Without his Battle Armor equipped, An Jing's physical constitution had originally been his only relative weakness.
But now, after the yin-yang tempering of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the medicinal power of the Peerless Immortal Herbs washing through him, that weakness had been utterly erased in an almost brutal fashion!
The opposing powers of extreme cold and scorching heat were like two divine hammers of heaven and earth, furiously pounding his meridians, flesh, and bones. Deep within his marrow, a crystalline, glasslike golden radiance faintly shone,
and his entire being underwent a violent transformation to a higher level of life at an inconceivable speed.
On the shore, Dugu Bo, his granddaughter, and Zhu Zhuqing stared fixedly at the boiling pool, their faces filled with unparalleled shock.
"A monster... truly a monster seen once in ten thousand years!"
Dugu Bo's Adam's apple bobbed. He could not help drawing a sharp breath, his voice full of wonder and apprehension:
"This brat's martial soul and fighting methods already defied all reason. Now the immortal herbs have remade him, and he's undergone Ice-Fire Body Tempering. In the future, never mind his peers-
even among the older generation's powerhouses, aside from those who've entered the ranks of Titled Douluo, I doubt anyone will be able to keep him down."
As he marveled, Dugu Bo turned his head and cast a meaningful glance at his somewhat dumbstruck granddaughter.
Ripples of light shimmered in Dugu Yan's beautiful eyes. Clearly, the miraculous transformation before her had shaken her deeply as well.
"Yanyan..." Dugu Bo lowered his voice and gently coaxed her,
"When this brat finishes, rein in that willful temper of yours and take the initiative to apologize.
With a monster of such dazzling talent, it's better to swallow your pride and befriend him than ever make an enemy of him."
Dugu Yan came to her senses, lightly bit her red lip, and huffed indignantly. "Grandpa! He was the one who attacked first and snatched someone away! I'm the victim! Why should I bow my head to him?"
"Foolish girl! Those who accomplish great things don't fuss over trifles!"
Dugu Bo bristled and glared, though a shrewd gleam flashed in his eyes.
"Meeting him is an opportunity in itself.
Someone like him, appearing out of nowhere without the slightest prior reputation on the continent, was clearly trained with great care by some secluded master and has only just entered the world to gain experience.
At this young, hot-blooded age, what he lacks most is a beautiful confidante devoted wholeheartedly to him.
As the saying goes, the pavilion nearest the water catches the moon first. Yanyan, if you seize this opportunity, who would dare shake our Dugu Family's standing on the continent even a little?"
"Grandpa! You... you're getting more ridiculous by the moment! Keep talking nonsense and I won't speak to you anymore!"
Understanding the implication behind her grandfather's words, Dugu Yan's cheeks instantly burned, turning bright red.
She stamped her foot and turned away in bashful indignation, yet her misty eyes could not help stealing another glance at the churning rosy light beneath the pool.
Zhu Zhuqing stood silently beside them, a complicated gleam in her dark eyes.
Listening to Dugu Bo's calculations, she said nothing. Her hands merely tightened slightly inside her sleeves as she gazed at the white-haired figure in the pool, unprecedented waves surging in her heart.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The violently boiling Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well gradually settled, its mirrorlike waters reflecting the lingering rosy glow in the sky.
The fading phenomena signaled that the fusion of medicinal power within his body had reached its final stage.
Deep beneath the spring, An Jing slowly exhaled a plume of white vapor mingled with icy flames.
Feeling his blood roar through him like rolling thunder, and the vast, profound spiritual nebula in his Sea of Consciousness, he curled his lips into an unrestrained smile.
He had never felt such exquisite fullness. Every cell in his body cheered and leaped with joy. He truly had never felt so refreshed and clearheaded!
The next moment, An Jing opened his eyes and lightly pushed off with his toes. His tall, slender body broke through the water, and he walked slowly toward the shore across the gentle ripples.
But as the spray fell away, the two girls' pupils suddenly widened. Their lovely faces flushed from their ears down to their necks, and they cried out, hastily raising their hands to cover their eyes:
"Lecher! Pervert!!"
Under the earlier tearing forces of the conflicting heat and cold, An Jing's clothes had long since burned to nothing.
Now, the lines of his muscles resembled a masterpiece carved by a divine artisan, crystalline and flawless, exposed to the air without any covering.
"Ahem... brat, your tempered body may indeed be perfect, but at least remember to cover your private parts."
Dugu Bo also coughed awkwardly, his aged face twitching slightly.
"My apologies."
An Jing let out an amused laugh. Completely at ease, he took a fresh moon-white brocade robe from his Storage Soul Tool, draped it over himself, and tightened its sash.
As he stretched his limbs, the violently surging soul power within him made the surrounding air erupt in a series of muffled booms.
"Six levels in one go. That suffering through ice and fire wasn't wasted."
His soul power had now crossed the bottleneck outright, firmly reaching the level of a Level 77 Soul Saint!
Even more terrifying was his Sea of Consciousness.
The immense stellar power of the Star Luo Spirit Pearl had condensed into the embryonic form of a slowly rotating star core within his Sea of Consciousness, allowing his spiritual power to naturally break through into the "Spirit Abyss Realm."
Like an abyss, like a hell; from the azure heavens to the yellow springs, all things yielded wherever his will reached.
