Immortal Herbs

Yan Jingzhe led Huo Yuhao and the three children through the teaching district, heading toward the Soul Guidance Department.

The three children followed behind without daring to say a word. They had no idea where the dean of the Soul Guidance Department was taking them, nor did they know what awaited them. But at least they would not have to pack up and get out of Shrek—already an enormous stroke of luck for them.

Huo Yuhao walked slightly behind Yan Jingzhe's side, occasionally looking back at the three. He knew them. They were in the same year but different classes; he had seen them a few times in the cafeteria, though they had never spoken.

He remembered that one of the boys had the Iron Horn Bull Martial Soul, a very ordinary beast Martial Soul. His cultivation speed was indeed not fast. But expulsion seemed excessive to Huo Yuhao—after absorbing three pills, he himself had only just reached the enrollment requirement of Rank 15, yet he was doing perfectly fine, wasn't he?

The Soul Guidance Department's teaching building stood in the northwest corner of the Outer Court. It was a grayish-white, three-story structure, somewhat shorter than the Martial Soul Department's teaching building but covering more ground. Behind it stretched an open testing ground, where several senior students could be seen tinkering with strange metal devices. Flashes of soul power gleamed from time to time.

Yan Jingzhe did not enter the teaching building, instead heading directly for the office building beside it.

Feng Ling's office was at the far end of the second floor. Its door stood half-open, and the sound of turning pages came from within. Yan Jingzhe knocked twice before pushing the door open and entering.

Feng Ling was seated behind her desk, reading a file. Her long, straight black hair fell over one shoulder, and she held a pen in her hand, occasionally writing a few words on the paper. When she looked up and saw Yan Jingzhe, then the string of children behind him, her pen paused.

"Brother Jingzhe, what is this?"

"Picked them up on the road." Yan Jingzhe sat on the sofa and pointed at the three children. "First-years. Zhou Yi expelled them, but I intercepted them. Make arrangements for them to transfer to the Soul Guidance Department and find a teacher to take them on."

Feng Ling looked at the three children, then at Yan Jingzhe, without asking further questions. She set down her pen, rose to her feet, and walked over to them.

"What are your names? What are your Martial Souls? What ranks are you?"

The three children nervously gave their names and Martial Souls. Iron Horn Bull Martial Soul, Rank 16. Azure-Winged Bat Martial Soul, Rank 16. Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, Rank 15.

After listening, Feng Ling's expression did not change. She looked back at Yan Jingzhe, and he nodded at her.

"Fine." Feng Ling turned, took three forms from a drawer, and handed them to the children. "Fill these out and report to the Soul Guidance Department tomorrow. I'll arrange instructors for you. You'll study on probation for one month first. If you can keep up, you can stay. If not, we'll discuss it then."

The children accepted the forms, their fingers trembling. The girl with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul began crying again, but this time not from sadness. She was happy.

"Thank you... thank you, Director Feng." The girl's voice shook.

Feng Ling waved a hand. "Go on. Once you've filled out the forms, submit them to the Academic Affairs Office on the first floor. Go back and rest today."

The three children left with profuse thanks. The office fell quiet, leaving only Huo Yuhao standing by the door, unsure whether he should go in.

"Come in." Yan Jingzhe beckoned to him.

Huo Yuhao walked inside and properly took a seat in the chair beside Yan Jingzhe. Feng Ling poured him a cup of water, which he held with both hands and drank in small sips.

"That Zhou Yi," Feng Ling said as she returned to her seat and looked at Yan Jingzhe, "you went head-to-head with her today?"

"Hardly head-to-head." Yan Jingzhe leaned back on the sofa. "I happened to run into her and said a few things."

Feng Ling shook her head. "Yan Shaozhe is probably going to have a headache over this. Zhou Yi belongs to his Martial Soul Department. You told her in front of his people that she was unfit to be a teacher. Shao Zhe will be caught in the middle."

"If he can't even handle something this minor, then he shouldn't be dean of the Martial Soul Department." Yan Jingzhe's tone remained calm.

Feng Ling said nothing more. Her gaze fell on Huo Yuhao, and her lips curved slightly. "Yuhao has been attending classes in the Soul Guidance Department these past few days. Sister Lin'er said he learns very quickly. His Spiritual Detection soul skill is practically a godly skill for a Soul Engineer.

Huo Yuhao felt a little embarrassed by the praise. He lowered his head, his ears turning red.

Yan Jingzhe glanced at him but said nothing. He took a small cloth pouch from his robes and placed it on Feng Ling's desk.

Feng Ling looked at the pouch, then at Yan Jingzhe. "What is this?"

