Sunset Forest, within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Yun Ming looked at the herbs that had been planted for just over twenty days and were already growing impressively, gaining a clearer understanding of the production capacity of this Ice and Fire Twin Pot. The reason Yun Ming was planting herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well stemmed from a collaboration he had initiated with Dugu Bo over twenty days ago.
As Yun Ming's memories recovered, he naturally recalled many resources from his past life that were beneficial for cultivation, such as pill recipes and cultivation diet plans that could accelerate his progress.
It was fortunate that after becoming a Limit Douluo, Yun Ming had studied many miscellaneous subjects to broaden his knowledge and break through to the god level; otherwise, he would not have been so clear on these matters. After all, if Yun Ming needed anything, Shrek Academy would have prepared everything for him.
Since he knew these things, Yun Ming naturally intended to use them. However, a major hurdle in utilizing these resources was the need for a large quantity of rare and precious medicinal materials. Not only were these herbs difficult to purchase from the outside world, but their prices were also exorbitantly inflated. To solve this problem, the method Yun Ming devised was to trade with Dugu Bo and develop the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Although Dugu Bo had cleared a small plot within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to plant some poisonous grasses and medicinal herbs, the area he utilized accounted for no more than ten to twenty percent of the usable space. Most of the remaining area in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been left largely ignored by Dugu Bo because he did not recognize many of the herbs, and his own plot was sufficient for his needs; thus, the medicinal plants and Immortal Herbs inside had been growing wild.
After discussions between Yun Ming, Yang Wutian, and Dugu Bo, the Dugu Family and the Breaking Clan finally reached a cooperation agreement.
The terms of the cooperation were: Dugu Bo would hand over the ownership of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to the Breaking Clan; in the future, the Breaking Clan would pay the Dugu Family an annual sum in Gold Soul Coins equal to thirty percent of the total value of the annual yield of non-Immortal Herb medicinal plants from the well, though the Dugu Family could choose to receive equivalent medicinal products from the Breaking Clan instead of money; the Dugu Family would be entitled to a quota of three Immortal Herbs every hundred years, with the types chosen at their discretion; and the Breaking Clan would supply all the poisonous herbs and medicines required by Dugu Bo in the future.
Faced with such generous terms from Yun Ming, Dugu Bo naturally agreed. Unlike the Breaking Clan, his Dugu Family was small in number and not a family of pharmacists; furthermore, his only descendant, Dugu Yan, had no interest in medicine and no intention of developing it. Of course, that was not the key point; the real issue was that if the value of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well were exposed, his Dugu Family would not be able to protect it.
Since that was the case, trading it to the Breaking Clan allowed him to gain sufficient benefits while shifting the risks and paving the way for the future of the Dugu Family—why wouldn't he do it? As for whether the Breaking Clan could hold onto it, that would depend on Yun Ming's ability, but Dugu Bo generally held an optimistic attitude.
And as it turned out, future events unfolded exactly as Dugu Bo had anticipated. Regarding the contract signed between the God Ancestor Yun Ming and the Dugu Family, the Breaking Clan executed it with unwavering commitment, paying the Dugu Family a sky-high dividend of pills every year. Because the Breaking Clan's pills later became highly sought after across the continent, the Dugu Family always requested pills instead of money.
Coupled with the quota of three Immortal Herbs every hundred years, the Dugu Family of later generations produced a constant stream of powerful experts, never suffering a decline, and became a top-tier family second only to a few others like the Breaking Clan and the Angel Clan, enjoying ten thousand years of glory and eternal prosperity. Of course, that is a story for another time; for now, Dugu Bo had not yet received a single Gold Soul Coin.
After harvesting a few mature herbs, Yun Ming headed in the direction of Heaven Dou City.
Every academy had received news that the champion rewards set by Martial Soul Hall for this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament were exceptionally generous: three high-quality Spirit Bones. Therefore, for those academies capable of challenging the Martial Soul Hall Academy for the championship, the desire to win had reached an unprecedented high. They began intensive training for the tournament while scrambling to find talented soul masters from noble families who had not yet joined an academy, attempting to bolster their forces.
Once Dugu Bo learned of this news, he immediately sought out Yun Ming, who was a highly coveted asset.
Although Dugu Bo had never seen Yun Ming truly engage in a fight, based on the few times Yun Ming had displayed his Soul Power and his reactions and moves during their two collaborative soul-hunting missions, he was certain that Yun Ming's combat strength was formidable.
