Lovesick Heartbroken Red's Trial of Sincerity

Inferno Apricot finished speaking and lightly waved her hand.

The red and blue mist surrounding the boundary between ice and fire slowly parted, opening a passage. The peerless immortal herb that had been hidden deep within the spiritual grass finally revealed its full form.

Upon a small stone platform stood a solitary, incomparably beautiful red flower.

Half its petals were covered in a crystal-white chill like congealed frost, carrying the millennia-old cold charm of the Well's frigid domain, translucent as carved ice and jade. The other half burned with a faint crimson radiance, wrapped in the warm spiritual energy of the fire domain, brilliant as scarlet flames beneath drifting clouds. The utterly opposing powers of extreme ice and fire blended perfectly within a single flower, without the slightest conflict, instead creating a beauty so tragic it seemed capable of shaking heaven and earth. It possessed no rich, heady fragrance, only an exceedingly faint, pure, nearly intangible scent that spread through the air, yet it struck directly at the deepest part of one's soul, stirring all the truest emotions in the world.

This was the world-defying immortal herb that guarded the Icefire Yin Yang Well—Lovesick Heartbroken Red.

Huo Yuhao slowly stepped forward. His usually steady footsteps now carried an almost imperceptible tremor.

Tang Wulin stood quietly nearby. The Nature Seed between his brows remained silent, while the gentle aura of vegetation around him slowly spread, silently stabilizing the spiritual energy of the secret realm around them. After the earlier baptism of flames, the burning pain across his body had largely faded. His gaze was calm as he watched Huo Yuhao, who was about to begin the trial, his eyes filled with unwavering trust.

Inferno Apricot stood at the edge of the fire domain, her fiery red skirts fluttering lightly in the wind. Her expression was solemn and grave, with none of her earlier anger or pride remaining. All that remained was reverence for this peerless immortal herb and for the sincere, devoted love of mortals.

"Lovesick Heartbroken Red recognizes neither strength nor status, much less talent or fortune."

Her cool, authoritative voice echoed through the entire valley, piercing the swirling icefire mist, every word clear.

"Of the countless immortal herbs beneath heaven, it is the most stubborn and the purest. It recognizes only one thing—true devotion."

"Those whose hearts harbor stray thoughts or whose feelings are impure will suffer agonizing pain of the mind and a torn soul the moment they approach. They will never have any fate with it again. Only those who possess the truest, purest love, a love they would never regret even in death, may use the hot blood of their hearts as a guide and their unwavering devotion as an offering to make the flower bloom and obtain this immortal treasure. Once you attempt it, you will face your true heart. Not the slightest falsehood can be hidden. At best, your soul will be wounded; at worst, your capacity for love will shatter, and you will never be able to love again. Have you... thought this through?"

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and raised his eyes toward the exquisite flower, half ice and half fire. There was not the slightest hesitation in his eyes, only tenderness and determination so deep they could not be dissolved.

Countless scenes flashed through his mind.

When they had first met, Wang Dong, the radiant and dazzling youth on Shrek's training grounds; the brilliant light of their twin martial soul fusion skill; the days and nights they had spent cultivating side by side on the training field; when he had fallen into darkness, his heart filled with gloom, it had been her light that gradually illuminated his lonely, cold world; it had been her unconditional trust and favoritism that supported his humble yet stubborn youthful spirit.

Now, Dong'er lay gravely injured and unconscious, her life force fading and her soul in peril. All the splendor of the world and even supreme cultivation held no meaning for him.

If he could not save her, what use was it to cultivate bitterly for ten thousand years and ascend to the peak?

"I've thought it through."

Huo Yuhao's voice was low and hoarse, yet every word rang with resolve. There was no hesitation and no retreat.

"My feelings have never contained even the slightest falsehood. My heart has always belonged to her alone. No matter what pain or backlash awaits me, I am willing to bear it."

As his words fell, he no longer hesitated and stepped onto the center of the stone platform at the boundary of ice and fire.

The moment he entered within ten feet of it, a sudden change occurred.

