They headed to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Ji Hongchen took out the pill furnace he had prepared.
"Say, Hongchen, what did you bring that thing out for?"
Standing beside the oddly shaped furnace, Dugu Bo could not resist reaching out to touch it.
Ji Hongchen smiled.
"It's something good. With a little luck, it might even trigger a martial soul second awakening for Yanzi and you, Senior Dugu."
"Really?"
Dugu Bo's eyes lit up.
Then he stepped back, afraid of causing an accident.
Ji Hongchen walked around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for a while, then stopped before a snow-white immortal herb shaped like a swan's head. Wrapping it in Soul Power, he reached out and plucked it.
"Perfect. I'll try this immortal herb for the first batch."
Dugu Bo leaned closer.
"Hongchen, is there something special about this herb? It doesn't look particularly remarkable to me."
Ji Hongchen explained, "Senior Dugu, this immortal herb is called the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss. It isn't poisonous itself, but it can amplify any toxin it touches a thousandfold. It's an exceptionally suitable immortal herb for poison-type Soul Masters."
"What? A thousandfold?"
Dugu Bo stared fixedly at the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss.
With this, never mind thrashing Chrysanthemum Guan-even Tang Hao, who had once defeated three of Spirit Hall's Titled Douluos single-handedly, might be no match for him.
Ji Hongchen handed the Blood Swan Kiss to Dugu Bo.
Then he took out a new pill furnace. Afraid that a failed attempt might ruin his own furnace, he decided to practice with a spare first.
"Please wait a moment, Senior Dugu."
With that, Ji Hongchen conjured a small flame.
As his Mental Power flowed in, the Blood Swan Kiss was tossed into the furnace, followed by several specific, nonpoisonous supplementary herbs to blend together.
Through the air...
A faint medicinal fragrance spread.
A moment later, three pills as white as mutton fat emerged from the furnace and slowly settled into Ji Hongchen's palm.
"Senior Dugu, please keep these Snow-Colored Swan Pills."
Ji Hongchen handed all three pills to Dugu Bo.
After all, he did not cultivate poison, so he had no use for them.
"This..."
Dugu Bo hesitated for a moment. He had not expected Ji Hongchen to actually give him pills like these.
For a moment, Dugu Bo was rather touched.
He glanced at Ji Hongchen, his mind already made up.
It seemed he could no longer keep his treasured Crazy One-Stick hidden away. He had to find an opportunity to get this brat to bed Yanzi as soon as possible.
"Senior Dugu, why not refine it here?"
Ji Hongchen pointed to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well beside them.
"The spring water can help suppress the toxins in your body, letting you refine this pill with twice the result for half the effort. And with me watching nearby, I can step in immediately if anything goes wrong."
As he spoke...
Ji Hongchen walked to the spring, picked up an immortal herb radiating a pink halo, and handed it to Dugu Bo. "This is aromatic silk beauty. I won't use it to refine pills. It can dispel toxins and prevent the poison in your body from leaking out, Senior Dugu."
Dugu Bo accepted the immortal herb.
He was somewhat surprised that Ji Hongchen had actually given him both immortal herbs.
"You brat, you really do surprise me."
Still, he did not stand on ceremony. Under Ji Hongchen's watchful gaze, he swallowed a Snow-Colored Swan Pill and began refining its medicinal power, using the spring water to suppress it.
An hour later...
Boom!
The spring water surged as Dugu Bo shot into the sky, his aura soaring. A phantom Jade Green Poison Snake appeared and coiled upward.
"I've broken through!"
Dugu Bo threw back his head and laughed.
Although his Martial Soul had not undergone a second awakening outright, his strength had increased, his Martial Soul had become purer, and his Soul Power had reached rank ninety-four!
Seeing that Dugu Bo had successfully broken through...
Ji Hongchen began refining pills as well.
Soon, he picked up the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, supplemented it with other herbs that enhanced Mental Power, and began refining with intense concentration.
His pill-refining technique was practiced and skillful.
He completed the process in one smooth flow, quickly succeeding.
Four pills emerged from this batch, all of excellent quality. Ji Hongchen was pleased but hesitated. After setting two aside, he swallowed the other two and refined them.
The pills he would refine next would be more complicated.
So he planned to increase his Mental Power first, improving his chances of success.
A few breaths later...
A sharp gleam flashed through Ji Hongchen's eyes, giving him an inscrutable air. His Mental Power had also increased considerably.
"My Mental Power has improved quite a bit."
Ji Hongchen rubbed the spot between his brows.
He felt that his Mental Power was now sufficient to withstand the mental shock produced by a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
That had been his plan all along.
A ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring!
He wasted no time. He still needed many immortal herbs, and pill refining would leave only the purest medicinal power from each one.
That meant he did not have to worry about overly potent medicinal power making his body explode.
He picked up the eight-petal immortal orchid. This immortal herb could accelerate cultivation, consolidate his foundation, nourish his vital essence, and purge impurities from his body. For someone like him, who now possessed an ultimate attribute, it could restore his cultivation speed to a normal level.
Ji Hongchen directly purified the medicinal power of the eight-petal immortal orchid.
In the end, he produced two pills.
While he was still on a roll, Ji Hongchen turned his attention to the two immortal herbs at the center of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Two lethally poisonous immortal-grade herbs.
They were the octagonal mysterious ice grass and the infernal delicate apricot. Taking either herb alone meant certain death, but taking them together allowed them to complement each other, tempering the Ice and Fire Golden Body and granting immunity to water and fire.
However, in the original story, Tang San had barely managed to consume them.
As a result, he had been unable to fully refine their medicinal power, and the violent portion had been dispersed. In Ji Hongchen's eyes, this was a terrible waste.
He harvested the two immortal herbs.
Ji Hongchen drew a deep breath. The medicinal power of these two immortal herbs was tyrannical. If even the slightest mishap occurred during refining, the furnace would explode outright!
He carefully released his Mental Power.
Wrapping it around the two immortal herbs, he guided them into the furnace. As refining began, the two opposing medicinal powers inside started colliding and merging.
Ji Hongchen concentrated fully.
Time ticked past. It took a full half day before the activity inside the furnace gradually subsided and a pure medicinal fragrance wafted out.
"It's done!"
Delighted, Ji Hongchen immediately opened the furnace. A single red-and-blue pill lay quietly inside, still giving off heat.
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Pill!"
It was a pity that he had produced only one pill, but all the medicinal power had been fully purified without the slightest waste. In the end, he would absorb every bit of it.
Without hesitation...
Ji Hongchen swallowed the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Pill.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Pill entered his stomach.
Its medicinal power erupted instantly, a terrifying torrent of violent energy sweeping through his entire body.
Ji Hongchen activated his sword dao soul core.
He continuously forced the violent medicinal power to refine.
Time passed.
Wisps of bone-piercing cold kept radiating from Ji Hongchen's body, alternating with scorching heat. Caught between the two extremes of ice and fire, his body was continuously tempered.
That feels amazing!
A faint golden radiance began emanating from Ji Hongchen's body.
"Whew..."
Ji Hongchen let out a long breath.
His aura had become more solid, and his Soul Power had successfully broken through to rank thirty-five. But the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Pill's most important benefit was the golden body it had tempered.
"Now I'm already immune to ice and fire."
"No, wait! The complete golden body has actually made me impervious to all poisons. In other words, I'm immune to poison now, too!"
Ji Hongchen was overjoyed.
This would give him an even greater advantage in future fights.
Ice immunity, fire immunity, poison immunity.
Kid, I really do have the moves.
Before you continue