Spiritual power at the Spirit Abyss Realm was the absolute foundation for sustaining high-tier legendary soul spirits, and could also analyze microscopic changes in the surrounding air currents to the utmost degree.
To the people of this era, the Spirit Abyss Realm might already represent the ultimate ceiling of mortal spiritual cultivation. To An Jing, however, it was merely the first threshold on his ascent to a higher dimension.
After straightening his robes, An Jing withdrew the pressure emanating from his body, bowed slightly to Dugu Bo, and cupped his hands. "Thank you for doing everything you could to guard me just now, Senior."
"Hahahaha! No need to keep calling me Senior. It sounds too distant!"
Dugu Bo waved a hand and laughed heartily. "It's my great fortune to meet an unprecedented monstrous genius like you. From now on, if you don't mind, just call me Old Poison!"
"Old Poison." An Jing nodded, going along with him without excessive ceremony.
After all, Dugu Bo still had a great deal of use in the game to come.
Without delay, An Jing turned his hand over and produced a specially made Storage Ring engraved with miniature Absolute Pressure Soul Tool Array Runes.
His fingertips flicked repeatedly, turning streams of air into Vacuum Blades. Using meticulously precise harvesting techniques, he severed rare immortal treasures such as the Lovesick Heartbreak Red and Aromatic Silk Beauty at their roots and sealed them perfectly inside, preserving their full medicinal potency.
After sweeping up the vast majority of the finest immortal herbs, An Jing kept two aside as promised and presented them to Dugu Bo.
"Old Poison, take these. They're the medicinal catalysts best suited to you and Dugu Yan."
Dugu Bo's expression turned solemn as he looked at the two divine herbs floating before him.
An Jing pointed to an unusual, entirely golden tuber resembling a reclining golden dragon and said calmly:
"This is called the Earth Dragon Golden Melon. Its medicinal power is rich and mellow, like the dragon energy of the earth.
The reason you've suffered the backlash of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's deadly poison all these years is that your bloodline and body cannot withstand such potent venom.
Take this herb and cleanse your meridians with the golden dragon's pure yang earth energy. Not only will it help your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor break its shackles, shed its skin, and evolve toward a true dragon, it will also gather and refine all the serpent venom accumulated throughout your body, condensing it into an innate poison core similar to a soul core. Draw the poison into the core and turn it into armor.
Then the deadly venom that has plagued you for half your life will no longer be a chain dragging you toward death. Instead, it will become your strongest aid in crossing the ninety-first level bottleneck."
Next, An Jing pushed the other herb toward Dugu Yan. It bore an eight-petaled orchid, its whole form snowy white and crystalline, with a pure, otherworldly elegance:
"This is the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid. Dugu Yan's poisoning is still shallow and hasn't penetrated her marrow.
The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid's medicinal properties are balanced and gentle. It can mildly dissolve the superficial toxins and impurities accumulated in her body without weakening the poisonous attributes of her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul,
repair her fragile, damaged meridians, and lay an exceptionally solid foundation for her future breakthroughs to higher realms."
As he listened to An Jing's clear explanation of the medicinal principles and secrets of their use, the gleam in Dugu Bo's eyes grew brighter and brighter. His whole body trembled uncontrollably with excitement.
These two immortal herbs could not only truly save their Dugu lineage from its doomed fate, but even bring about a complete transformation of their martial souls!
"No words of thanks can repay such kindness! From now on, this old man's life truly belongs to you!"
Dugu Bo threw his head back and laughed, patting An Jing's shoulder, his expression filled with unprecedented gratitude and relief.
An Jing swept his sleeve to dispel the remaining currents of force and turned his gaze toward the sky beyond the valley.
He had secured all the opportunities of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well: his soul power had reached Level 77, his body had attained the ice-fire golden body, and his spiritual power had entered the Spirit Abyss Realm.
Every trump card he needed was now in hand. Naturally, the next leg of his journey would enter the entertaining stage of "crushing weaklings."
That so-called Tang San and Shrek Academy ought to see what absolute domination from a higher dimension truly meant.
"We're finished here. Let's go," An Jing said calmly.
Dugu Bo put away the immortal herbs and nodded. Now that he had a means to cure the serpent venom completely, he no longer needed to spend his days keeping a lonely vigil in this damp, gloomy place.
At once, the four became streaks of light, swept straight out of the valley, and sped toward the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.
Meanwhile.
Outside Heaven Dou City, in the sky above Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The clear, cloudless sky abruptly changed. Pitch-black thunderclouds, heavy as cast iron, rolled furiously together from the horizon,
and countless blue-violet bolts, thick as raging pythons, tore through the sea of clouds, bathing the entire mountain range housing the academy in an ominous light!
RUMBLE-!!
Deafening thunder pounded like war drums. Terrifying, savage draconic pressure poured down alongside vast soul power, turning the faces of hundreds upon hundreds of teachers and students deathly pale. Their legs shook, and even their breathing stopped beneath that heavenly might.
At the center of the raging thunder that seemed to overturn rivers and seas, a burly figure with the imposing presence of a god or demon strode through the air, hands clasped behind his back.
His short, steel-needle hair danced wildly in the lightning, and his face was stern and resolute. Nine dazzling Soul Rings surrounded him, while surging thunder power formed nearly tangible dragon-shaped currents around his body.
The clan master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a Level 95 power attack system Super Douluo-the Thunder Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen!
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