An invisible, formless blade of spiritual power suddenly pierced through his body and stabbed directly into his heart!

There was no searing pain of scorched flesh, no agony of broken sinews and bones. Yet an ultimate sorrow, an ultimate ache as though his heart had been severed, spread wildly from the depths of his soul and exploded.

It was as if every regret, longing, concern, and flutter of his entire life had been infinitely magnified, surging, tangling, and tearing at his soul.

Huo Yuhao's body suddenly stiffened. His face turned paper-white in an instant, utterly bloodless. His slender figure trembled slightly, and fine, cold sweat immediately seeped from his temples.

He clenched his teeth, refusing to let out even the faintest groan of pain. His dark eyes remained fixed on the Lovesick Heartbroken Red ahead.

The trial had begun—Lovesick Heart Trial, where a single thought determined truth or falsehood.

Countless chaotic thoughts began frantically battering his true heart. They were the immortal herb's interrogation of his soul: What did he seek? Was it the obsession to save her, or the selfish desire to grow stronger through the immortal treasure? Did his love for her contain dependence, exploitation, or vanity? If the road ahead proved impossibly difficult and led to no result, would he still remain unchanged and never abandon her?

Every human heart held distracting thoughts, and the mortal world was filled with greed and obsession.

Even the purest affection could not help but conceal a trace of inconsequential bias.

In an instant, countless distracting thoughts sprang up in Huo Yuhao's mind. The weakness, inferiority, unease, and fear in his heart were all infinitely magnified. His soul was pulled to the brink of shattering. That heart-rending pain, which penetrated marrow and tore through his soul, was a hundred times more tormenting than a grievous physical injury.

His body shook violently, his soul power becoming chaotic and turbulent. The soul rings around him flickered in and out, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

In the distance, Inferno Apricot watched him quietly, a trace of scrutiny and emotion in her eyes. Over countless years, there had been innumerable soul masters who had attempted to pluck the Lovesick Heartbroken Red. There had been talented prodigies and Titled Douluo alike, but ninety percent could not endure even three breaths before their minds collapsed and they fled in disarray. Some even had their capacity for love shattered on the spot, their souls damaged, leaving them with lifelong regret.

Tang Wulin's brows furrowed slightly. He instinctively clenched his fists, faint golden dragonlight stirring around him, yet he did not step forward at all.

He understood that this was Huo Yuhao's trial alone. No one could take his place, and no one could help him. Love was a cultivation belonging solely to one's true heart. Any intervention from outsiders would be both desecration and useless.

At the center of the stone platform, agonizing pain swept through his entire body as distracting thoughts frantically corroded his true heart.

Yet amid that extreme suffering, Huo Yuhao's eyes grew increasingly clear and increasingly resolute.

Every chaotic thought, every doubt in himself, every greedy and obsessive distraction was crushed one by one and cleansed away by the deepest obsession in his heart.

He remembered countless days and nights at her side. He remembered the girl's radiant smile, her unconditional trust and protection, and the promise he had made to remain together with her through life after life, never leaving or abandoning her.

All I seek is her safety.

All I long for is her alone.

Even if ten thousand agonies descend upon me, even if my soul is destroyed, this love of mine will never regret, never fail, never change.

"Dong'er..."

He softly murmured her name. His voice trembled, yet it was burning with sincerity.

The next moment, Huo Yuhao abruptly shut his eyes. The spiritual power between his brows completely opened up. Rather than resist the immortal herb's heart-refining pain, he actively opened his entire mind and soul, fully revealing all his love and his life's obsession without reservation!

Pfft—

A mouthful of warm heart's blood sprayed lightly from his lips, scattering through the air.

The crimson blood did not fall. Instead, it was drawn by an invisible force, turning into specks of scarlet light that all flew toward the motionless Lovesick Heartbroken Red.

Buzz—!

A clear, ethereal tremor that seemed to pierce heaven and earth rang throughout the entire Icefire Yin Yang Well.

The exquisite petals, originally standing quietly in their half-ice, half-fire state, suddenly shone with dazzling brilliance!

