered his thoughts and respectfully replied, "Teacher, this Ice-Fire Golden Body Tempering is indeed incredibly wondrous. I can feel that both my body and martial soul have improved tremendously.

"Now, my Blue Silver Grass martial soul has mutated. From now on, it will no longer fear attacks of ice or fire attributes. It has also become incomparably tough and immune to all poisons.

"Moreover, I can sense that the medicinal potency of the two immortal herbs I consumed has not been fully absorbed. Perhaps my current cultivation is insufficient, and much of that potency remains stored within the meridians of my body."

Fang Yuan nodded and rubbed his chin.

This was strange.

As an experienced otherworldly demon, Fang Yuan's discernment was almost unmatched.

Naturally, he could see Tang San's current condition. Yet in his perception, aside from the remaining medicinal potency of the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot, as well as the energy from the Ice-Fire Golden Body Tempering of the Yin Spring and Yang Spring, there seemed to be a third presence within Tang San.

Like the first two, this third presence consisted of two opposing yet complementary attributes: ice and fire. Compared to the medicinal potency of the immortal herbs, its quantity was like a stream beside the sea, but its quality was even greater.

If not for Fang Yuan's keen eyesight, these two strange energies of ice and fire would likely have passed unnoticed, mistaken for the energies of the two immortal herbs.

Fang Yuan pondered without finding an answer. His gaze returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, as though he wished to pierce through its spring waters and see what truly lay within.

After a while, seeing nothing, Fang Yuan temporarily put the matter aside.

The master and disciple had happily eaten immortal herbs, but Dugu Bo's pills had yet to be refined.

Thus, Fang Yuan instructed Tang San to cultivate nearby and familiarize himself with the changes brought by the Ice-Fire Golden Body Tempering, while he went to gather herbs.

After picking herbs such as the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid for Dugu Bo and his granddaughter, Fang Yuan placed them into the medicinal cauldron and returned beside the Yang Spring, using its blazing waters to continue refining medicine.