Since his first dad had said so, Gui Yuan naturally would not stand on ceremony.
Once he grew stronger later on, he could repay them when the opportunity arose.
They were his first dad and second dad in this life anyway. There was no need to treat them like outsiders.
"Let's begin," Yue Guan said. "You absorb it first. We'll both stand guard for you."
Gui Yuan nodded and sat cross-legged beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He took the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, drew a deep breath, and put it into his mouth.
The instant it entered his mouth, a tremendous surge of medicinal power exploded within him.
That power surged like mighty waves, yet it felt anything but violent. Instead, it enveloped him gently.
The medicinal power flowed along his meridians. Wherever it passed, subtle changes took place in his bones, muscles, and skin.
It was as though a pair of invisible hands were reshaping his body little by little.
Gui Yuan began guiding the medicinal power along the pathways of his meditation method.
Several hours later, he slowly opened his eyes.
His Soul Power was still at rank twenty, but he could clearly feel that his body had grown stronger.
A faint layer of golden light appeared around him, as though he had been coated in a thin golden film.
Although the light was not dazzling, it had a dense, weighty quality.
It was precisely the sign of the indestructible vajra body!
"How is it?" Yue Guan asked, his face full of concern.
Gui Yuan smiled. "First Dad, it should be pretty good."
"I have a feeling that once I absorb my second Soul Ring, I might shoot straight toward rank thirty."
Hearing that, even the perpetually expressionless Gui Mei could not help sucking in a breath.
"Rank thirty?"
Gui Mei found it rather hard to believe. "You're not even seven yet. It's only been a little over half a year since you awakened your Martial Soul, and you're already about to reach rank thirty?"
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance.
Their feelings were rather complicated at that moment: a little numb, but also a little relieved.
They were numb because Gui Yuan was improving far too quickly.
They were relieved for the same reason. Fortunately, he was their son.
Yue Guan suppressed his emotions and asked, "Then how far do you feel your indestructible vajra physique has developed?"
Gui Yuan assessed the changes in his body. "It's taken preliminary shape, but it's still a long way from its complete form."
"But my defenses really are much stronger than before. Ordinary sharp weapons probably can't cut through my skin anymore."
Yue Guan nodded. "Good. That immortal-grade herb wasn't wasted."
Gui Yuan looked at them and asked, "First Dad, Second Dad, while I was absorbing the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, did you choose the immortal herbs you need?"
Yue Guan nodded. "I found two fairly good ones here."
"One is called Vajra Clematis. Absorbing it should help considerably with improving the sharpness of my Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum."
"The other is called the Netherworld Shadow Flower. It suits Old Ghost's netherworld attribute and should help nourish his Martial Soul origin."
For once, Gui Mei did not snap back at him, merely giving a quiet "Mm."
Yue Guan continued, "Would you like to choose another immortal herb?"
"You have two Martial Souls, so absorbing one more should be fine."
Gui Yuan had long since made up his mind. He asked tentatively, "First Dad, Second Dad, there are actually three more immortal herbs I want to absorb. May I?"
"Three?" Yue Guan frowned. "No."
"Absorbing too many immortal herbs at once is going too far, which is no better than falling short."
"Every medicine carries some poison. If you absorb too many immortal herbs of other attributes before fully absorbing the medicinal effects already in your body, they could easily clash."
"That wouldn't be good for you either."
Gui Yuan had known Yue Guan would object, but he had come prepared.
"First Dad, I'm confident."
"Look, on either side of this spring, there's an immortal herb with an extreme heat attribute and one with an extreme cold attribute."
"I want to use them for Ice and Fire Body Tempering."
Yue Guan looked in the direction he pointed.
On the left side of the spring stood a little herb that was scarlet all over, its leaves flickering fiercely like flames.
On the right was a crystalline, ice-blue little herb that gave off bone-piercing cold Qi.
Yue Guan narrowed his eyes. "These two... really are extraordinary."
Gui Yuan said, "The one on the left is called Infernal Delicate Apricot, and the one on the right is called Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass."
"Their attributes are exact opposites, but if I take them simultaneously and use this spring to harmonize them, they should produce the effects of Ice and Fire Body Tempering."
"I only know about these two immortal-grade herbs because I happened to read about them in an ancient book in Spirit Hall's library."
Yue Guan looked thoughtful. "There's such a theory?"
Yue Guan considered it. "Besides these two, what's the third?"
Gui Yuan pointed at an unremarkable herb nearby. "That one, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. My second Martial Soul is essentially a soul, and this immortal herb happens to enhance spiritual power."
Yue Guan pondered for a moment. "In that case, give it a try."
"But don't rush to absorb this Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. Wait until after we return, roughly six months to a year, when you've fully absorbed the medicinal effects of the three immortal herbs in your body."
Naturally, Gui Yuan had no objections, because that was what he had intended in the first place.
He also felt that absorbing four immortal herbs at once was too much.
"Let's begin," Yue Guan said calmly.
(The harvesting here follows the method used in the animation.)
He released his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and controlled two sharp petal blades.
The blades flew to either side, precisely severing the roots of the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
Gui Mei acted at the same time. Two ghostly hands appeared beneath the two immortal-grade herbs and gripped them firmly.
Then he tossed them toward the center, and the two immortal-grade herbs collided in midair.
Their extreme cold and extreme heat attributes canceled each other out upon impact, temporarily settling into calm.
Gui Mei remembered what Gui Yuan had just said: after they collided, they had to be consumed within ten breaths, or their effects would be greatly diminished.
Without hesitation, he brought the two immortal-grade herbs directly before Gui Yuan.
Holding one in each hand, Gui Yuan stuffed both into his mouth simultaneously. The moment they entered his mouth, two forces, one cold and one hot, clashed within him.
The left half of his body was bone-piercingly cold, while the right half burned as though aflame. The tearing pain instantly brought cold sweat to his forehead.
But Gui Yuan clenched his teeth and did not cry out.
His main purpose in actually consuming these two immortal-grade herbs was not Ice and Fire Body Tempering.
He already possessed an invulnerable body, so Ice and Fire Body Tempering would actually offer only limited improvement to his physique.
What he truly needed was the immunity to all poisons provided by the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
As long as he possessed immunity to all poisons, his food system would not need to expend a Soul Ring slot on food that neutralized poison.
Gui Yuan was taking the food system route with his first Martial Soul primarily to better serve himself in the future, and only then to serve others.
Enduring the agony of ice and fire intertwining within him, he leaped into the air and sank into the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The red-and-blue spring water instantly enveloped him. Two currents, one extremely hot and the other extremely cold, circulated around him, helping his body absorb the medicinal effects.
The process was clearly agonizing.
Yue Guan stood on the bank, so nervous that his palms were sweating.
"Do you think Xiao Yuan will be all right?"
He turned toward Gui Mei. "We tested this lake water with our hands. Even with our cultivation, we'd suffer considerable harm without Soul Power protecting our bodies."
Gui Mei stared at the water, his face expressionless, but his tightly clenched fists betrayed him.
"Those two immortal herbs should be protecting Xiao Yuan. Trust him."
Despite saying that, his gaze never left the surface of the water for even a moment.
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