Without asking about the rest of the immortal herbs in detail, Dugu Bo left directly. There might be immortal herbs here that he could consume himself, but regardless, detoxifying his body was the most urgent priority. He needed to return to his estate to fetch a new set of pharmaceutical tools and, more importantly, find a way to obtain a limb spirit bone of at least ten thousand years.
Where could one find spirit bones? Those who could casually produce a ten thousand-year limb spirit bone were none other than the Spirit Hall, the three upper sects, and the two great empires. As a guest elder of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, he naturally went to Prince Xue Xing first to seek assistance. If they truly had none, then Dugu Bo could not be blamed for hunting massive numbers of spirit beasts.
Now that he could bathe in the Ice and Fire Springs, he would no longer be affected by the ultimate elemental forces of ice and fire. Dugu Bo left decisively, leaving his disciple Zhao Liuyun here alone with peace of mind.
The sky was somewhat dim; absorbing the medicinal power of the Ice and Fire immortal herbs had taken two days and a night, and now night was falling again. However, it was not dark within the Well of Ice and Fire. The blistering Yang Spring was vermilion like fire, while the frigid Yin Spring was stark white like ice. Energy was in full bloom; within the silver eyes of the Demon Dragon, red and white light flowed and ground against each other—sometimes merging, sometimes clashing, sometimes dissipating, or condensing and drifting like a chaotic rainbow haze.
The light reflected brilliantly in the spring water, and the surrounding flora was equally extraordinary. There was the Scarlet Flame Grass, entirely fiery red with burning luster flowing along the edges of its leaves. There was the Ice Crystal Flower, carved like cold jade, its petals encrusted with fine frost. There were leaves as green as if they were dripping, bright yellow fruits emitting fragrance, and flowers shrouded in purple mist. It was a riot of colors and divine radiance, truly possessing the atmosphere of a celestial medicinal garden.
Zhao Liuyun was in a tranquil and serene mood. Taking advantage of this leisure, he plucked the immortal herb: Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. It looked utterly unremarkable, the herb being entirely green with three snow-white leaves in the center. At the heart of the leaves lay a few drops of clear dew, resembling teardrops condensed before the morning light had vanished. Although this herb could be used by anyone, it was particularly suited for a spirit-system Soul Master like him who practiced the Purple Demon Eye.
[Soul: 48]
His mental strength was about to break through to the Soul King level, and Zhao Liuyun placed high hopes on this herb. Whether he could absorb a ten thousand-year spirit ring was closely related to the growth of his mental strength. He was currently Rank 25, with Rank 5's worth of time left to grow. If he reached Rank 30 and could not make his Realistic Illusion change perfectly—using fake rings to deceive others—or if he couldn't learn the method of using mental strength to mask his aura from Shi Nian, he would only be able to absorb a thousand-year spirit ring. Zhao Liuyun was wise; he would never lose the greater for the smaller.
Without hesitation, he sent those drops of dew into his mouth. A cool sensation instantly rushed down his throat and surged into his brain, as if a clear spring were flowing between the bones of his skull. His eyes felt as though they were being gently washed by an invisible energy; it was cold at first, then gradually turned burning hot. It was like a cluster of ghost fire being ignited in the sea of his spirit, or the sensation of growth he felt when consuming Whale Glue—where bones expanded and blood surged.
The spirit sea, shimmering with a faint purple halo, rippled slightly, welcoming a transformation amidst the silent waves. Although the silver eyes of the Demon Dragon did not benefit directly, they were tightly linked to the spirit sea. With the continuous nourishment of mental strength and soul power, they conveniently grew to the thousand-year level on their own.
[Spirit Bone: 1,248-year External Spirit Bone—Demon Dragon Silver Eyes (0/10)]
The stronger his mental strength became, the more the eyes expanded; the two complemented each other. Six hours later, Zhao Liuyun opened his eyes. In an instant, a mixture of purple and gold light burst from his pupils, brilliant and dazzling, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day. The light vanished in a flash, and though the night remained deep, everything he saw was as clear as daylight.
The Purple Demon Eye had four levels. Originally, he had only just entered the second level, "Subtle," with only a layer of hazy purple light in his eyes. Under the effect of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, he had ascended to the heavens in a single bound, entering the third level, "Mustard Seed." Consuming it could forge Golden Eyes, capable of seeing through all the wonders of the world. Zhao Liuyun did not have Golden Eyes, but as he circulated the Purple Demon Eye, all things in the world seemed to possess an extra layer of vivid color. With focused concentration, everything his gaze touched was revealed in minute detail; even the finest dust could not hide.
Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was indeed the most suitable immortal herb for the Purple Demon Eye; the growth of mental strength was actually secondary.
