When the intensive training entered its second month, Feng Lingtian began to notice some changes.
After training ended each day, Su Ran still stayed an extra hour to practice instant casting. Sometimes, when Feng Lingtian left late, he would see Su Ran sitting cross-legged alone in the center of the training ground, holding Wind Grain in both hands and reciting his soul incantation over and over. From five breaths on the first day, to three breaths on the seventh, to two breaths on the fifteenth. Su Ran's dry rations fell off faster and faster, and the light shining from Wind Grain grew steadier and steadier.
Feng Lingtian did not disturb Su Ran. Each time he left, Feng Lingtian simply left the lamps at the edge of the training ground lit.
It was not just Su Ran. Zhong Yue had trained his Turtle Armor Protection from covering only one person to covering two people at once. Su Mei'er's Wind Lightning Chain launched far faster than on the first day of training, and the lightning on the chain was more solid than before. The distance at which Lu Hanxiao's Night Owl Gaze could lock onto a target had expanded from thirty paces at the beginning to fifty. Ji Ning had trained the consecutive changes of direction in his Swallow Return from six or seven to a dozen or so. Lu Qing no longer needed to switch deliberately between his two sickles; changing between a single sickle and dual sickles had become instinctive. As Bai Yu's chimes flowed between three people, the intervals between switches grew shorter and shorter, with almost no audible pause. The time Ye Qingyu needed to stack three layers of Echo Amplification with her zither music had shortened from a dozen or so breaths to just a few.
Everyone was changing. These were not changes that overturned heaven and earth, but tiny improvements over the day before. Those tiny improvements accumulated into what they were now.
Feng Lingtian saw it all. He thought that the team's framework was already in place, and everyone was finding their own position. Daily training and lineup coordination were on track, and he no longer needed to watch over them from beginning to end every day.
Feng Lingtian began to consider something else.
Medicinal baths and medicinal meals could nourish everyone's bodies, but nourishment could only help each person perform at their best within their own limits. Those limits themselves were something medicinal baths could not change. Feng Lingtian wanted to break through those limits.
He opened the True Explanation of the Dao of Alchemy to a page in the middle. Infernal delicate apricot grew where blazing fires converged, taking a hundred years to take shape and a thousand years to bloom. Consuming it could temper the meridians and raise the upper limit of fire-attribute Soul Power. When harvesting it, its roots and stem had to be severed with a jade spade, its petals must not be touched, and it had to be sealed in a jade box. A pill recipe was attached beside it-Primordial Martial Awakening Pill, fire attribute.
Octagonal mysterious ice grass grew in an eye of extreme cold, and the best time to harvest it was when all eight leaves had fully unfurled. Consuming it could purge impurities from Soul Power and raise the upper limit of ice-attribute Soul Power. When harvesting it, its stalk had to be cut with gold scissors, its leaves must not be touched by hand, and it had to be sealed in a gold box. A pill recipe was attached beside it-Primordial Martial Awakening Pill, ice attribute.
Singular velvet sky chrysanthemum grew on sheer cliffs, its petals layered like intertwined golden threads. Consuming it could strengthen the muscles and bones and raise the strength limit of Power Attack System Soul Masters. When harvesting it, it had to be cut with a jade knife, its petals must not touch the ground, and it had to be sealed in a jade box.
Narcissus jade muscle bone grew in the depths of secluded pools, its leaves like jade and its flowers white as snow. Consuming it could gently nourish the meridians and increase female Soul Masters' affinity with Soul Power. When harvesting it, it had to be taken with its roots and water and sealed in a crystal bottle. Its medicinal properties would dissipate if it remained out of water for more than two hours.
When harvesting nine-grade purple ganoderma, its roots had to be severed with a wooden spade, and it had to be sealed in a wooden box without exposure to gold or iron. When harvesting aromatic silk beauty, its stem had to be cut with silver scissors, and it had to be sealed in a silver box. When harvesting aromatic silk beauty, it had to be taken with its roots and soil and sealed in a jade box; if the soil dried, its medicinal properties would be lost. When harvesting eight-petal immortal orchid, its roots had to be severed with a bamboo knife, and it had to be sealed in a bamboo box.
