Refining Immortal Herbs

Duan Yu raised a brow at Li Fenzhen's words. Not bad, the old man actually recognized Immortal Herbs.

Looking at Li Fenzhen, Duan Yu raised a brow and asked, "Elder Li recognizes Immortal Herbs too? Aren't you afraid of mistaking them?"

Li Fenzhen shook his head. "Ordinary people might not recognize them, but I have spent my entire life searching for these Immortal Herbs."

"I just never expected Your Highness to possess three Immortal Herbs."

As he said this, Li Fenzhen's expression visibly fell.

A plant-type Soul Master who had spent his whole life seeking Immortal Herbs had not found even one, yet he had suddenly seen three in another Soul Master's possession.

It would have been impossible not to feel envious.

However shocked he was, Li Fenzhen did not dare entertain any improper thoughts.

Others might not know the true identity of Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, but he knew it very well.

The person before him was not Crown Prince Xue Qinghe at all, but Qian Renxue, the Holy Maiden of their Elder Hall.

Li Fenzhen quickly composed himself, looked at Duan Yu, and said gravely:

"I have never refined Immortal Herbs before. Since this is my first time, I cannot guarantee complete success."

Duan Yu had thought it was something serious. Hearing this, he waved it off without concern.

"What's the big deal? Just use a few Immortal Herbs to get some practice."

"What?"

Li Fenzhen did not quite understand what Duan Yu meant. Confused, he said, "But there are only three Immortal Herbs here. If something goes wrong..."

Before Li Fenzhen could finish, silver light flashed around Duan Yu. He took out another large pile of Immortal Herbs and laid them out on the ground, saying generously:

"Then use these to practice first."

Li Fenzhen stared at the Immortal Herbs scattered all over the ground, utterly dumbfounded.

Although the quality of these Immortal Herbs was far inferior to the previous three, they were undeniably genuine Immortal Herbs.

These Immortal Herbs, which ordinary people might never see even once in their lifetimes, were now laid out on the ground like common cabbages and turnips from a market...

Before Li Fenzhen could recover from his shock, Duan Yu's voice reached him, like the whisper of a devil.

"I have only one request for Elder Li: the medicinal herbs refined for Qinghe must succeed."

"If you fail..."

"Then Elder Li should simply die of old age. I think you would be most at ease with your eyes closed."

As Duan Yu spoke, his gaze unconsciously turned cold. The space around him began to distort, and killing intent spread through the air.

After three years of tempering in the Soul Arena, he did not go out of his way to kill, but there had been no shortage of blind fools who came knocking.

In that case, he would not show mercy. He would simply kill them while he was at it.

The dense killing intent emanating from Duan Yu enveloped Elder Li, as though there would be no reason for him to remain alive if he failed to refine the Immortal Herbs.

Elder Li was startled by the youth before him, who was barely more than ten years old.

For that brief instant, the killing intent this youth released had been so intense that even the trained Golden Generation of Spirit Hall did not possess such overwhelming murderous aura.

Elder Li did not dare refuse. He nodded and selected several mid-to-high-grade Immortal Herbs from the ground to practice with.

Sure enough, although Elder Li's Martial Soul was the Tree of Life, granting him great affinity with plants, and although he had learned something of Immortal Herbs from ancient texts,

this being his first time refining Immortal Herbs, he was still somewhat hesitant, afraid that a wrong step would ruin these Immortal Herbs blessed by heaven and earth.

Time passed second by second, but the Immortal Herbs in the furnace seemed to show no change. Their branches and leaves remained crystal-clear and flawless.

Duan Yu frowned at the sight. They could be eaten raw, so why was refining them such a hassle?

Though puzzled, Duan Yu did not urge him. He pulled Xue Qinghe aside to sit down and did not disturb Elder Li's refinement.

He knew very well that this was not something that could be rushed. It was best to let the old man do his thing.

With Elder Li continuously pouring in soul power, the Immortal Herbs that had shown no change earlier slowly began to dissolve.