[Soul: 58]
His soul value jumped by 10 points, reaching his expected growth. Considering the immortal herb possessed both spirit and plant attributes, perhaps it had also aided his Martial Soul. With a thought, Zhao Liuyun summoned the Lunar Ghost Belle. Amidst the array of divine immortal herbs, the Martial Soul seemed to radiate a new spiritual charm, looking as if an immortal herb had suddenly appeared.
The petals were as pure as flowing moonlight and as white as snow, surrounded by a faint purple mist. At the tip of the golden stamen, a drop of crystal dew had actually condensed. This was the most unexpected transformation—a Martial Soul that was already high-level, or perhaps top-tier, could actually grow further. A portion of the immortal herb's energy had been spent on this. The change was very subtle; if one did not look closely, it was almost impossible to catch.
Zhao Liuyun tentatively guided the dewdrop to the top of his head. A refreshing sensation immediately seeped into his consciousness, nourishing his mental strength. Condensing the dew required the consumption of mental strength. Expending power to gather a new drop, he tried dripping it into his mouth. The Purple Demon Eye did not gain any further growth; the energy still headed toward the spirit sea, bringing a sense of coolness by moistening his mental strength.
The idea of "stepping on his left foot with his right" to continually strengthen the Purple Demon Eye failed as expected, and Zhao Liuyun couldn't see any other effects from the dew. He could only wonder privately: perhaps it would have other wonderful uses in the future?
Dugu Bo had not yet returned. The constitution-enhancing immortal herbs had been acquired, but the remaining medicinal power of the Ice and Fire herbs was still settled in his body, making it difficult to fully refine them all at once. The immortal herbs strengthened and solidified his foundation; their medicinal power surpassed all other medicines, making Zhao Liuyun certain that 99% of medicinal baths had lost their effect on him. Perhaps only a weak ability to relieve fatigue remained? He wouldn't be so crazy as to turn the precious herbs of the Well of Ice and Fire into medicinal baths. Only a fool would do that.
Whale Glue had also lost its effectiveness, and by the time he could obtain hundred-thousand-year Whale Glue, such a thing would already be insignificant to him. For a long time to come, aside from absorbing spirit rings, the improvement of his physique would likely rely on the tempering of body-refining secret techniques. Gazing Through Autumn Waters was convenient, as its effects had been completely absorbed. Zhao Liuyun did not lack a foundation in mental strength; the training speed of the Purple Demon Eye would not increase further, so it could only be considered the icing on the cake.
As for soul power—the Eight Petal Immortal Orchid was an immortal herb purely for increasing soul power and cultivation speed. However, without the effect of clearing the meridians, in Zhao Liuyun's view, it was actually inferior to theDaffodil Jade Flesh Bone and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Since the medicinal power of the Ice and Fire duo had not been fully refined, he could not rashly consume the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, which possessed meridian-clearing abilities, to avoid a conflict.
Now, he only hoped that the rich heaven and earth essence gathered in the Well of Ice and Fire could provide some unexpected pleasant surprises. Zhao Liuyun stripped off his clothes, placed them into his spirit tool, set the tool aside, and stepped into the spring water. Resting his arms on the bank, he prepared to meditate like this for the night. The time to verify the environment's effect on meditation had come.
Closing his eyes and concentrating, a night passed in a flash. When Zhao Liuyun opened his eyes again, the daylight had already brightened. The environment could indeed influence cultivation speed; originally, in a peak state, he could gain 12 points of experience per hour, but in the spring, it was 13 points—an increase of 1. The experience gained in a night became 65; it was better than nothing.
The twin springs of Ice and Fire contained an extremely dense concentration of ultimate attribute essence. Because Zhao Liuyun had consumed the Ice and Fire immortal herbs, this essence would not harm his physical body. However, his Martial Soul attributes did not match this, and since he was only at the Great Soul Master realm, his soul power was too weak to directly refine such ultimate heaven and earth essence. He could only slowly absorb the neutralized, gentle energy. Refining high-level essence with low-level cultivation was naturally a slow process. Zhao Liuyun was only a Great Soul Master; he estimated that his conversion efficiency would only increase after he became a Soul Elder.
"—?"
At this thought, a vague touch suddenly stirred in his heart, yet for a moment, he could not catch where that flash of inspiration was pointing. Firmly remembering this trace of oddity, Zhao Liuyun temporarily abandoned the idea of long-term cultivation at the Well of Ice and Fire. Instead of wasting this time, it would be better to transfer to a new profession or immerse himself in reading at the library to gather precious general experience.
As Dugu Bo's disciple, once he finished reading the Ye family's books, he could go to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy library and the imperial book repository. He could even go to the Spirit Hall's Great Library. At the very least, before the true war broke out, Dugu Bo, as a Titled Douluo, had visited those places many times. The truth that Tang San's twin Martial Souls were of the same level was something Dugu Bo had learned from the Spirit Hall.