Dugu Bo's Vigilance!

If the other party had come for the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, that meant they knew the value of this Immortal Herb—that it could temper the bones and sinews and strengthen the body.

Then the question was this.

Since they knew the value of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, did they also know the value of the other Immortal Herbs?

If they did, why had they taken only the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum while turning a blind eye to the other herbs, which were just as precious or even rarer?

Dugu Bo lowered his head in thought, his gaze slowly sweeping across the Immortal Herbs still growing safely in place.

Though he did not know the specific names or effects of these spiritual herbs and medicines,

he knew they were all extraordinary. Any one of them would be a treasure capable of inciting a scramble among Soul Masters if taken outside.

If the intruder truly recognized their worth, there was no reason to leave them behind.

The only explanation was that they could not take them away.

A flash of insight suddenly crossed Dugu Bo's mind.

He instinctively lowered his head, his gaze landing on the cloth pouch hanging from his waist.

The Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch.

It was a Soul Tool he had happened to obtain from an ancient ruin. It contained a small space of its own, and most importantly, it could store living things.

Over the years, he had gradually transplanted some rare plants near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, relying on this treasure.

If the other party did not possess something like this, then they could only selectively take one plant.

One plant. They could only take one plant.

And that golden chrysanthemum happened to be useful to that person, which was why they had chosen it from among so many flowers and herbs.

The more Dugu Bo thought about it, the more reasonable this deduction seemed.

He slowly straightened, his expression growing increasingly grave.

This meant the intruder was someone with exceptional knowledge and judgment. They could recognize the value of the golden chrysanthemum, knew what to take and what to leave behind, and possessed strange methods and an unbelievably fast speed.

Such a person had to be guarded against.

Dugu Bo hesitated no longer. He raised both hands, and dark green Soul Power poured from his palms, spreading through the air above and around the valley like dense, tangible fog.

Driven by his Soul Power, the poisonous mist abruptly grew several times denser. What had originally been only a thin layer of fog around the valley's outskirts now began spreading in every direction. Its range expanded to more than a mile beyond the valley, its height rising over a hundred zhang, layer upon layer descending to form an airtight wall of emerald poisonous miasma.

Only after doing all this did Dugu Bo feel somewhat relieved.

Standing beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he swept his gaze across the remaining Immortal Herbs and suddenly thought of something.

Judging from how fresh the pit in the soil was, the other party had left less than two hours ago.

If they had no Soul Tool capable of storing living things, that meant the golden chrysanthemum had already been consumed.

From consuming an Immortal Herb to fully refining and absorbing it, based on his own experience of risking his life to absorb one, would take at least three months.

In other words, the other party could not return for a second plant within three months.

But what about after three months?

What if that mysterious person returned?

A cold glint flashed through Dugu Bo's eyes.

He raised a hand, gathering a thread of dark green poison at his fingertips, and slowly drew an arc through the air.

He did not give chase, because he knew he would not catch them.

Since the other party could come without a sound, they could leave without a sound. Searching the vast forests of Sunset Forest for someone deliberately concealing their presence would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But waiting for a rabbit by a tree stump was something he was quite good at.

Dugu Bo withdrew his hand, sat cross-legged on the stone platform, and closed his eyes, silently keeping watch beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well like a statue.

The wind passed through the valley, stirring his dark green hair and robes.

The corner of his mouth curled into a cold sneer.

"No matter who you are, since you have tasted the sweetness, you will definitely return. Next time, this old man will see just how many lives you have."

Deep within the valley, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well continued to flow quietly. Two utterly different springs met at its center, steaming with hazy white mist.

Meanwhile, in a hidden cave somewhere far away, Huang Yun was loosening his muscles and bones, completely unaware that a Titled Douluo had fixed his sights firmly on him.

Of course, he had already expected this.

No matter what, Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo. With a flower missing from his herb garden, there was no way to hide it.

Yet even so, Huang Yun did not care, nor did he take it to heart.

Because if he could not win, he could run.

His speed was his greatest means of preserving his life.

With Dugu Bo's snake, even if he could fly, he still would not be able to catch Huang Yun.

That was why Huang Yun had no fear.

As long as I am fast enough, every place on this continent is my home.

Over the next three months, Huang Yun did not wander around again.

After entering Heaven Dou City, he rented an inconspicuous little courtyard deep in a quiet alley in the southern part of the city.

The courtyard was not large, with only two main rooms and a palm-sized open courtyard, but it was quiet and secluded. Its neighbors on both sides were ordinary citizens, and no one paid much attention to a masked youth.

He shut himself inside the courtyard. Aside from going out each day to buy food and daily necessities, he barely stepped beyond the gate.

The effects of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum lasted far longer than they appeared to on the surface.

That day, after consuming the Immortal Herb in the cave and refining it initially, he had broken through to level forty-eight. But that was merely the first burst of released energy.

More medicinal power had settled deep in his sinews and bones and between the walls of his meridians, like aged wine buried underground, needing time to slowly release.

Every day, Huang Yun sat in meditation, guiding his Soul Power to wash through his meridians again and again. Bit by bit, he stripped away the golden energy lurking deep within his flesh and blood and absorbed it into his Soul Power circulation.

He could clearly feel subtle changes taking place in his body every day.

The golden sheen beneath his skin became increasingly restrained. It was no longer the faint gold that floated on the surface when he had first begun, but had sunk deep into his flesh, becoming a warm, lustrous quality radiating from within.

His bones became denser and harder, while the resilience of his muscle fibers continued to rise.

At the same time, he noticed that although the Immortal Herb no longer boosted his Soul Power as violently as it had in the beginning, its effect was unceasing and steady.

After level forty-eight, every layer of medicinal power he refined raised his Soul Power by a small amount. This steady progress made him feel at ease.

Two months passed, and his Soul Power steadily rose to the peak of level forty-nine, only a final step away from level fifty.

The last portion of medicinal power proved somewhat more stubborn than he had expected, lurking deep within the gaps of his bones for a long time before finally willing to release itself completely.

Huang Yun was neither impatient nor rash. Every day, he slowly washed it with Soul Power, stripping it away bit by bit.

Finally, on the evening of the last day of the three-month period, the final thread of golden energy surged from deep within his bone gaps and merged into the flood of Soul Power, like a warm current flowing through every meridian in his body.

The barrier between level forty-nine and level fifty finally shattered with a roar under the ceaseless impact, and Soul Power rushed into new pathways like water bursting through a broken dam.

Level fifty.

Neither early nor late—exactly three months, exactly level fifty.

Huang Yun slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of foul air. Feeling the renewed flow of Soul Power within him, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

The Indestructible Vajra Body had also stabilized from the beginner stage to the minor mastery stage. A faint golden gleam occasionally flashed across the surface of his skin before vanishing in an instant.

He rose and stretched his muscles. His bones crackled, and faint lightning flickered across the surface of his muscles before disappearing.

He pushed open the courtyard gate, walked to the mouth of the alley, and looked up at the clear sky above Heaven Dou City.

What he needed to consider next was his fifth Spirit Ring.