Early the next morning, Feng Lingtian woke as dawn was just breaking.
Feng Xiaotian was still fast asleep, half his quilt kicked off. Feng Lingtian tucked his older brother back in and slipped quietly out of the room. As he passed his brother's bedside, he took another look-the twelve-year-old had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and the arm exposed outside the quilt had smooth lines, its muscles firm but not bulky, clearly the result of years of hard training.
That was not a physique talent alone could give someone.
Their father, Feng Qingxuan, had begun training each son when he turned three. Though Godwind Academy was hardly wealthy enough to rival a nation, Feng Qingxuan had some resources as its dean. Every year, he had someone purchase dragonblood vine, earth dragon vine, ironbone grass, and body-tempering flowers from the largest apothecary in Heavenly Wind City, then mix them in set proportions into a medicinal bath. Feng Xiaotian had soaked in his first tub at three, and six years later, when Feng Lingtian turned three, he too began taking the same medicinal baths.
One or two medicinal baths made little noticeable difference, but years of persistence opened up a gap. The brothers' muscles and bones were far sturdier than those of Soul Masters their age, and their meridians were broader and tougher too. Added to that, their father had taken them running, climbing mountains, and practicing martial arts since they could walk, day after day without interruption. Their physical fitness had long since far surpassed that of ordinary children their age.
It was precisely this solid foundation that allowed Feng Xiaotian to keep breaking conventional limits when hunting Soul Rings. His first Soul Ring came from a five-hundred-and-eighty-year-old Wind Demon Wolf, and his second from a Wind-Winged Python over nine hundred years old-that second Soul Ring, deep yellow tinged with purple, remained a legend Godwind Academy's students privately delighted in discussing.
Gathering his thoughts, Feng Lingtian passed through the corridor shrouded in morning mist and arrived at his mother's courtyard.
Bai Qingyin was already awake, leaning against the head of her bed as she drank her medicine. The medicinal brew was thick and black, its smell bitter. Feng Qingxuan had gone through countless hardships to find this prescription. Though Bai Qingyin drank it slowly, frowning with every mouthful, she still finished every last drop.
"Mother, I'd like to look at the records the family left behind."
Bai Qingyin set down her medicine bowl and retrieved an old-fashioned wooden box from deep inside a cabinet. About a foot square, it bore a carving of a peregrine falcon spreading its wings, the lines simple yet full of spirit. She pressed several specific spots on the falcon's wings and tail feathers. With a click, the box sprang open.
"This is a mechanism box from the Speed Family. If anyone forces it open without pressing the correct sequence, the mechanism inside will destroy everything."
Over a dozen ancient books lay neatly stacked inside. Bai Qingyin drew the thickest one from the very bottom. Four seal-script characters graced its cover-True Explanation of the Dao of Alchemy.
"What the Speed Family excelled at most was alchemy." A faint note of pride colored Bai Qingyin's voice.
Feng Lingtian accepted it with both hands and opened the first page. The paper was rough and thick, the ink strokes old-fashioned, and a faint herbal fragrance rose from it. A line of small writing appeared on the flyleaf: "Compiled by Bai Yuanqi, third patriarch of the Speed Family. Descendants of future generations must cherish and treasure it."
Feng Lingtian's gaze fell on the main text.
"The Dao of medicinal pills lies in understanding medicinal properties, mastering combinations, and knowing heat control. Medicinal ingredients have four natures: cold, hot, warm, and cool, and five flavors: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty. In combinations, they serve as sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy; in heat control, there is gentle fire and fierce fire. Only with Soul Power as the guide and the mind as the furnace can true medicinal pills be refined..."
Feng Lingtian turned page after page. Illustrated medicinal ingredients, rare herbs, immortal-grade herbs... The more he read, the more absorbed he became. Dragonblood vine combined with earth dragon vine and ironbone grass could gently strengthen muscles and bones-precisely the core formula of his father's medicinal baths. His mother must have adapted it from her family's legacy.
When he reached the last few pages, the paper was noticeably different, thicker and smoother, with colored illustrations.
It was a catalog of immortal-grade herbs.
Singular velvet sky chrysanthemum, octagonal mysterious ice grass, infernal delicate apricot, nine-grade purple ganoderma, aromatic silk beauty... Each plant had its own section, describing its appearance, growing environment, medicinal properties, and effects in detail. Though the colored illustrations were old and their pigments somewhat faded, every petal and every leaf vein remained lifelike.
On the last page was a line of handwritten text, its ink slightly paler than the main text, with the Speed Family's crest stamped beside it.
"Immortal-grade herbs cannot grow in ordinary places. According to our ancestors' records, only the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well can nurture them to maturity. Extreme heat and extreme cold converge here, seizing the creative power of heaven and earth, allowing both cold and hot immortal herbs to grow together. Yet its location is hidden, and it has long been controlled by the supreme experts of the Dugu Family. Outsiders must not approach. Should descendants of future generations encounter such an opportunity, they must exercise the utmost caution."
Precisely because this record had only been passed down secretly within the Speed Family, the vast majority of people on the continent regarded the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as nothing more than an elusive ancient legend. Even if a handful of secluded great clans with deep foundations harbored some suspicions, their fear of the deadly poisons and fearsome reputation passed down through the Dugu lineage meant that not one dared investigate rashly or come knocking to provoke them.