Beside every immortal herb were pill recipes, harvesting methods, and sealing methods. Which tools to harvest them with and which boxes to put them in were all written out clearly.
All eight immortal herbs pointed to the same place-the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Infernal delicate apricot only grew where blazing fires converged, and octagonal mysterious ice grass only grew in an eye of extreme cold. The only place on the continent that had both environments was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Feng Lingtian closed the book. The True Explanation of the Dao of Alchemy did not say where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was. But Feng Lingtian knew one person who would definitely know. Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo whose Martial Soul was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, unrivaled beneath heaven in poison. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was Dugu Bo's medicinal garden.
If he approached Dugu Bo directly, given Dugu Bo's reclusive and suspicious nature, he would not trust a boy he had never met. Feng Lingtian had known from the beginning that his target was not Dugu Bo, but Dugu Yan. Dugu Bo's only weakness.
Feng Lingtian opened his storage pouch and took out the jade box. The jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass he had obtained in the poisonous miasma valley in the Heavenly Wind Mountain Range could neutralize Martial Soul toxins accumulated within the body and had remarkable effects against the backlash of serpent-type and poison-type Martial Souls. Its leaves were still deep green, and the silvery-white patterns along their veins still glowed faintly.
The original story had made it clear that Dugu Yan had inherited Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul, but hers had not mutated into a Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. Dugu Bo could forcibly suppress the toxic backlash with his strength as a Titled Douluo, but Dugu Yan could not. Her suffering was even greater than Dugu Bo's, and as her Soul Power increased, the accumulation of toxins would only grow more severe. Dugu Bo doted on this granddaughter and had been searching for a way to ease Dugu Yan's suffering, but jade phosphorous serpent poison was a poison of the Martial Soul Origin, not something ordinary medicines could neutralize. Dugu Bo had searched for many years without finding a truly effective solution.
If the Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pill could ease Dugu Yan's suffering, Dugu Bo would surely seek him out of his own accord. The jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass was that opening.
Feng Lingtian put away the jade box and reopened the True Explanation of the Dao of Alchemy to the page on jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass. A complete pill recipe was attached to the page-the Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pill. With jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass as its main ingredient, supplemented by seven medicinal ingredients, it could neutralize Martial Soul toxins accumulated within the body. A line of small text beside it read: when harvesting, take it with its roots and soil and seal it in a jade box; as long as the silver patterns on its leaf veins do not fade, its medicinal properties will remain.
Feng Lingtian copied down the pill recipe. All seven supplementary ingredients could be gathered on the outskirts of the Heavenly Wind Mountain Range. There was only one jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass, but a Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pill needed only a single leaf. Feng Lingtian looked at the jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass in the jade box. Its leaves overlapped in layers, at least a dozen of them.
After training ended the next day, Feng Lingtian went to Instructor Qin's office.
Instructor Qin was reviewing documents and did not even raise her head. Feng Lingtian explained why he had come: he wanted to obtain some medicinal ingredients from the academy's herb storehouse to help condition his teammates' bodies. As for exactly what he would be treating or what he would use them for, he did not elaborate.
Instructor Qin glanced at Feng Lingtian without pressing him for details. She simply took a token from a drawer and placed it on the desk.
"Go and collect them. Don't waste the ingredients." Instructor Qin's tone was even. "Use this token whenever you need to collect more in the future. You only need to report the quantities you take. As long as it isn't too much, that's fine."
Feng Lingtian took the token. "Thank you, Instructor Qin."
Instructor Qin waved a hand and lowered her head to resume reviewing documents, indicating that he could leave.
