Yue Guan Goes Mad

Yue Guan did not answer at once. He stood where he was, staring at the strange flowers and herbs around the pool, and swallowed.

Gulp.

The valley of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was small, barely a hundred meters across, yet every inch of ground was covered in plants he had only seen illustrated in his family's ancient texts.

Now those Immortal Herbs were growing right before his eyes.

His gaze fell on a plant red from stem to leaf, its foliage like flame: the Infernal Delicate Apricot.

Then he looked across the pool at an ice-blue plant with star-shaped leaves: the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.

"They're here. They're all here... the Mysterious Ice Grass, the Delicate Apricot, the Immortal Orchid... the Sky Chrysanthemum, my Sky Chrysanthemum!"

"Holy shit... the king of Immortal Herbs, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red... they're all here!"

"Haha... what is this place? This must be the Divine Realm. No, even the Divine Realm couldn't be better than this!"

"He didn't lie to me. Lin Fan... he really didn't lie to me. He's a god among men!"

"Haha..."

Yue Guan's eyes swept over one Immortal Herb after another. He laughed wildly, his words tumbling out in a jumble as he grew more and more beside himself.

Bibi Dong slapped a hand to her forehead and gave Gui Mei a look.

Gui Mei understood. He stepped behind Yue Guan and smacked him across the back of the head.

"Yue Guan, the Saintess asked you a question. Have you lost your mind?"

Gui Mei put some force into the slap. Yue Guan yelped, jolted back to his senses.

"Forgive me, Saintess!" Yue Guan turned at once. "This place is too beautiful. I couldn't help myself."

"I got too excited and lost my composure."

"But seeing all this... I couldn't contain myself. I wouldn't even have dared dream of it."

Bibi Dong replied, "It is beautiful, but was that what I asked?"

"I asked whether this place really has the miraculous Immortal Herbs Lin Fan described."

"Yes. Lin Fan was right." Yue Guan turned toward the herbs surrounding the pool, unable to hide his excitement. "It's even more outrageous than he said. I thought there might be three or four Immortal Herbs growing here."

"But this is beyond anything I imagined. There are more than a dozen, along with other top-grade Spirit Herbs."

"Now I believe everything Lin Fan said about the future. He truly wasn't lying to us."

"He... he really is a god among men!"

Lin Fan: Why does that sound like an insult? Am I imagining it?

So excited that he summoned his Martial Soul, Yue Guan gripped his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and drew a deep breath. "Lin Fan was right about this too. For a Soul Master with a plant Martial Soul, this place is practically the Divine Realm. Training here would be more effective than in any simulated training ground."

"I've only been here a moment, and I can already feel the Soul Power inside me stirring!"

Bibi Dong turned to Gui Mei. "Elder Gui, what do you think of this place?"

Gui Mei answered plainly, "Your Highness, I can feel that the spiritual energy here is denser than outside. It's just not as obvious to me as it is to Yue Guan."

Bibi Dong nodded. "I feel much the same. This place clearly favors Soul Masters with plant Martial Souls. The effect isn't as strong for us as it is for Yue Guan, but training here would still be better than training outside."

After a pause, she concluded, "So the Immortal Herbs aren't the only treasure here. This is a top-tier training ground in its own right."

"It would be Spirit Hall's first choice for training gifted children."

Yue Guan withdrew his Martial Soul and asked eagerly, "May I pick an Immortal Herb now?"

"Especially that one!" He pointed to where the cold and hot vapors met above the pool. There stood a pale-gold chrysanthemum threaded with flowing golden light.

The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, an Immortal Herb!

Yue Guan stared at it, practically drooling.

Gui Mei said, "Your Highness, that chrysanthemum is just like Yue Guan's Martial Soul. He would likely gain the most from absorbing it."

Gui Mei spoke up for Yue Guan with all he had. As his friend of countless years, he knew Yue Guan's dream better than anyone.

Bibi Dong watched Yue Guan, whose excited gaze had never left the chrysanthemum, and suddenly smiled.

"Yue Guan, you have my permission. Pick that chrysanthemum and eat it. But afterward, don't forget the Pope. We still need to find an Immortal Herb that can strengthen her Angel Martial Soul."

"The future Angel God is the person most important to Spirit Hall's survival."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Moved, Yue Guan dropped to one knee in gratitude.

"Go on." Bibi Dong nodded.

Yue Guan immediately ran to the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. He crouched before it and stared, momentarily entranced. "It's beautiful. Even more beautiful than my Martial Soul."

Bibi Dong and Gui Mei stepped closer to the pool as well, examining the strange flowers and herbs.

"How peculiar." Bibi Dong shivered. "I've only moved a little closer to the pool, and I keep feeling hot and cold."

Its aura alone is this powerful. If I touched the spring water, it would probably freeze or burn me to death in an instant.

With that thought, Bibi Dong took a few more steps toward the pool.

Just then, an unusual plant caught her eye. It was snow-white from top to bottom and shaped like a swan.

Bibi Dong could not resist reaching out to touch it.

Yue Guan picked the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and turned to ask them to guard him while he absorbed it. Instead, he saw Bibi Dong reaching for the plant.

Startled, Yue Guan shouted, "Saintess, stop! Don't touch it!"

Gui Mei looked at him in surprise. "What's wrong?"

The sharp shout made Bibi Dong jump. She snatched her hand back. "Yue Guan, what was that for? You scared me."

Yue Guan hurried to her side, still shaken. "Your Highness, you're the one who scared me."

Bibi Dong frowned in confusion. "Is this flower poisonous?"

"No." Yue Guan shook his head.

"It isn't poisonous, and you scared me like that?" Bibi Dong froze.

"That's not it," Yue Guan hurried to explain. "Saintess, hear me out. This flower is called the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss. It isn't poisonous itself, but it triggers and amplifies toxins."

"Saintess, don't forget that your Martial Soul is a venomous Spider Emperor."

Bibi Dong knitted her brows. "You mean touching it would amplify my Martial Soul's poison, and I'd be poisoned to death by my own Martial Soul?"

Yue Guan nodded. "Exactly. I can't be certain, but you'd best not touch the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss."

"I'm glad you stopped me." Bibi Dong withdrew her hand fully and took two steps back.

Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Your Highness, Lin Fan was right about the things in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Immortal Herbs are treasures, but they can also be deadly poisons. If someone who doesn't know better touches them carelessly, even a Titled Douluo might not survive."

"And that spring water is the deadliest thing here. Your Soul Power Level is still low, Saintess. You must already be feeling its effects this close to it."

"So please don't touch anything here without knowing what it is. My heart can't take it."

Bibi Dong said, "Fine, I won't touch anything!"

With that, Bibi Dong moved away from the spring first. Gui Mei and Yue Guan followed her back.

"You can do it, Yue Guan!" Gui Mei encouraged him.

"Mm!"

Yue Guan nodded firmly, sat down cross-legged, and ate the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, which shared the same origin as his Martial Soul.