Refining Immortal Herbs, Advancing!

Xiao Lin packed away the Immortal Herbs he had selected one by one, then walked over to Dugu Bo and handed him the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss.

"Senior, this Immortal Herb is called the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss. It is not poisonous itself, but it can amplify the effects of toxins a thousandfold. With your skill in using poison, once you have it, even Titled Douluo-level powerhouses will not dare provoke you lightly."

Dugu Bo accepted the snow-white flower and examined it carefully for a moment. A flash of shock crossed his eyes. "Amplify toxins a thousandfold? This... this is simply..."

He drew a deep breath, and the look he gave Xiao Lin became even more complicated.

"Kid, do you know the value of this Immortal Herb? If you put it up for sale, poison masters across the entire continent would fight until their heads bled to buy it."

"I know." Xiao Lin smiled. "But I think it can only realize its greatest value in your hands, Senior."

Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment before nodding heavily. "Good! I'll remember this favor!"

Xiao Lin took out the Aromatic Silk Beauty as well. "This one is for Sister Yan. It's called the Aromatic Silk Beauty. It can promote Martial Soul Evolution. While I can't say for certain what form the Jade Phosphorous Serpent will evolve into, it will definitely become stronger than it is now. It may even resolve the backlash from her poison cultivation at its root."

Dugu Bo accepted the Aromatic Silk Beauty, his hands trembling slightly.

He had spent his entire life troubled by the backlash from his granddaughter's poison cultivation. Yet today, a boy he had never met before had not only brought hope of a cure, but also gifted such a precious Immortal Herb.

"Kid..." Dugu Bo's voice choked slightly. "I... I truly don't know how to thank you."

"You're too kind, Senior." Xiao Lin spoke sincerely. "You gave me this herb garden, which is already the greatest gift. Consider these Immortal Herbs a small token of my appreciation."

Dugu Bo took a deep breath and calmed his emotions before patting Xiao Lin on the shoulder. "Good! From this day forward, you are one of the Dugu Family! Whoever dares bully you, I'll be the first to make him pay!"

Xiao Lin smiled, then turned and walked toward an open patch of ground beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"Senior, I need a month to absorb these Immortal Herbs. Please don't let anyone disturb me during that time."

"Don't worry. With me here, not even a fly will get in." Dugu Bo patted his chest in assurance.

Xiao Lin nodded and sat down cross-legged. Just as he was about to absorb the Immortal Herbs and circulate his Soul Power to refine their medicinal effects, a disturbance came from inside his clothes.

He froze for a moment, then reached into his robes and pulled out the little blue-silver grass wrapped in cloth—it was Ah Yin's true body, which he had casually taken from the back mountain of Holy Soul Village.

At that moment, the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves trembled faintly, radiating an emotion of longing. Its roots squirmed restlessly within the cloth, as if it had sensed something that made it incomparably comfortable and could not wait to break free from its restraints.

Xiao Lin looked at the Blue Silver Emperor in his hand, then at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well beneath his feet, and suddenly understood.

"Right. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth here is abundant, and the nourishment of these two extreme forces of ice and fire truly makes this the best environment for you to grow."

After thinking it over, he stood up and found a spot beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with fertile soil and moderate sunlight. He dug a small hole with his hand and carefully planted the Blue Silver Emperor inside.

The instant the Blue Silver Emperor's roots touched the soil surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they seemed to come alive, wildly burrowing downward and greedily absorbing the nutrients and spiritual energy in the earth.

Within just a few breaths, its leaves became even more lush and emerald-green. The blue-gold veins grew clearer and brighter, and the entire plant radiated vigorous vitality.

"Grow well." Xiao Lin gently patted the soil beside it and said softly, "Maybe someday, you'll prove useful."

After settling the Blue Silver Emperor, Xiao Lin returned to the flat patch of ground, sat cross-legged, and placed both Immortal Herbs into his mouth at once.

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot transformed into two utterly different torrents of energy the moment they entered his mouth, erupting explosively within his body!

One was bone-piercingly cold, as if it would freeze even his blood solid; the other was searingly hot, as if it would burn his organs to ashes. The two forces rampaged through his body, madly fighting for territory, neither willing to yield.

Half of Xiao Lin's body became covered in white frost, while the other half turned scarlet and scorching hot. His face twisted in pain, veins bulging across his forehead. The sweat that had just seeped out was either evaporated or frozen, leaving him trapped in the agony of simultaneous ice and fire.

Yet he clenched his teeth tightly and did not let out a single cry of pain.

He knew this was a necessary path of transformation. Only by enduring this suffering could he attain a complete rebirth.

He circulated his Soul Power, guiding the two forces along specific paths within his body. As they clashed, they gradually fused, tempering every muscle, every bone, and every meridian within him.

The process was long and painful.

One day passed, then two days, then three...

Xiao Lin sat there as motionless as an old monk in meditation. Only the frost and flames constantly alternating across his body showed that a fierce transformation was taking place within him.

Not far behind him, Dugu Yan woke on the second day.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the young man sitting beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, his entire body wrapped in ice and fire.

At that moment, she was completely stunned.

Sunlight streamed through the mist in the valley, draping Xiao Lin in a hazy halo. Half his body was coated in crystalline frost, refracting rainbow-colored light beneath the sun. The other half burned with scarlet flames, as though he wore a cloak woven from fire.

Ice and fire intertwined, collided, and fused upon his body, forming a breathtaking sight.

Yet the expression on his face was so calm and focused, as though the pain he was enduring had nothing to do with him.

Dugu Yan was entranced.

She had never seen anyone like him—clearly enduring immense agony, yet appearing so composed; clearly younger than she was, yet possessing such unyielding resolve.

She simply sat quietly in the distance, propping her chin in her hands and staring blankly at Xiao Lin for an entire day.

It was not until Dugu Bo came over and held the Aromatic Silk Beauty out to her that she finally came back to her senses.

"Girl, this is the Immortal Herb Xiao picked out for you. It can promote Martial Soul Evolution. Hurry up and take it. Don't waste his kindness."

Dugu Yan took the golden flower, her cheeks flushing slightly as she muttered in a low voice, "Who needs his kindness..."

Though she said that, she still obediently consumed the Aromatic Silk Beauty, then sat down cross-legged and began refining its medicinal power.