Three days, the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch

After a brief chat, Ye Han raised his hand and pointed at the enormous pink flower nearby. "Senior, that medicinal herb can neutralize the toxins in your body. Eat the whole plant, and you can root out the ailment completely."

"If possible, it would be best to take it beside that flower. I once read an account of it. It's called aromatic silk beauty, and it can harmonize all manner of toxins. It has long been known as the Bane of All Poisons."

Dugu Bo followed Ye Han's finger and immediately spotted the aromatic silk beauty.

The enormous, pale pink flowering plant had no leaves. Its stem was three feet long, and its broad bloom measured a full foot across.

Every petal was as translucent and lustrous as crystal, with pale purple stamens nestled among them like tiny purple diamonds.

"Within the aromatic silk beauty's fragrance, you can safely eat the earth dragon golden melon to temper your martial soul, without worrying about the toxins suddenly running wild midway through."

Ye Han added this reassurance.

"Good. I trust you."

Dugu Bo gave Ye Han a long look, then stopped hesitating. In a few swift movements, he entered the area enveloped by the aromatic silk beauty's fragrance.

He took out the earth dragon golden melon, put it into his mouth, and chewed and swallowed in great mouthfuls.

To his surprise, the earth dragon golden melon melted upon entering his mouth, instantly turning into a gentle, warm current that settled in the dantian in his lower abdomen.

Dugu Bo immediately sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and circulated his cultivation method, beginning to refine the medicinal power contained within the earth dragon golden melon.

He had only begun absorbing it when wild joy spread across his face.

He could clearly sense that, nourished by the earth dragon golden melon's power, the origin of his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul was steadily growing stronger.

He even vaguely sensed signs that the soul power bottleneck which had trapped him for years was beginning to loosen.

Ye Han glanced at Dugu Bo, who had entered a meditative state, and did not disturb him.

After signaling for the Fire Qilin to return to the scorching Yang Spring and continue soaking, he strolled through the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The medicinal power of the octagonal mysterious ice grass and infernal delicate apricot still lingered within him, not yet fully refined. For now, he could not take any other immortal herbs that strengthened the body, lest their various medicinal powers clash within him.

But that did not mean he could only stare at the immortal herbs covering the ground and gain nothing.

Following Tang San's example from another time and space, after achieving the Ice and Fire Golden Body, he could still choose a purely supplementary immortal herb to consume.

The Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew,

was the one he had chosen.

Besides, he had done Dugu Bo such a great favor on this visit. Surely he could not leave empty-handed.

At the very least, he ought to bring back some immortal herbs as gifts for those close to him.

After achieving the Ice and Fire Golden Body, the scorching Yang Spring and Extreme Cold Yin Spring of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well were nothing more than warm and cold water to him. They could no longer harm him in the slightest.

Even the intensely cold and hot energies spilling from the springs could no longer affect him at all.

He could roam freely throughout the entire hidden realm.

Still, Ye Han felt a little regret.

Even combining his memories from his previous life with his limited knowledge of medicinal herbs, he could recognize only a small portion of the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

He could only give the strange plants he could not identify a wide berth.

Though he no longer feared deadly poisons himself, those close to him could not withstand the forceful nourishment of immortal-grade medicinal herbs.

No matter how good a medicinal herb was, it could not be consumed carelessly. Improper nourishment could spell disaster just the same.

Dugu Bo took even longer to refine the earth dragon golden melon than Ye Han had expected.

A full three days had passed since he swallowed the herb, yet Dugu Bo still showed no sign of finishing his cultivation.

Ye Han shook his head helplessly.

If Dugu Bo continued to remain absorbed in cultivation, he would have no choice but to risk leaving the hidden realm.

Over those three days, he had gone out only once, hunting a hundred-year bovine soul beast with the Fire Qilin in the Sunset Forest to provide several days' food.

He had yet to reach the realm of grain avoidance and still could not go without food and drink.

The Sunset Forest's rich population of soul beasts was a good thing for Ye Han. He could search for his third Soul Ring right here, without having to travel to another Soul Hunting Forest.

Just as Ye Han was engrossed in gnawing on the last piece of beef leg, thoroughly enjoying his meal, a jade-green pillar of soul power suddenly shot up from the aromatic silk beauty's direction with terrifying force.

Along with the pillar came Dugu Bo's utterly delighted laughter.

"Hahaha! I've done it!"

Before his words had faded, Dugu Bo instantly activated Martial Soul Possession. Nine Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet: two yellow, two purple, and five black.