The frosted half of the petals dissolved their cold mist and bloomed with scorching warmth. The crimson half withdrew its flames and gave rise to a limpid radiance. The icefire glow blended perfectly, transforming into gentle, resplendent streams of light that filled the sky and circled the immortal herb in flight.

The previously faint floral fragrance suddenly became rich. It was neither gaudy nor vulgar, only tender and lingering, enveloping the entire valley.

Love stirred, deep devotion was fulfilled, and the flower bloomed without failing one whose heart was true!

The peerless immortal treasure that no one had been able to pluck or overcome for countless years slowly bloomed completely for Huo Yuhao at this moment.

The thick heart's blood burst from his mouth, carrying Huo Yuhao's blazing feelings, and scattered toward the Lovesick Heartbroken Red.

Everyone held their breath and awaited the moment the immortal herb recognized its master, but the next instant, another sudden change occurred.

Before that mouthful of sincere blood could touch the petals, two forces of ultimate cold rooted deep within Huo Yuhao's soul abruptly awakened. Snow Empress's Heavenly Ice Seal origin and Ice Empress's Ultimate Ice poison both stirred on their own, instantly freezing the blood he had expelled along his veins.

The boiling blood suddenly solidified in midair, turning into tiny, translucent ice crystals that fell with soft patters, unable to retain even a trace of warmth.

The Lovesick Heartbroken Red, which should have bloomed in response, trembled lightly. The half of its petals that had just unfurled slowly closed again, returning to their silent, proud state.

Devotion could shake heaven and earth, but frozen heart's blood severed the only bridge through which the immortal treasure could sense true sincerity.

"No..."

Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted sharply, and his entire body turned cold in an instant. A bone-deep despair immediately flooded his limbs and bones.

He had endured the soul-refining trial, seen through every distracting thought, and proved the devotion of his entire life. Yet in the end, he had failed because of the innate extreme-cold origin within him.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. A sweet, metallic bitterness rose in his throat, and he forced out another mouthful of heart's blood. Yet the result did not change in the slightest. The moment the hot blood emerged, it turned to ice.

Even the wind at the boundary of ice and fire seemed to grow colder at that moment.

Inferno Apricot sighed softly, her expression complicated. "It isn't that your feelings aren't true. It's that you carry the ultimate cold of heaven and earth. Snow Empress and Ice Empress's dual Ultimate Ice seals have frozen your bloodline. Your heart's blood will forever be cold. Lovesick Heartbroken Red recognizes a warm, sincere heart. Your heart is utterly sincere, but your blood is utterly cold. Heaven and earth have placed you in an impossible dilemma."

Those words completely shattered Huo Yuhao's final sliver of hope.

He stared blankly at the immortal treasure within arm's reach. Wang Dong'er's silent, sleeping face kept appearing before his eyes. He had given everything, yet there was still no hope.

Just as Huo Yuhao's mind was about to collapse and he was about to retreat in despair, a steady golden figure had already broken through the mist and strode forward.

It was Tang Wulin.

He had watched silently all along, watching his brother refine his heart with his own body and prove his love with his soul. He had also witnessed the unsolvable extreme cold sever hope time and time again.

At that moment, the dormant Nature Seed between Tang Wulin's brows gave off a faint green glow, and the majestic, ocean-like power of the Golden Dragon King's supreme bloodline around him suddenly awakened.

Golden Dragon energy was dense, tyrannical, supremely yang, and supremely rigid. It was one of the highest-grade pure-yang origins in heaven and earth, capable of restraining all cold, ice seals, and evil influences!

"Your love is not wrong, and your heart is not wrong. It is only your body that has trapped your true heart."

Tang Wulin's voice was steady and weighty as he raised a hand and gently pressed it against Huo Yuhao's back over his heart.

The next instant, a vast torrent of crimson-gold vitality surged from his palm into Huo Yuhao's meridians and flesh without reservation.

The Golden Dragon King's bloodline was unlike any soul power, fire essence, or external force!

