Temporary Suspension, Dugu Bo Comes Calling!

After exchanging pleasantries with Salas, Salas changed the subject, saying, "Even so, the Elephant Armor Sect is, after all, a sect affiliated with my Spirit Hall. We can't afford to fail to give them an explanation."

"However, if you, young friend, could join my Spirit Hall, then the Elephant Armor Sect would have no reason to cause trouble. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Tianshuang narrowed her eyes, thinking to herself: Here comes the real issue. This old man has been fussing over me for so long, he really does have another purpose.

"Young friend, don't be so quick to refuse. If you join my Spirit Hall, with your talent, cultivation resources and power will be within your grasp. Besides, there's no rush. After this competition, you'll graduate from the Skywater Academy, and then you can choose a faction to join for further development."

After a moment's thought, Yu Tianshuang said, "Bishop Salas, since you've gone to such great lengths to win me over, you must have thoroughly investigated my background. My maternal grandfather is a revered elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and as for my parents, I don't need to elaborate, do you think I would join the Spirit Hall for some cultivation resources, power, or status? Besides, if the Spirit Hall can give me something, why can't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects, give me the same thing?"

Upon hearing this, Salas nodded almost imperceptibly, thinking, "The fact that he didn't refuse outright and was willing to negotiate means there's a possibility of winning him over. His Holiness the Pope values this person so much; I must be careful."

"Haha, young friend, of course I know what you're saying, but you don't know that Spirit Hall can offer you far surpasses what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can. You know too little about the Spirit Hall. As for what you mentioned, I'll be frank with you. I've heard a little about what happened to your parents back then. That was all done by the former Pope. The current Spirit Hall is divided into two parts: the Elder Hall, headed by the current Pope, and the Worship Hall, headed by Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu."

Yu Tianshuang looked puzzled. It seemed that the Spirit Hall was more complicated than she had imagined. However, this news might be an opportunity for her.

"If you want to know the secrets of that time, joining the Spirit Hall is the best choice. After all, the one who has a grudge against you is not the current Pope. On the contrary, we can even investigate the Worship Hall for you. However, it depends on how much value you can demonstrate. Although we are not in a hurry for your answer, since you cannot join our Spirit Hall immediately, we have to give the Elephant Armor Sect a superficial explanation. How about this, suspending you for one round should shut that Old Ghost Huyan Zhen."

Yu Tianshuang, who needed to go back and carefully consider the matter, could only nod in agreement.

After leaving Salas, Yu Tianshuang felt conflicted and didn't know what to do.

If I rely solely on my own abilities, I might have to wait until I possess the strength to confront the entire Spirit Hall head-on. However, if I choose to temporarily join, I might be able to utilize the current conflict between the two factions to investigate the truth behind what happened back then.

However, that's all for the future. Right now, the most important thing is to win the competition to repay the kindness of my teachers and the academy over the years.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the Skywater Academy, I saw an elderly man with white hair, dressed in dark green clothes, pacing back and forth at the entrance.

"Senior Dugu? What brings you here?"

After greeting Dugu Bo, Yu Tianshuang became somewhat curious.

"Oh dear, little one, you're finally back! Did you go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well recently? Oh dear, although I told you to take whatever you wanted, why didn't you leave even a single seedling? The energy of those two Immortal Herb, Ice and Fire, was almost completely absorbed, leaving them nearly withered. I was hoping to break through again this time, but... but..."

Faced with Dugu Bo's rapid-fire questions, Yu Tianshuang was somewhat bewildered. She then said, "All the immortal Immortal Herb in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, including the seedlings, have been taken? Even the energy of the Immortal Herb at the core of the array has been absorbed? But I haven't been to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well since then. I haven't even finished using the Immortal Herb I brought last time. Besides, why would I do something so destructive, even uprooting the seedlings?"

Hearing Yu Tianshuang's words, Dugu Bo, who already didn't believe Yu Tianshuang could do such a thing, calmed down, but was still somewhat puzzled. He said, "The poison array I set up outside has a secret method to dispel and enter. No one else can enter by brute force, even if the other party is also a Titled Douluo. But little brat, if you say there isn't one, I will naturally believe you. But who is it? Could it also be a Titled Douluo is proficient in poison?"

Dugu Bo fell silent after racking his brains but still couldn't figure it out. Yu Tianshuang was also a little angry. Even if it was by chance that he entered, he knew that there was a poison array set up on the outside, so it was obviously something that belonged to someone else. How could he do such a despicable thing? With his values, he really couldn't understand it.

"Senior Dugu, why don't we go and explain the situation again? If the core of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well isn't fundamentally damaged, and only its energy has been absorbed, then with the abilities of these two Immortal Herb, just like us Soul Master, it will only take them a few years to recover their energy."

"Alright, little one, you know more about these things than I do. Let's get this over with quickly so I can finally sleep peacefully."

After saying that, he hurriedly pulled Yu Tianshuang to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Sensing that the poison array set up by Dugu Bo was neither activated by special methods nor destroyed by brute force, it was clear that the thieves who infiltrated this place to steal the Immortal Herb must have had an extremely deep understanding of poisons.

Looking around, Yu Tianshuang saw that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was originally lush and green, with a life force so strong that it was almost tangible. All kinds of immortal Immortal Herb grew around the Ice and Fire Lake and on the mountainside.

At this moment, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well resembled a field ravaged by locusts, a scene of utter devastation. The seedlings on the outermost edge had been violently broken off at the root, and the intense heat and cold that once filled the center of the lake were now almost negligible.

Looking at the mess here, and comparing it with the scenes she had seen before, Yu Tianshuang clenched her fists tightly.

"It seems the situation is worse than I imagined. I can't fathom how ruthless the thieves who stole the Immortal Herb could be, leaving no chance for even the mature seedlings to survive."

After speaking, he channeled his Soul Power and arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to observe it carefully. Then, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief and said to the tense-looking Dugu Bo, "Fortunately, it's just that the energy is exhausted, and the foundation hasn't been damaged. It should recover in about 3 to 5 years. Senior Dugu, let's first clean up the damaged seedlings and remaining immortal Immortal Herb here. Once the energy of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is restored, we can replant them."

Dugu Bo sighed, "What a stroke of luck amidst misfortune! Fortunately, you are quite knowledgeable about this, young friend. But it's hateful that thief who stole the Immortal Herb. He's so ruthless. If I catch him, I'll make him suffer the most excruciating poisons in the world until he dies."