Now, after martial soul possession, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor no longer possessed only a sinister, biting aura of poison. Within it was an added quality as weighty and steady as the earth.

"Congratulations on getting your wish, Senior." Ye Han's voice was muffled by the meat filling his mouth as his gaze swept over the noticeably diminished jade-green poisonous aura around Dugu Bo.

"You little brat..."

Fresh out of seclusion, Dugu Bo saw Ye Han and the Fire Qilin eating with gusto, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Even he had never done anything so steeped in everyday life in a place like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Usually, he did no more than nibble on dry rations, afraid of disturbing the hidden realm's yin-yang balance.

"Senior, has your martial soul finished transforming?"

Ye Han quickly swallowed his last mouthful, raised his hand, and kindled a wisp of flame to burn away the grease on his fingers. Then he looked up at Dugu Bo and asked with some curiosity.

"Not yet."

Dugu Bo shook his head gently. There was no disappointment in his voice; instead, it brimmed with excitement.

"Although my martial soul didn't evolve outright, just as you said, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's origin has been greatly strengthened. From now on, I'll never suffer from the backlash of its toxins again."

"This seclusion took so long because I was trying to transfer the vast majority of the toxins in my body into my martial soul."

"Most of the toxins have now been transferred. Only those deeply entrenched toxins that have taken root in my body over the years remain, and I'll need to wear those away slowly."

At this point, Dugu Bo grew even more excited, with a faint air of showing off to Ye Han.

"I originally thought my cultivation would fall after I transferred the toxins into my martial soul. Never did I imagine that once the toxins returned to it, my strength would not diminish but advance even further."

"This earth dragon golden melon was truly destined for me. Not only did it reinforce my martial soul origin and eliminate the danger of poisonous backlash, but it also greatly improved my ability to fight head-on. From now on, let's see who still dares call me the weakest Titled Douluo!"

Ye Han listened quietly, considering the matter.

Presumably, Dugu Bo's cultivation was too high, and his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul had already reached an extremely advanced stage. The earth dragon golden melon could only strengthen its origin, not push it to evolve. It merely made the martial soul capable of containing his toxins so that they no longer leaked out and caused a backlash.

For Dugu Yan, however, the earth dragon golden melon would be more than sufficient to bring about martial soul evolution. Her cultivation was nowhere near as profound as Dugu Bo's.

"Ye Han!"

Dugu Bo lowered his gaze to him, his eyes full of appreciation. His voice rose unconsciously. "From this day onward, you are my brother! Anyone who dares give you trouble will be making an enemy of me!"

At those words, Ye Han stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

He looked up at Dugu Bo, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "Senior, surely that isn't appropriate."

In terms of seniority, Dugu Bo was more than old enough to be his grandfather.

"There's nothing inappropriate about it! You've as good as saved both my life and Yanyan's!"

Dugu Bo's tone was utterly firm.

He had long since ceased to care much about his own life and death. His granddaughter Dugu Yan was his only lingering concern, and this time, Ye Han had effectively saved both grandfather and granddaughter.

In Dugu Bo's heart, this debt of gratitude weighed as heavily as a mountain.

Moreover, Ye Han had not merely saved his life. He had also cleared the obstacle on his cultivation path. His cultivation, stuck at rank ninety-one for years, had now broken through, with room for further improvement. To him, this was joyous news beyond measure.

Dugu Bo had another consideration as well. With the talent Ye Han had displayed, he was certain to have every chance of reaching Titled Douluo in the future. Forging an early friendship with such a young genius offered countless benefits and no drawbacks, whether for himself or his granddaughter Dugu Yan.

Seeing that Dugu Bo had made up his mind, Ye Han looked somewhat helpless. After a moment of silence, his gaze swept over the immortal herbs covering the ground around them, and he slowly spoke.

"Senior, I'd like to pick a few immortal herbs to take with me. Would that be all right?"

"Help yourself. As long as you don't disrupt this place's arrangement, take as many as you like."

Dugu Bo was exceedingly generous.

As he spoke, he reached toward his waist with his right hand, took out a blue leather pouch, and tossed it straight to Ye Han.

"This is yours. You can put the immortal herbs you pick into this Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch. Inside is a complete set of tools for harvesting and storing medicinal herbs. Don't refuse. It's a Storage Soul Tool, and it can even hold living things. It's just right for you."

"All right."

Ye Han reached out to catch it and casually fastened the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch to his waist.

He turned and walked toward another part of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Apart from the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew he had reserved for himself, he had also chosen an immortal herb for Ye Lingling.