However, as the process continued, the speed at which they dissolved slowed considerably again. Seeing this, Elder Li let out a breath.

Brilliant soul rings rose from beneath his feet one after another: two yellow, two purple, and three black—the universally acknowledged optimal soul ring configuration on the continent.

Elder Li raised both hands, and a green glow lit up in his palms.

Black light swirled around his seventh soul ring. With a shake of his body, he vanished just like that. Green leaves grew wildly, and in an instant, he had transformed into a towering tree.

Duan Yu was briefly stunned to see Elder Li release his Martial Soul Avatar merely to refine several relatively ordinary Immortal Herbs.

He had even released his Martial Soul Avatar?

Once the Martial Soul Avatar was unleashed, jade-green leaves flew from the enormous tree's vast canopy. There were exactly one hundred and eight of them, and every single one entered the furnace.

Under the effect of the one hundred and eight leaves, the Immortal Herbs, whose refinement had been progressing slowly, suddenly accelerated and began to evaporate.

As waves of rich, refreshing Immortal Herb fragrance drifted out, everyone's minds unconsciously calmed.

Xue Qinghe said incredulously, "Is it... done?"

Duan Yu nodded. "It should be."

As he spoke, he took Xue Qinghe's hand and walked over. The three Immortal Herbs had already been completely refined into pill-like forms.

A silver gleam flashed through Duan Yu's eyes as he released the power of space, attempting to sense the medicinal potency contained within.

"Damn, I can't sense it."

Duan Yu cursed under his breath, then grabbed Elder Li and stuffed the pill directly into his mouth.

Elder Li's eyes instantly widened. He had never expected Duan Yu to shove it straight into his mouth.

Before Elder Li could react, Duan Yu forced him to swallow the pill.

As Elder Li swallowed the pill containing the essence of three Immortal Herbs, he immediately felt a dense surge of soul power circulating endlessly through his body.

Elder Li's face changed drastically. He hurriedly sat down and circulated his soul power to absorb it, preventing the medicinal effects from dissipating.

Seeing Elder Li's actions, Duan Yu nodded. "Looks like it's fine."

Xue Qinghe's face darkened as she said irritably, "You used Elder Li to test for poison."

"Do you know how few auxiliary-type Soul Saints there are, especially one with a rare Martial Soul like the Tree of Life?"

"Oh, what does that matter?"

Duan Yu casually draped an arm over Xue Qinghe's shoulders and grinned. "Wasn't I doing it for you? How could his life compare to yours?"

"If he didn't take it first and something happened because the refinement failed, what then? I couldn't exactly have my brother test it for poison."

Xue Qinghe shot him a helpless glance, but she also agreed with his reasoning.

Still, seeing Elder Li already immersed in meditation with the help of the Immortal Herbs, she looked helplessly at Duan Yu again.

"Then what about him?"

Duan Yu looked toward Elder Li and spread his hands. "I don't know. Seal this room off for now. Judging by him, he'll need quite a while to comprehend it."

"But he's currently level seventy-eight. Once he finishes his comprehension, he should break through to eight soul rings."

"Once the old man breaks through, he'll still need to find an eighth soul beast. It looks like we'll have to wait another two months before refining the Immortal Herbs."

Xue Qinghe nodded, agreeing with Duan Yu's assessment.

She gave Stingfish a meaningful look, signaling him to keep an eye on things, then left together with Duan Yu.

The moment they stepped outside, Duan Yu saw red clouds spreading toward them along a straight line across the horizon, little by little, like a heavenly staircase welcoming them.

Such a sight was rare. Xue Qinghe could not help but sigh, "So beautiful."

Looking at the girl beside him as she marveled at the scene,

a trace of heartache flashed deep within Duan Yu's eyes.

She had infiltrated the Heaven Dou Palace while she was still just a girl. How much determination must that have taken?

When she had wanted to prove herself by coming to the Heaven Dou Empire, she must have suffered deeply too.