A Bold Idea

Joy flashed in Lu Xuan's eyes as he sprang another surprise on them. "The original Jade Flute Threefold Melody could boost attack, defense, and speed by twenty percent each. Now Jade Flute Fivefold Melody boosts attack, defense, speed, Soul Power, and mental strength by twenty-five percent each!"

It had gained two new attribute boosts, and the skill's duration had increased considerably.

Most importantly, those boosts doubled when applied to Lu Xuan himself.

Whenever he played Jade Flute Fivefold Melody, he could grant himself a full fifty-percent boost to every attribute.

"That's the power of an Immortal Herb!"

After witnessing the changes in Lu Xuan with his own eyes, Dugu Bo could no longer doubt what Ye Renxin had told him.

He looked across the garden, where precious plants grew everywhere, his thoughts in turmoil.

He had guarded this garden for years. Its Immortal Herbs might not only free all three members of his family from the limitations and inherited dangers of their martial souls, but also transform a person's very foundations and create an extraordinary genius.

Ye Renxin stroked his beard, a smile spreading across his face. "I told you, Brother Dugu."

He had expected Lu Xuan's Soul Power to soar after eating the shoot of the Divine Black Jade Bamboo. But he had not been entirely certain the young man's martial soul would evolve.

Now that it had, Ye Renxin's eyes filled with relief and pride.

"You were right! You were right!"

"Ha! Hahaha!"

Dugu Bo's eyes shone. Unable to contain his excitement, he said, "Brother Ye, you've given me an incredible surprise!"

After a brief pause, he fixed Ye Renxin with an eager stare. "Brother Ye, are any of the Immortal Herbs here suitable for your family? If so, pick them and take them with you at once."

"Well..."

Bitterness crossed Ye Renxin's face. "I have found several. Some could strengthen my foundations and help me reach Titled Douluo; others might bring about a Martial Soul Evolution. But the problem remains: the Ye Family already has two living holders of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul."

A chance to change their fate lay right before them, yet it could not break the shackles of that fate. They still had no way out.

"I..."

After hearing Ye Renxin's explanation, Dugu Bo was at a loss for words.

He had been so caught up in the joy of possibly curing his own family's martial souls that he had forgotten the seemingly unbreakable curse hanging over his old friend's family.

"Master," Lu Xuan said, "it seems we'll have to use the method we discussed earlier. Still, with so many Immortal Herbs here, once Lingling awakens the Nine Heart Begonia, perhaps we can use one to restore her weakened martial soul."

"I've considered that, but I can't be certain it will work." A faint smile appeared on Ye Renxin's face. "Even so, we're in a far better position than we thought we'd be, aren't we?"

"You're right, Master!" Lu Xuan agreed, though he could not quite suppress his disappointment.

If only everyone in the family could be transformed by this place.

"Brother Dugu." Ye Renxin turned to him. "My granddaughter will awaken her martial soul in two days. I intend to stay here and prepare the medicine. In the meantime, we can deal with the lingering defects in your family's martial souls."

"Nothing would please me more!" Dugu Bo grinned. "Brother Ye, let's first pick the Immortal Herbs suited to Xin'er and me. As for Yanyan, I need to think carefully about which path would suit her best."

His own Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul followed the path of poison and control. His son Dugu Xin's spirit rings carried no poison, making him better suited to direct combat.

With the Immortal Herbs in this garden, his granddaughter Dugu Yan suddenly had many more paths open to her.

"A sensible choice." Ye Renxin nodded. Using a special technique, he picked the two Immortal Herbs Dugu Bo needed and placed them in a wooden box and a jade box.

"This Earth Dragon Golden Gourd looks rather like a potato. Dugu Xin can simply eat it raw," Ye Renxin instructed. "As for yours, eat the red fruit within ten seconds of picking it. Do not eat the roots or leaves—they'll ruin its medicinal effect."

"I'll remember." Dugu Bo put both boxes away carefully. "I'll head back now. In two days, I'll bring your daughter and Lingling here."

With that, Dugu Bo turned and went straight out of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Ye Renxin did not watch him leave. He turned back to examine the Immortal Herbs spread across the garden.

He knew Dugu Bo still did not fully trust him, but he did not mind.

Once Dugu Bo and his son experienced the herbs' effects for themselves, they would know he had not exaggerated a word.

With everything else settled for the moment, Ye Renxin finally began preparing the medicine that would induce a deathlike state.

Seeing that his master needed quiet and concentration, Lu Xuan intended to find a clean, secluded spot to cultivate.

But before he could leave, Ye Renxin caught his arm. "Stay with me, Little Xuan. Learn about these Immortal Herbs and the art of poison."

"Yes, Master!"

Lu Xuan had no objection. He obediently stood beside his master and began watching and learning in earnest.

As Ye Renxin pointed out the Immortal Herbs and poisonous plants around them, he patiently explained each one's properties, medicinal effects, and the martial souls and cultivation uses it suited best.

Beyond the well-known Immortal Herbs given to the Shrek Seven Devils in the original story, Lu Xuan learned of many rare plants the world had never recorded.

He knew what had become of these priceless treasures hidden in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in his previous life: Tang San had casually used some to make poisons, while Huo Yuhao had refined others into a Heaven-Earth Fortune Pill, wasting much of their medicinal power.

Once Ye Renxin had finished explaining the herbs and poisonous plants he knew, an idea struck Lu Xuan. "Master, I've had a bold thought. If we combined these Immortal Herbs in the right way, could we refine a pill that truly changes a person's fate?"

He was not thinking of Huo Yuhao's Heaven-Earth Fortune Pill, but of a supreme pill that could push a martial soul to its utmost limit and give even an ordinary person a chance to attain a Second-Level Divine Position.

Lu Xuan already had an opportunity to obtain a divine position. Securing divine positions for Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan would not be too difficult either.

But what about his master's family?

What would become of Ye Renxin, Zhao Yan, and Ye Qingxian?

And he could not leave behind Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin, who had treated him so well.