"Immortal Herb Essence," Yan Jingzhe said.

Feng Ling's hand froze.

Of course, she knew what Immortal Herbs were. There were records of them within Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion. They were rare treasures throughout the entire Douluo Continent; any one of them could fetch an astronomical price, yet they were impossible to buy.

"You went to the Icefire Yin Yang Well? That was far too dangerous. It wasn't as though no one had gone there before, but none of them ever came back." Feng Ling lowered her voice.

"Mm, don't worry. I was confident." Yan Jingzhe nodded and took several small jade bottles from the pouch, arranging them one by one on the desk. "The poison formation in Sunset Forest couldn't stop me. I had a chat with those hundred-thousand-year Immortal Herbs. They were quite reasonable and willingly shared some of their essence with me."

Feng Ling stared at the jade bottles in silence for a moment.

"Even if you were confident, it was still dangerous." There was a trace of helplessness in her voice, along with faint concern.

Yan Jingzhe smiled without explaining. He picked up one of the jade bottles and handed it to Feng Ling.

"This one is yours."

Feng Ling took the jade bottle and removed the stopper. A cool, faint fragrance spilled from its mouth, and the entire office seemed to drop several degrees in temperature. Inside was a drop of milky-white liquid, crystalline and translucent, like congealed moonlight or the first dew of a winter morning.

Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone.

"Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone," Yan Jingzhe said. "It can cleanse your marrow and channels, strengthen your body, and more importantly, purge the impurities within you. Your soul power is currently Rank 93. Absorbing this drop of essence will save you at least five years of arduous cultivation."

Feng Ling's fingers tightened slightly around the jade bottle.

She did not say thank you. She simply looked into Yan Jingzhe's eyes and gently nodded. Some things in their relationship did not need to be said aloud.

Yan Jingzhe picked up another jade bottle and set it on the desk.

"This is for Lin'er. Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum grants an indestructible body. It perfectly suits her Martial God Douluo title and the fierce, powerful path of her Azure Flame Dragon Martial Soul. One drop will at least double her physical strength and defense."

Feng Ling carefully set that jade bottle aside.

The last jade bottle was the smallest, only the size of a thumb. It contained eight pale-golden drops of liquid, each like a miniature sun, slowly swirling within the bottle.

Eight-Petal Orchid.

It was the gentlest and longest-lasting of all Immortal Herbs. It was not as overbearing as Blazing Apricot Delicate, nor as cold as Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass. Its medicinal effects were soft and continuous, like spring rain moistening all things without a sound. It was most suitable for young Soul Masters whose foundations were still shallow.

Yan Jingzhe handed the jade bottle to Huo Yuhao.

"This is yours."

Huo Yuhao froze.

He looked at the jade bottle, then at Yan Jingzhe. His lips moved, but he did not reach out.

"Master... I..."

"Take it." Yan Jingzhe pressed the jade bottle into his hand. "Eight-Petal Orchid. Within a few months, it can steadily raise you from Rank 15 to above Rank 20, without any side effects. What you lack right now is a foundation, and this suits you best."

Huo Yuhao held the small jade bottle, his palm damp with sweat.

He did not quite understand what Eight-Petal Orchid represented, but he knew the weight carried by the words "Immortal Herb." It was something he had never dared dream of possessing in his entire life, yet now his master had casually handed it to him as if offering him a piece of candy.

"Master, I can't accept this... it's too precious..."

"Precious my ass." Yan Jingzhe cut him off. "Things are meant to be used, not worshipped. If you use it and grow stronger, that'll be the best repayment you can give me."

Huo Yuhao's eyes reddened. He bit his lip hard to keep himself from crying, but tears still fell uncontrollably.

Feng Ling offered him a handkerchief, but he did not take it. He roughly wiped his face with the back of his hand, gripping the jade bottle tightly.

"Thank you, Master." His voice was hoarse and muffled.

"Mm." Yan Jingzhe stood and patted his shoulder. "Stop crying. You're a grown man—what kind of sight is this?"

Feng Ling glanced at Yan Jingzhe from the side. He spoke as though it were nothing, but any one of the three portions of Immortal Herb Essence he had given away was enough for an ordinary Soul Master to struggle for an entire lifetime to obtain. Yet he had sent them out without even blinking.

She suddenly remembered the first time she had met Yan Jingzhe many years ago. Back then, he had not yet become the dean of the Soul Guidance Department. He had merely been a young man whom Mu En had just accepted as a disciple, dressed in old clothes and standing by Sea God Lake, staring blankly at the water.

Even then, she had thought that he was different.

Now, she was even more certain.

"Let's go," Yan Jingzhe said. "Let's find Lin'er."