Feng Lingtian silently marveled.
He had never expected the long-declining Speed Family to have possessed such formidable foundations in its heyday. Even a supreme secret known to so few across the entire continent had been uncovered by its ancestors and recorded in their own hands for posterity.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The Dugu lineage.
Feng Lingtian committed those words firmly to memory.
"Mother." He raised his head. "Of the once-vast Dugu clan, only Poison Douluo and Dugu Yan remain now, is that right?"
Bai Qingyin nodded gently:
"That's right. The Dugu poison lineage, once at the height of its glory, has now withered away almost entirely. Only that grandfather and granddaughter remain in this world. That secret realm is now in Dugu Bo's hands alone."
"Then if I can one day refine pills useful to Poison Douluo, would I have a chance to exchange them for permission to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?" Feng Lingtian asked earnestly.
Bai Qingyin remained silent for a long time before sighing softly. "Child, you're thinking even further ahead than I imagined. But Poison Douluo is not easy to deal with. You must first build a solid foundation and refine pills of sufficient worth to truly move him. Only then will you be qualified to speak with him as an equal."
"I understand."
Bai Qingyin took a tiny bronze medicinal furnace from the bottom of the wooden box. It was palm-sized, its body engraved with clouds and birds.
"This is the Wandering Cloud Furnace I used when I was young. Its grade isn't high, but its strength lies in its stability. It's ideal for beginners. Use it to practice first."
Feng Lingtian accepted it with both hands. The bronze furnace felt warm, as though it still held the warmth of his mother's body from years ago.
Outside the window, a gray bird alighted on a parasol tree branch, tilting its head to peer into the room. After watching for a few breaths, it suddenly spread its wings and flew away, disappearing in the direction of the Heavenly Wind Mountain Range.
No one noticed the bird.
For the next month, Feng Lingtian cultivated during the day and immersed himself in the True Explanation of the Dao of Alchemy at night.
When Bai Qingyin felt well, she personally guided him in identifying medicinal ingredients and controlling the heat. Starting with licorice and rhubarb, he learned and practiced one ingredient at a time.
Alchemy was far harder than he had imagined.
On his fifth attempt, Feng Lingtian prepared the ingredients according to the prescription and carefully placed them in the Wandering Cloud Furnace. He slowly fed in Soul Power, and the furnace's temperature gradually rose. He stared intently at the churning medicinal liquid inside, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Simmer slowly over gentle heat. Do not be impatient... He silently recited the mnemonic from the True Explanation of the Dao of Alchemy.
But just as the medicinal liquid was about to take shape, a scorched smell suddenly burst forth. The Wandering Cloud Furnace shook violently, its lid was forced open, and black smoke wrapped around burned medicinal dregs spewed out, splattering his hands and face.
Feng Lingtian coughed uncontrollably, his eyes reddening from the smoke.
He stared at the blackened mass inside the furnace and remained silent for a long time.
The sixth attempt, the seventh, the eighth-failure after failure nearly exhausted the practice ingredients his mother had given him. After each failure, he reopened the True Explanation of the Dao of Alchemy, checked the steps, and searched for the problem. If the heat had been too high, he lowered it a little next time; if his Soul Power had been unsteady, he meditated for another hour before starting again.
The ninth attempt.
Feng Lingtian placed the ingredients in the Wandering Cloud Furnace and slowly fed in Soul Power. This time, his movements were more composed than in any of his previous eight attempts. He lowered the heat when it needed lowering and raised it when it needed raising; his Soul Power flowed steadily and evenly, like an unbroken trickle.
The Wandering Cloud Furnace's lid trembled slightly, and a wisp of white smoke drifted through the gap.
Not black smoke.
It was white steam carrying the fragrance of medicine.
Feng Lingtian held his breath and slowly withdrew his Soul Power. The Wandering Cloud Furnace's trembling gradually subsided, and its lid sprang open on its own.
A layer of pale yellow medicinal powder covered the bottom.
Its particles were fine, its color uniform, and it gave off a clear, bitter medicinal fragrance.
The Foundation-Fortifying and Essence-Nurturing Powder-he had succeeded.
Though it still fell short of the description in the True Explanation of the Dao of Alchemy-"amber in color, fine as dust"-it was already a remarkable achievement for a six-year-old beginner.
Smelling the medicinal fragrance, Bai Qingyin's eyes glistened with gratified tears. "Lingtian, your talent for alchemy is far greater than mine was back then."
Feng Lingtian carefully scraped out the medicinal powder and put it in a porcelain bottle.
While cleaning up the Wandering Cloud Furnace, he noticed an extremely faint layer of silvery-gray residue on its bottom. It was neither medicinal dregs nor furnace ash-he had washed it many times before and had never seen anything like this.
He leaned close and sniffed. It had no smell. The instant he touched it, the Peregrine Falcon Martial Soul inside him trembled slightly, as though it had sensed something.
Feng Lingtian frowned and put the Wandering Cloud Furnace away.
He could not wipe off that silvery-gray residue. It was as though it had been etched into the furnace wall.