This was the supreme pure-yang origin at the level of the Genesis Dragon God. Tyrannical yet gentle, it reached through heaven and earth. It did not destroy meridians or harm one's origin. It only purified, warmed, and dissolved every shackle of cold.

The violent yet gentle golden current instantly swept through every pathway in Huo Yuhao's body, coursing through his limbs and bones and washing over every inch of flesh occupied by extreme cold.

Huo Yuhao's entire body jolted!

Snow Empress's ice seal and Ice Empress's cold origin, which had been deeply rooted within him like fate itself, began to rapidly melt, retreat, and withdraw beneath the cleansing force of the Golden Dragon King's supreme pure-yang vitality!

This was absolute suppression at the level of bloodlines.

No matter how powerful extreme cold was, it was ultimately only the spiritual cold of heaven and earth. The Golden Dragon King's power, however, was the supreme origin of dragonkind, the kingly force of pure yang that suppressed all laws of the world.

The bloodline that had been frozen within him for years gradually warmed, thawed, and revived.

Warm blood flowed once more through his formerly cold, rigid meridians. His frozen dantian, bloodline, and sea of qi were all warmed through by the Golden Dragon King's pure-yang vitality.

The despair in Huo Yuhao's eyes abruptly faded. The icy shackles that had crushed everything within him were being forcibly melted away at their source.

Inferno Apricot's eyes widened sharply as she stared at the scene in utter shock.

"This is... the Golden Dragon King's origin vitality?!"

She had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and seen countless extremes of ice and fire, as well as origins of heaven and earth, but she had never seen such tyrannical, pure power capable of dissolving dual Ultimate Ice at its root!

Ordinary flames and yang energy could only temporarily contend with extreme cold. But this golden bloodline was suppression by rank, assimilation by origin!

Within only a few breaths, the ice-sealing shackles that had occupied Huo Yuhao's body for years were completely dissolved by the boundless Golden Dragon vitality Tang Wulin had infused into him.

Huo Yuhao's whole body felt warm and clear, while his heart burned hot. His bloodline no longer contained the slightest stagnation of ice.

He could clearly feel it—

His heart's blood had finally regained its original warmth and sincerity!

"Enough!"

Huo Yuhao's mind shook intensely. He could no longer suppress the boiling feelings in his chest and opened his mouth, spraying out another mouthful of heart's blood!

This time, there was no ice seal, no frost, and no stagnation.

Warm, sincere, burning scarlet heart's blood blossomed in the air, carrying his unrepentant obsession through life after life as it landed steadily upon the petals of the Lovesick Heartbroken Red!

Buzz—!

A clear, ringing vibration resounded throughout the entire Icefire Yin Yang Well!

The silent immortal treasure instantly erupted with brilliance!

Its half-ice, half-fire petals all unfurled. Icefire spiritual light intertwined and circled, while gentle streams of light like a sea of flowers bloomed across the sky. A lingering fragrance instantly spread throughout the entire valley.

The immortal treasure was completely moved. It did not fail sincere devotion, nor did it fail deep love!

At last, Lovesick Heartbroken Red bloomed completely for Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's mind relaxed, and all strength drained from his body. Warm vitality surged within him as his figure swayed slightly.

Tang Wulin firmly supported his shoulder, withdrawing the Golden Dragon vitality. His eyes were calm and gentle. "Go on. Your true heart has finally been seen by it."

Huo Yuhao carefully plucked the blooming Lovesick Heartbroken Red and solemnly placed it into the storage device close to his body. After the extreme expenditure of refining his soul and proving his love through breaking the ice, his face remained pale and weak, and the soul power around him was unsteady.

Tang Wulin slowly stepped forward and supported his arm, quietly sending out a trace of warm Golden Dragon vitality to help stabilize his chaotic aura.

"Don't worry. With this immortal treasure, Dong'er will definitely wake up."

The steady words carried a force of certainty, easing some of the anxiety and exhaustion in Huo Yuhao's heart. Huo Yuhao nodded heavily, looking at Tang Wulin with gratitude. Then he turned toward Inferno Apricot, who stood solemnly nearby, and bowed deeply in thanks.

Having done everything, the two did not linger. Huo Yuhao was desperate to return, wishing only to immediately go back to the academy and use the immortal herb to treat the sleeping Wang Dong'er.

The two figures, one before and one behind, gradually vanished at the end of the valley passage within the Icefire Yin Yang Well. The wind in the valley slowly quieted, and the grand trial of deep love that had just taken place seemed like nothing more than a fleeting dream.

The vast Icefire Secret Realm returned to its distant tranquility, leaving only the mist where cold and heat intertwined to slowly drift.

Inferno Apricot stood atop the stone platform of the fire domain, gazing at the empty boundary and letting out a soft sigh.

"Love that spans the ages, deep devotion born of a single thought... Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er's feelings truly deserve this immortal treasure."

Before her words had faded, her gaze suddenly shifted. Her eyes locked onto the stone platform at the center of the icefire boundary, and her pupils abruptly contracted.

On the empty platform where Huo Yuhao had just plucked the flower, the void swirled with mist and spiritual light gathered.

Strands of utterly pure icefire origin energy rose from the depths of the cold spring and the yang spring, circling and intertwining at the center of the platform as they took form. Ice-blue and crimson streams of light wound around one another, gradually outlining the shape of a new flower.

Half its petals were frosted with snow, while the other half blazed like fiery clouds.

Another unique, flawless Lovesick Heartbroken Red slowly appeared and quietly bloomed!

Lovesick Heartbroken Red was a solitary treasure of heaven and earth. A second would not grow even in ten thousand years. Since ancient times, everyone had known that only one such flower existed in the world! Yet today, a second had actually been born within the Icefire Yin Yang Well!

Inferno Apricot's figure suddenly drifted beside the stone platform. She stared blankly at the newly born peerless immortal treasure before her, her mind violently shaken as her understanding of countless years was completely overturned.

She had lived through hundreds of thousands of years, witnessed the secret realm's countless transformations, and watched immortal herbs flourish and wither and prodigies undergo trials. Yet she had never heard or seen that Lovesick Heartbroken Red could be born a second time!

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin, who had remained where he was and had not left, stared blankly at the newly born immortal flower, his aura gentle yet lonely.

Huo Yuhao's deep affection was a tender love forged through daily companionship and a willingness to live and die together—grand and intense enough to move an immortal treasure.

But Tang Wulin had watched everything unfold. He had witnessed every anguish of longing and every unrepentant obsession. The feelings buried within his heart for so long were completely stirred awake at that moment.

The dormant Nature Seed between his brows quietly lit up with a faint, lustrous green glow, and warm, boundless natural vitality curled around his body.

An image of a girl uncontrollably surfaced in Tang Wulin's mind.

She was Gu Yue, the cool and proud girl who controlled countless elements when they first met in Zero Class in Eastsea City; she was the companion who bickered and competed with him in class, cultivated beside him on the training grounds, and was always at his side; she was Gu Yue at Shrek, sharing every day with him while concealing her feelings, restraining her emotions time and again, sometimes near and sometimes distant.

They had met in Eastsea City, spent their Zero Class years together, and entered Shrek side by side. Yet fate was cruel, and their bloodlines were destined to oppose one another. The uncrossable gulf between the Golden Dragon King and the Silver Dragon King, between humanity and soul beasts, stood between them.

They had feelings for each other and cared for each other, yet neither dared to rush forward without reservation. The road ahead was covered in thorns. Once the truth was revealed, perhaps only opposition and slaughter awaited them.

The world admired Huo Yuhao's unwavering love. He had found the immortal herb and still had a chance to save his beloved. But between Tang Wulin and Gu Yue lay countless things beyond their control. Their love could only be buried deep in their hearts, never daring to speak it aloud.

His longing was not grand and earthshaking, yet it endured year after year. It was not proclaimed to the world, yet it ran deep into his blood and bones.

The evening breeze swept across the stone platform, stirring the young man's robes. Tang Wulin slowly raised a foot and walked toward the newly born Lovesick Heartbroken Red.

There was no heart-refining pain that tore at his soul, and no interrogation of his true heart born from countless distracting thoughts.

As Nature's Child, recognized by heaven and earth and carrying the origin of the Golden Ancient Tree, he was the lord of all vegetation and the supreme being among the living things of this land.

More importantly, there was not the slightest falsehood or greed in his heart at that moment. There was only pure, restrained, enduring concern and longing.

The moment he stepped onto the stone platform, all the icefire spiritual energy obediently gathered around him. The immortal treasure's previously harsh trial no longer posed even the slightest obstacle.

Inferno Apricot floated in the air, staring blankly at the scene, completely speechless.

At last, she understood why a second Lovesick Heartbroken Red had been born here.

Huo Yuhao had used the ultimate feelings of a mortal to make one flower bloom; Tang Wulin, with the destiny of heaven and earth and love ordained by fate, had caused heaven and earth to create another.

The former was deep mortal love; the latter was longing decreed by fate.

Tang Wulin stood before the flower, his dark eyes so gentle they seemed almost fragile. His fingertips lightly brushed the tender petals, half ice and half fire.

He did not spit out heart's blood, nor did he need to use hot blood as an offering.

The lustrous green natural light between his brows gently descended, enveloping the entire immortal herb. The origins of all vegetation in heaven and earth resonated and flowed. The newborn Lovesick Heartbroken Red gently swayed, actively attuning itself to his aura, as docile as a living being returning to its roots.

"Gu Yue..."

He softly murmured her name, his voice quiet and carrying a melancholy and tenderness no one knew.

"The road ahead is uncertain. Between you and me lies a gulf of fate. But I have never regretted any moment of meeting you and being by your side."

"If the future leaves us no choice but to meet on the battlefield, this devotion will remain unchanged."

Every word came from the depths of his heart, without the slightest pretense or falsehood.

The entire Icefire Yin Yang Well flared with spiritual light as the spiritual energy of both domains surged madly together, all of it nourishing this newly born Lovesick Heartbroken Red. Its petals fully unfurled, radiant streams of light shimmering around it. Its fragrance was tender and lingering, clearer and more ethereal than that previous flower, carrying the tragic beauty unique to the bonds of fate.

Tang Wulin lifted his fingers and gently plucked it.

There was no resistance, no backlash. This peerless immortal treasure, newly born of heaven and earth, lightly settled into his palm, docile and submissive.

He lowered his head to look at the crystalline, exquisite red flower in his hand. Half frost and snow, half blazing fire—it was just like him and Gu Yue, two opposing destinies that were clearly fated to remain worlds apart, yet bound deeply together.

Inferno Apricot slowly descended to the ground. The reverence in her eyes as she looked at Tang Wulin had long since turned into utter shock and respect.

"So that was it... so that was it."

She murmured to herself, her gaze filled with endless complexity.

"The world only knows that Lovesick Heartbroken Red recognizes the truest love of mortals, yet it does not know that the deepest longing of heaven and earth can also give birth to an immortal treasure."

"Huo Yuhao fulfilled his beloved, but with your own obsession and your fated devotion, you made heaven and earth forge a flower anew for you. Nature's Child, honored by all the trees of heaven and earth, bearing the most enduring longing in this world... Your Excellency's state of mind and destiny have long surpassed countless mortal geniuses."

Tang Wulin clenched the red flower in his palm and carefully placed it into a brocade box kept close to his body.

The gentleness in his eyes faded, returning to calm indifference.

This Lovesick Heartbroken Red was not for saving anyone, nor was it for a fortuitous opportunity.

It was only for the longing buried deep within his heart—unspoken, impossible to fulfill, and running through his fate from beginning to end, yearning that had seeped into his bones.

The evening breeze drifted through the valley, and the ice-and-fire mist slowly swirled.

One immortal flower fulfilled mortal love; one immortal flower bore the sorrow of fated dragons.

Since ancient times, the Icefire Yin Yang Well had seen twin flowers bloom together only this once.