Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Pill.

"Infernal Delicate Apricot, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass."

"Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire?"

After listening to Xu Qing explain the characteristics, harvesting methods, effects, and medicinal properties of every Immortal Herb around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Hsin gazed at the ice and fire Immortal Herbs and pondered.

"Driver, taking them directly would be something of a waste."

"It would be better to refine them into a pill to bring out their full effects."

"Hmm? You know how to refine pills too?" Xu Qing looked up at her.

"Of course! I'm a disciple of the Mysterious Gate, after all." Hsin crouched down and winked at him.

Xu Qing understood at once. This big fox had surely gone and secretly dug up everything Qingxiao knew again.

Besides, she possessed the authority of Myriad Fractals as well as the art of mechanisms and puppetry. Her authority itself came with powerful deduction and computational abilities.

She operated the entire Mechanism City and its mechanical puppets by herself, handling all manner of affairs-a testament to her formidable computing power.

After taking in the relevant information and working through it, she could also come up with a corresponding pill formula.

"So what do you have in mind?"

"Driver, you said that the ice and fire Immortal Herbs have to be taken together so their powers cancel each other out and eliminate the cold and fire poisons before they can be consumed. Then you have to jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to cultivate the Ice and Fire Golden Body and gain immunity to both ice and fire."

"But didn't you say that immunity has its limits? It only protects against ice and fire energy, and even then there's a certain threshold."

"It can't protect against sacred fire, either."

"Shui Bing'er's First Soul Skill, Ice Seal, can freeze someone solid into an ice sculpture. Even if the ice shell on the outside is a physical obstruction, he's still affected."

"He was even beaten until he questioned his entire life, to the point that he wanted to cultivate the Clear Sky Hammer."

Xu Qing nodded. "So what do you have in mind?"

"The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot represent Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire."

"The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum broadens and strengthens the meridians and the body. Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew increases spiritual power."

"We can also add Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, which specifically removes fire-attribute impurities."

"On the fire-attribute side, there's the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, and on the ice-attribute side, there's a similar Immortal Herb. I don't know what it was originally called, so let's call it Ice Soul Cold Ganoderma for now. It's an Immortal Herb that removes ice-attribute impurities."

"We'll refine these six Immortal Herbs into a single pill."

"After you take it, Driver, you can jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to temper yourself."

"That will give you both the Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire attributes. In the future, you'll also be able to condense a Soul Core earlier."

"And because of Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire, the Soul Core you condense will be a Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core."

"That sounds excellent."

Xu Qing perked up at that.

They were the Ultimate Attributes of ice and fire, after all, and they would also make it easier for him to condense a Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core later.

"Then let me work it out."

Hsin stood and clapped her hands. Dense clusters of red energy cubes appeared around the six Immortal Herbs, forming a three-dimensional grid.

Each Immortal Herb was marked, and the distribution of its medicinal power was broken down into densely packed data points, as though each herb had been taken apart into countless tiny units of information.

"Beginning deduction." Hsin raised a hand and pointed with her fingertip.

The red energy cubes began to flicker.

Using all the relevant information she knew, Hsin worked through the Immortal Herbs' medicinal effects and power, along with some of the relevant attribute powers in this world.

Version 1.0, version 1.5... version 2.0.

"Driver, I have the pill formula."

Hsin slowly withdrew the red energy cubes and crouched down to look at Xu Qing, her face full of delight.

"With this formula, there's no need for the ice and fire Immortal Herbs to clash and cancel out their ultimate ice and fire powers or the ice and fire poisons within them."

"After you take the pill, you can jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and draw in a large amount of its waters to cleanse your body."

"At the same time, you'll gain the ultimate ice and fire attributes."

"It's just that this tempering may be more painful than ordinary physical training."

"Hmm, I ran more deductions, and while I can reduce the pain, the tempering won't be as effective. How about I divide it into three portions when I refine the pill? You can take them separately to reduce the medicinal effect, and the pain will be somewhat less as well."

"There's no need to divide it into three."

"If I can't even endure a little pain, how can my resolve be considered firm?"

"But Driver, it will hurt a lot. The main thing is that Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew increases your spiritual power while tempering your spirit."

"So you have to stay conscious during the tempering instead of sleeping through the physical training. You should still let me divide it into a few-"

"Do you think I can't endure it?"

Hsin saw the determination in his eyes and opened her mouth.

"You've already helped me a great deal. The rest is up to me." Xu Qing reached out and cupped her face.

"You should believe in me."

"Yes, Driver." The Bugles on Hsin's head trembled.

"I'll refine the pill for you right away."

Hsin raised a hand and pointed. The six Immortal Herbs were picked one by one and drawn to the center of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's spring.

She formed hand seals with both hands.

The waters of the ice and fire spring exploded outward. A blue dragon and a red dragon soared into the sky, roaring.

The powers of extreme cold and extreme heat warped the space around them, wrapping around the six Immortal Herbs.

Before long, all six Immortal Herbs had turned into medicinal liquid, with the power of the ice and fire spring water incorporated into it.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Hsin formed hand seals and steadily compressed the medicinal liquid made from the ice and fire Immortal Herbs and the others. In the end, like two little fish, one red and one blue, they joined head to tail to form a two-colored pill.

Hsin raised a hand and drew the pill over.

"Driver, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Pill is ready."

"After you take it, jump into the ice and fire spring and use its power to refine your body."

Xu Qing nodded, took the pill Hsin offered him, and popped it into his mouth.

In an instant, a surging force of ice and fire poured out, making him feel as though one half of his body had frozen solid while the other burned in raging flames.

Xu Qing promptly leaped into the ice and fire spring.

The spring churned wildly as though boiling.

The ice and fire power inside Xu Qing formed two seeds. When the ice and fire spring water outside struck them, the two seeds instantly became wildly growing vines.

The ice and fire power surged through him. Fierce pain came flooding in, as though his bones were being crushed inch by inch. His eyes turned red and bloodshot.

But with Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew added to the mix, his spiritual power compressed and condensed at a furious pace before expanding.

He couldn't pass out even if he wanted to. He could only force himself to endure the terrible pain, his teeth chattering, his gums bleeding as he roared like a beast.

Hsin stood on the bank, watching him with deep concern.

"Driver, Driver, hold on!"

As Xu Qing soaked in the spring, blood seeped from the skin all over his body, and his body began to crack apart. Yet at that moment, his mind was exceptionally clear.

"This little bit of pain..."

"You won't make me yield."

"I can't fall yet."

"I still have to get stronger, get stronger!"

"Myriad Things Return to the Heart, refine it!"

He circulated the technique, controlling his ever-growing spiritual power to guide the ice and fire power in wildly tempering his body.

Blue and red inscriptions were branded onto his cracked body. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well boiled even more violently, and vast amounts of ice and fire spring water surged into him.

The Soul Power inside him was constantly compressed and tempered, rising at a furious pace.

Level nineteen, level twenty.

Since he hadn't obtained his Second Soul Ring, his level remained stuck at twenty and did not break through.

But the ice and fire spring water continued to surge wildly into him.

Just then, his Martial Soul card appeared. The figure depicted on the card was Hsin, who was also the first card contractor Xu Qing had obtained.

At the same time, upon reaching level twenty, another card condensed.

As Xu Qing endured the excruciating pain of tempering his body, his vision suddenly flashed, and he found himself back in a familiar, pure-white space.

Clang.

A melodious zither sounded beside Xu Qing's ear, its music carrying a sense of longing.

Even the terrible pain seemed to fade considerably.

He turned his head and saw a cool, aloof figure playing the zither. Then a voice rang out in disbelief.

"Disciple!"