Feng Lingtian turned and walked out of the office, gently closing the door behind him. He had concealed the truth and had not even mentioned pill refining precisely out of caution. His strength was still meager, and his identity as an alchemist was too sensitive. Exposing it too early would do more harm than good. Moreover, whether this Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pill could truly ease Dugu Yan's jade phosphorus snake poison still needed to be verified. Until he had definite results, the fewer people who knew about this, the better. This pill was his crucial opening to approach that Titled Douluo, and he could not allow anything to go wrong before the undertaking was complete.
Feng Lingtian went to the herb storehouse and used the token to obtain the seven supplementary ingredients. Back in his dormitory, Feng Lingtian spread the ingredients out and arranged them in the order given in the recipe. Then he took out the jade box and carefully plucked a leaf from the jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass. The leaf felt slightly cool in his hand, and the silvery-white patterns on its veins remained bright for quite some time after it was plucked before slowly dimming.
Feng Lingtian sat cross-legged and placed the medicinal ingredients into the pill furnace in order. The seven supplementary ingredients went in first, and the jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass went in last. The furnace fire ignited, and the ingredients blended and transformed within. Feng Lingtian's Soul Power seeped through the furnace walls, guiding the fusion of their medicinal properties.
Two hours later, the furnace fire went out. Feng Lingtian opened the lid. Three pills lay at the bottom of the furnace. They were deep green, with fine, dense silvery-white patterns across their surfaces, like miniature versions of the jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass's leaf veins. The Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pills were complete.
Feng Lingtian placed the three pills into three small jade bottles, one in each, and firmly stoppered them.
Three Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pills were enough to ease the toxic backlash within Dugu Yan's body for a time. But he still needed his father's help to make contact with her.
After training ended on the third day, Feng Lingtian did not stay at the training ground and went straight home.
Feng Qingxuan was in the study. When Feng Lingtian knocked and entered, Feng Qingxuan was reading official academy documents. Feng Lingtian placed the three jade bottles on the desk and explained where the jade phosphorus poison-clearing grass and Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pills had come from. Then he spoke of Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, and the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
After listening, Feng Qingxuan did not speak immediately. He looked at the three jade bottles on the desk and remained silent for a long time.
"Dugu Bo is a Titled Douluo and an imperial retainer. He is reclusive and does not associate with others." Feng Qingxuan's voice was quiet. "But his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, is indeed his weakness. I know Meng Shenji, the deputy head of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. If these pills of yours can truly ease Dugu Yan's suffering, I can find a way to arrange a meeting."
Feng Qingxuan looked at Feng Lingtian. "Are you confident?"
Feng Lingtian was silent for a breath. "The Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pill neutralizes poison from the Martial Soul Origin. Jade phosphorous serpent poison is a poison of the Martial Soul Origin, so the pill addresses the condition. I wouldn't dare claim it can cure her completely, but I'm confident it can ease her suffering."
Feng Qingxuan nodded once. "Leave the pills with me for now. I'll contact Heaven Dou Royal Academy as soon as possible."
Feng Lingtian said, "Thank you, Father."
Feng Qingxuan waved a hand. As Feng Lingtian turned and reached the door, Feng Qingxuan suddenly spoke again.
"Lingtian." Feng Lingtian stopped and looked back.
Feng Qingxuan looked at him, a trace of gravity in his eyes that Feng Lingtian had never seen before. "Dugu Bo is not an easy man to deal with. Even if you truly help his granddaughter, he won't be profoundly grateful to you for it. You need to think this through."
Feng Lingtian nodded once. "I know."
Feng Qingxuan said nothing more. Feng Lingtian opened the door and left.
It was deep into the night. Feng Lingtian walked along the road home, the moonlight stretching his shadow long. He thought that his father was right: Dugu Bo was not an easy man to deal with. But the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well were the only chance to break through everyone's limits. He had to seize this opportunity.
Feng Lingtian raised his head and looked at the moon in the sky. It was very round and very bright.
Feng Lingtian lowered his gaze and continued walking.