If Yun Ming could join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team, then his granddaughter Dugu Yan would have a chance to win the championship. When it came to distributing the Spirit Bones, it would inevitably go to the three of them—Yun Ming, Yu Tianheng, and Dugu Yan—which would be a massive windfall for Dugu Bo's side!
Moreover, Dugu Bo had other small intentions; he wanted Dugu Yan to have more contact with Yun Ming so she could see his excellence sooner, dump Yu Tianheng, win over Yun Ming, and get him a grandson-in-law more to his liking!
The place Yun Ming was currently heading to was the Heaven Dou Royal Academy; he had been invited by Dugu Bo to watch a team soul fight. The two sides in the match were the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's first team, the Royal Fight Team, and the Wind God Academy Team, the leader of the Five Element Academy.
Upon arriving outside Heaven Dou City and reaching the foot of the mountain where the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was located, Yun Ming spotted a charming beauty dressed in green with black hair and black eyes, waiting listlessly at the base of the mountain.
This woman was none other than Dugu Yan, who had completed her Martial Soul Evolution.
Ten days ago, Dugu Yan had completed her Martial Soul Evolution and awakened. Not only was her poisoning problem solved and her strength greatly increased, but her appearance had also undergone significant changes.
Seeing Yun Ming approach, Dugu Yan's eyes lit up, and she called out sweetly.
"Yun Ming, you're finally here! The soul fight is about to start!"
Although Dugu Yan's first impression of Yun Ming had not been good—he had told her she was poisoned the moment they met—the facts eventually proved he was right. Furthermore, Yun Ming had not only saved her life but also bestowed a great fortune upon her. Naturally, Dugu Yan would no longer be hostile toward him, nor would she put on a sour face; on the contrary, she was quite grateful to him.
In terms of gratitude, Dugu Yan had inherited the true teachings of her grandfather.
Seeing Dugu Yan there to meet him, Yun Ming smiled and said, "In that case, let's go quickly!"
Under Dugu Yan's guidance, Yun Ming headed toward the Seventh Soul Fight Stage within the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Along the way, Yun Ming saw the white jade stairs leading up the mountain, the swaying tree shadows along the path, and felt various training grounds with elemental affinities—likely Mimicry Cultivation Grounds and other such facilities. In terms of equipment and conditions, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was truly excellent. It was just a pity that Yun Ming had not seen many people using these facilities, which gave him an insight into the temperament of the noble students at this academy and also allowed him to see the reasons for the war that Martial Soul Hall would eventually ignite.
Before long, Yun Ming and Dugu Yan arrived at their destination. When they reached the spot, over twenty people had already gathered. Aside from the two teams wearing academy uniforms—clearly the Heaven Dou and Wind God academies—a middle-aged man and two white-haired old men were conversing by the arena.
One of the white-haired old men saw Dugu Yan and Yun Ming arrive, stopped his conversation with the other two, and greeted Yun Ming, saying, "Yun kid, you finally made it. I thought you weren't coming!"
He then turned to Dugu Yan and said, "Yan-yan, go find your teammates and prepare."
The white-haired old man was none other than Dugu Bo. Through his ruthless consumption of poison during this period, the toxins in Dugu Bo's body had been more than half purged. Although the process was painful, the results were gratifying: not only had his Soul Power risen to level 92, but his poisoning symptoms had also been greatly alleviated, as evidenced by his hair turning from dark green to white.
Seeing Dugu Bo greet him, Yun Ming naturally responded with a polite smile. "Since I promised Senior Dugu, I would naturally keep my word. Besides, the agreed time hasn't passed yet, has it?"
Watching Yun Ming, who was as unhurried and calm as ever, Dugu Bo laughed and scolded, "So you're saying you made me wait for you, kid?"
Hearing Dugu Bo's banter, Yun Ming joked back, "How could it be that Jade Phosphorous Douluo and the others were waiting? This can only be counted as you arriving before me."
"..."
The middle-aged man and the white-haired elder on the sidelines watched Dugu Bo and Yun Ming chatting and laughing, feeling a bit curious about Yun Ming. After all, for someone to be treated this way by Dugu Bo, they were likely no simple person!
After chatting for a few moments, Dugu Bo brought Yun Ming over to the two people from before and introduced them, saying, "Yun kid, let me introduce you to two important figures!"
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader