This—
Zhao Liuyun really couldn't keep his composure.
[Physique: 47], equivalent to a Level 47 Spirit Ancestor.
The limit for a Spirit Ancestor is five thousand years, while the limit for a Spirit King is twelve thousand years. The gap between them is seven thousand. If each level accounts for seven hundred years, then Level 47 adds four thousand nine hundred years, totaling right around nine thousand nine hundred years.
"Brat, aren't you coming up yet? What are you brooding over?"
Zhao Liuyun hesitated for a moment. Remembering that Dugu Bo had always kept his word, and considering that both the old man and his granddaughter still needed his help for detoxification, his confidence surged.
"I feel like I've touched the threshold for absorbing a ten-thousand-year spirit ring?"
"What?!" Even with Dugu Bo's steady temperament as a Title Douluo, he couldn't help but snap to his feet, his face filled with shock.
Zhao Liuyun fell into deep thought.
Could his third ring really skip the thousand-year stage and go straight for ten thousand?
His soul strength might still be a hair's breadth away, but he was about to consume the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew By then, his mental power would surely skyrocket.
He also possessed the External Spirit Bone, the Magic Dragon Silver Pupils. Even with the soul tremors brought by absorbing a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, the Dragon Eyes could contest it within his spiritual sea.
It seemed he really could absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring—
"You boy, you aren't making fun of this old man, are you?" Dugu Bo looked dazed.
Absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring directly for the third spirit ring—what kind of monster was this? It had never occurred in the entire history of Spirit Masters.
"This junior is not joking."
Since he could absorb a ten-thousand-year ring to obtain stronger talent growth, Zhao Liuyun naturally wouldn't choose a borderline spirit ring of eight or nine thousand years.
Of course, he wasn't going to absorb it blindly.
A ten-thousand-year third ring was simply too eye-catching. If his True Illusion couldn't flexibly change and perfectly conceal it, then it would be safer to absorb an eight or nine-thousand-year ring instead. By then, upgrading it to ten thousand years wouldn't consume much General Experience anyway.
He said solemnly, "Senior, I will not joke with my own life."
"You were just gambling a moment ago," Dugu Bo said, his mind still searching for past cases of a ten-thousand-year third ring.
"That was different; it was a necessary step for preparing the medicine," Zhao Liuyun smiled.
With that, he climbed onto the bank, shook off the water droplets, and calmly put on his clothes without further argument.
"Time to prepare the medicine," Dugu Bo snapped back to reality and reminded him.
Unrushed, Zhao Liuyun's gaze swept across the garden of Immortal Herbs. He said indifferently, "Senior should first find a way to form your Spirit Core."
As he spoke, he had already located the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew
Having already formed a plan in his mind, Zhao Liuyun calmly arranged the next steps: "In addition, we need to find a way to seek a suitable spirit bone for Sister Dugu Yan as a transitional measure."
"At least ten thousand years old, and it must be a limb spirit bone. Head and torso spirit bones carry too much risk; a single mistake would mean eternal damnation."
He paused, then added, "Oh, and I'll have to trouble Senior to prepare a set of pharmaceutical tools for me."
Dugu Bo noted down all the requirements. Knowing that the detoxification couldn't happen immediately, he was no longer in a hurry. He sat down cross-legged, becoming even more curious about these "Immortal Herbs" that allowed Zhao Liuyun to be so at ease in this place of extreme ice and fire.
"First, tell me what is so mysterious about these Immortal Herbs you speak of."
"What does Senior wish to know?" Zhao Liuyun had expected this and did not intend to keep the knowledge to himself.
"What exactly is an Immortal Herb?" Dugu Bo thought back to Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's martial soul.
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Yue Guan claimed his soul was an Immortal Herb; he hadn't expected it to truly hide divine effects.
Zhao Liuyun said, "They are the concentrated spiritual beauty of heaven and earth, the gathered essence of the world. Profound, mysterious, and miraculous—they contain all the creation of the world within them."
"Not only can they greatly enhance a Spirit Master's talent, they can even cause a martial soul to mutate and evolve."
Seeing Dugu Bo's skepticism, Zhao Liuyun added with a smile, "Like whale glue, they have no side effects!"
"Are your words true?" Dugu Bo's heart shook. The first person he thought of was his precious granddaughter.
"For example, this one." Zhao Liuyun pointed to a magnificent Immortal Herb nearby.
Its stem and leaves were like dense, finely combed vines, but at the top sat a golden tulip. Its fragrance was rich and its aura dignified, resembling a noble of the imperial house.
"The Immortal Herb, Beautiful Silk Tulip. It can absorb the essence of heaven and earth and the brilliance of the sun and moon. If a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower Spirit Master obtained it, they could fulfill a thousand-year wish and evolve their martial soul into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Tower."
"At the same time, it can cause spirit power to surge and talent to increase greatly. A Spirit Grandmaster could probably increase by seven or eight levels."
Just hearing the divine effect of this one herb made Dugu Bo's heart skip a beat. Can I really let Yanyan eat this?
He was silent for a long time before he asked hoarsely, "This old man once touched that medicinal herb shaped like a swan's neck—"
Zhao Liuyun looked over and saw a translucent, pure white Immortal Herb. Its leaves were as clear as ice, slender and curved, indeed resembling a swan's arched neck, with the tips appearing as if they held trembling dewdrops.
He introduced it: "Its name is the Snow Swan Kiss It does not increase spirit power. Its trait is stimulation; if even a speck touches you, toxins will multiply by a thousandfold."
