Plotting to Recruit the Breaking Clan

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the Gold-level Task: claiming the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the Immortal Herbs, intercepting the Shrek Seven Devils' greatest opportunity to become gods. Reward: one Gold Grade Summoning Card and 1,500 Diamonds."

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

Just as Xiao Yu was calculating the system rewards, Dugu Bo's hearty laughter came from nearby. Xiao Yu immediately exited the settlement screen and shut down the system. Dugu Bo was already standing before him.

With Dugu Bo's cultivation and status, obtaining a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone was no difficult matter.

During that time, Xiao Yu used the herbs within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to prepare antidotes that eased Dugu Bo's poison.

The effects were immediate. In barely half a month, not only had the poison in Dugu Bo's body weakened considerably, but even his Soul Power, which had been unable to advance for many years, showed faint signs of breaking through. Before long, he would likely reach level ninety-two.

"Ha ha ha, Brother Xiao, I don't even know how to thank you!"

With his chronic ailment of many years finally cured, Dugu Bo could not have been happier. He patted Xiao Yu on the shoulder and laughed heartily. "From now on, if you need anything at all, I will certainly give you my full support!"

"You're too courteous, Senior Dugu."

Xiao Yu smiled faintly. Compared to the treasured land of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well that Dugu Bo had given him, curing his poison was truly a trivial favor.

"Brother Xiao, when can you treat my granddaughter?"

Now that he had seen results on his own side, Dugu Bo naturally wanted his granddaughter freed from that cursed poison as soon as possible.

"The conditions aren't right yet."

Xiao Yu shook his head. "Senior Dugu, I would like you to accompany me on a long journey to prepare for your granddaughter's detoxification."

Aside from picking some high-grade herbs to make Dugu Bo's antidotes, Xiao Yu had not harvested any of the renowned Immortal Herbs these past days.

It had not been easy for these heavenly treasures to grow to their present state. Even within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it would take several centuries before they could possibly grow again.

For Xiao Yu, the value of this treasured land, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, had to be maximized. It was simply too extravagant for only one person to benefit from each Immortal Herb after it was picked.

Then there was Dugu Yan. Based on Xiao Yu's calculations, a single Immortal Herb would likely not be enough to advance her Martial Soul; several herbs would need to complement one another. Dugu Bo was immensely strong. Even if the combined herbs contained some impurities, it would not matter much with the strength of a Titled Douluo. But Dugu Yan was different. She had only just entered the Soul Elder realm, and her body was far weaker than Dugu Bo's. Taking them directly could easily lead to irreversible consequences.

Therefore, pill refinement was the best solution. Just as Huo Yuhao had refined the Cosmos Creation Pill in the second era, the properties of different heavenly treasures could be continuously balanced and refined, retaining the essence and discarding the impurities. Once everything had been properly adjusted, the refined essences could be combined and made into pills.

Refining pills was not merely for Dugu Yan. It was also a decision Xiao Yu had made after careful consideration for the development of his sect.

The most pressing case was Divine Blacksmith Lou Gao. With Lou Gao's talent for crafting, advancing to a seventh-rank Soul Engineer was merely a matter of time. But taking another step forward would be extraordinarily difficult, because an eighth-rank Soul Engineer required the cultivation of a Soul Douluo. Lou Gao was only a Soul Sage. Given his circumstances, relying on cultivation alone to reach Soul Douluo, let alone Titled Douluo, was simply too difficult. Thus, the best method was taking pills. In the Sun Moon Empire, nearly all ninth-rank Soul Engineers were Titled Douluo piled up through medicinal pills.

Although such Titled Douluo were far inferior in actual combat to those who had cultivated through their own talent, it did not matter to Lou Gao. His heart was wholly devoted to crafting, and he was not a Battle Soul Master to begin with. His disciples and descendants were much the same. After all, not everyone was Huo Yuhao, capable of balancing both Soul Tool crafting and Martial Soul cultivation. Once others reached a bottleneck, they could only rely on pills to break through.

Furthermore, aside from being consumed by disciples of his own sect, a batch of the lower-quality refined pills could be sold outside. Though less effective, they would still be fine medicines for strengthening one's foundation and nourishing one's vitality, bringing immense profits.

During the second era, the Profound Water Pills developed by the Xuan Ming Sect, to which Xu Sanshi belonged, sold for the astronomical price of ten thousand gold per pill. That was also a rather good source of income.

As for pill refinement, although Xiao Yu knew how to do it himself, he was only passable at best. Maintaining a massive supply was naturally impossible, so he immediately thought of the Breaking Clan from the original work, which specialized in making medicine.

Xiao Yu told Dugu Bo of his considerations regarding Dugu Yan's Martial Soul Evolution and his plan to recruit the Breaking Clan. After giving it some thought, Dugu Bo found it reasonable, though he was somewhat concerned. "The Breaking Clan was once one of the four single-attribute clans affiliated with the Clear Sky Sect. Even then, their medicine-making techniques were renowned across the continent. But eight years ago, the Clear Sky Sect somehow came into conflict with Spirit Hall. Forced by Spirit Hall's pressure, the Clear Sky Sect sealed its gates and abandoned the four great clans. The Breaking Clan in particular suffered attacks from Spirit Hall. Their clan head, Yang Wudi, lost his only son, while his younger brother, Yang Wushuang, was captured by Spirit Hall. You want to recruit the Breaking Clan now, but given Yang Wudi's character and what the Breaking Clan has suffered, it will be difficult!"

"Rest assured, Senior Dugu. I would not act without sufficient confidence."

Xiao Yu smiled faintly. Dugu Bo's concerns were indeed reasonable, but Xiao Yu had the advantage of knowing the original work. Aside from cultivation, Yang Wudi had only one hobby: the medicine-making art passed down through the Breaking Clan. Just as Lou Gao felt about forging, Yang Wudi possessed an almost fanatical passion for refining all kinds of medicine. He could go days and nights without sleep for the sake of medicine refinement. Therefore, medicine was his only weakness. In the original work, Tang San had relied on a single Aromatic Silk Beauty to persuade Yang Wudi to join the Tang Sect. Now, that Aromatic Silk Beauty was blooming not far from him.

It was a large pale pink flower without leaves, its stem three feet long. The blossom was enormous, with a diameter of nearly a foot. Every petal looked as crystalline and translucent as crystal, while the pistil was pale violet, like purple Diamonds set within it.

Xiao Yu slowly walked up to the Immortal Herb and carefully dug it out.

"Senior Dugu, do you have a Soul Tool capable of storing living things? If this Immortal Herb remains exposed to the air for too long after being picked, it will gradually wither."

Xiao Yu looked up and asked Dugu Bo. He remembered that in the original work, Dugu Bo had given Tang San a Soul Tool capable of storing living things, the Ruyi Treasure Pouch. Tang San had used it not only to store Immortal Herbs, but even to hide his wife. Xiao Yu truly did not possess a Soul Tool capable of storing living things, so he shamelessly asked Dugu Bo for one.

"I happen to have a Soul Tool I obtained by chance some time ago. It is called the Ruyi Treasure Pouch and is specifically used for storing living things. I had intended to give it to my granddaughter, but she does not like working with medicines, so it would be wasted on her. I'll give it to you!"

Dugu Bo pulled a blue leather pouch from who knew where and tossed it to Xiao Yu. In his eyes, Xiao Yu curing his chronic ailment and allowing the Dugu Clan's bloodline to continue was an enormous favor. What was a mere Soul Tool in comparison?

However, he asked curiously, "Weren't we going to recruit the Breaking Clan? Why did you suddenly think of picking herbs? Is there something special about this herb?"

"Of course it is in preparation for recruiting the Breaking Clan."

Xiao Yu spoke with considerable confidence. "This Immortal Herb is called Aromatic Silk Beauty, and it is known as the bane of all poisons. It can neutralize the effects of every poison. It cannot detoxify by itself, but it can ward off poison.

"Yang Wudi is obsessed with refining medicine. Every medicine carries some poison, and with Aromatic Silk Beauty, he would not need to fear being poisoned by contact with any medicine he refined. He could also attempt to refine medicines with extremely potent toxicity. To Yang Wudi, this would be the finest gift.

"Oh, and I'll make drawings of several Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. I refuse to believe Yang Wudi won't be tempted after seeing them!"

The corner of Dugu Bo's mouth twitched slightly. This brat had begun plotting against Yang Wudi before even meeting him, having thoroughly investigated Yang Wudi's preferences and tailored the bait precisely to them. Yang Wudi would most likely be unable to resist such sugar-coated artillery.

Unconsciously, Dugu Bo thought of Ning Fengzhi. This boy's shrewdness and planning were in no way inferior to that second-greatest sect master in the world. Moreover, he was a Ning Fengzhi without a Martial Soul defect, one who would most likely break through to Titled Douluo in the future. Then there were the two Titled Douluo guards who accompanied him whenever he traveled. There were probably quite a few Titled Douluo within the Nine Stars Hall. Perhaps it truly could shake Spirit Hall's hegemonic position in the world of Soul Masters. Should he consider Xiao Yu's second condition?