"The fact that Senior wasn't poisoned to death on the spot is partly because you ran fast, and partly thanks to the powerful effect of the extreme ice and fire energies suppressing the toxins."
Dugu Bo felt a chill down his spine. He pointed to another spot and asked, "What about this one?"
It was a massive chrysanthemum, scentless, with petals of a magnificent purple. Tiny fuzz grew on the petals, and the central stamen rose more than half a foot above the petals, its tip shimmering with a faint golden glow.
"The martial soul of Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan: the Immortal Herb, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum," Zhao Liuyun said, stroking the fuzz on the petals.
"A neutral immortal-grade herb. Consuming it can clear the energy channels of the four limbs, permeate the blood network of the entire body, and forge a diamond-like indestructible body. Its power is upright and vast, most suitable for Spirit Masters with fierce and overbearing paths."
"It emphasizes both the physical body and spirit power."
His words were slightly exaggerated, but this herb indeed granted Dai Mubai a massive increase in all-attribute resistance, helping him defeat the supposedly stronger Yu Tianxin in the grand tournament.
Zhao Liuyun's expression became strange. "Senior, you should have recognized this one. You didn't eat it either?"
A flash of complexity crossed Dugu Bo's eyes. Only now did he truly realize the importance of heritage and knowledge: "I only recognized this one. Based on Yue Guan's martial soul, I guessed it was a Power-type Immortal Herb. However, without knowing the specific medicinal effects, I didn't dare try it blindly."
He let out a long sigh, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"Yue Guan should have researched this quite a bit. The Breaking Clan, an affiliated clan of the Clear Sky School once famous for medicine, might also have collections. The Ye family has practiced medicine for generations; they likely have diagrams of Immortal Herbs passed down in their home."
"But I didn't dare inquire, for fear of leaking the news."
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was not only a natural treasure land but also his vital lifeline for suppressing his deadly poison. Even if there were only a shred of risk, he could not allow this life-or-death location to fall into the hands of others.
"Good disciple, is there an Immortal Herb here suitable for Yanyan?" Dugu Bo suddenly turned his head, urgency in his eyes.
Wait until after the detoxification to take a disciple? He couldn't wait any longer; he would acknowledge this disciple right now!
Zhao Liuyun chuckled at the words and followed the lead, changing his form of address: "Teacher, there are many suitable ones."
"For instance, this Eight Petal Immortal Orchid. Its medicinal nature is gentle and mellow, and it can help spirit power cultivation achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"The Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone is similar to the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. It moistens the sinews and supplements the bones, clearing the seven meridians and eight vessels. It can also enhance one's talent and foundation."
"However—you must think this through!" Zhao Liuyun suddenly became solemn, loudly reminding Dugu Bo, who was currently fantasizing about his granddaughter's massive cultivation leap.
"What?" Dugu Bo's gaze sharpened.
"Sister Dugu Yan cannot keep a secret. And Yu Tianheng hails from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. Once he knows, the entire sect will know."
"And if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect knows, it is equivalent to announcing it to the whole world!"
Large sects all had spies from various factions within them. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was known for recruiting talents and had the most secret agents. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, though relatively pure as a family-based entity that only recruited Spirit Masters with dragon-related martial souls, was not a monolithic block either.
Zhao Liuyun only targeted a few select Immortal Herbs. The herbs of extreme ice and fire were already in his stomach; he would quickly consume the Gaze Through Autumn Waters Dew and wait to take the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum later. Even if news leaked, he could simply take the Immortal Herbs and leave. No matter which faction occupied this place, with his talent, he wouldn't lack for invitations, and he could still use the spring water for cultivation.
But for Dugu Bo alone—
"Teacher, if Sister Dugu Yan eats it now, you won't be able to keep this place," Zhao Liuyun reminded again as Dugu Bo stood dazed.
Dugu Bo thought of his granddaughter's arrogant and willful personality, and then of how he had encouraged her marriage to Yu Tianheng out of concern for her life—he cursed himself for being an idiot.
It was impossible to break them up now. If only Zhao Liuyun had appeared earlier, it wouldn't have come to this!
After pondering for a long time, his breathing growing heavy, Dugu Bo threw the difficult problem back to the youth who understood Immortal Herbs better: "Does my disciple have a good plan?"
Zhao Liuyun pondered for a moment and said softly, "Wait until the Spirit Master Tournament is over. It won't be too late to use these Immortal Herbs when their cultivation reaches Level 50 or 60."
"At that time, the growth in cultivation will be limited, and the enhancement in talent won't be visible to the naked eye, so it won't arouse suspicion. While it is certainly better to take Immortal Herbs as early as possible, being in one's twenties is hardly the twilight of one's years."
There was one more point. Zhao Liuyun's cultivation would surely be profound by then. He would only need to use [Hypnosis] on Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan once each to cover up the news of the Immortal Herbs. If that didn't work, he could use dream-weaving to quietly reshape their memories. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would remain a secret, and no waves would be made.
"If Teacher believes you can single-handedly resist every Title Douluo in the Douluo Continent, then just treat everything this disciple said as nonsense," Zhao Liuyun provoked him slightly.
Dugu Bo only gave a bitter smile. He wished he had such ability, but he truly couldn't do it. Anyone below Title Douluo would be like moths to a flame, no matter how many came. But against those at his level or above, he couldn't beat anyone; he had no chance of victory.
Dugu Bo felt the advice was reasonable, so he simply said, "We'll do as you say."