Chapter 44: Consuming Another Immortal Herb

Li Xun let out a mischievous chuckle and put the snow-white swan's kiss away into his soul tool. "Don't even talk about how the toxins in your body haven't been completely cleared yet; even someone with a seemingly healthy body like mine actually harbors toxins."

"If even a speck of that pollen were to touch me and trigger the toxins within, dying instantly would be considered a merciful release."

Dugu Bo wore a look of shock and suspicion. He found it hard to believe, yet he felt Li Xun had no reason to lie to him.

"You might not believe it, but just leave this celestial herb with me for now. I'll run an experiment for you when the opportunity arises."

Dugu Bo thought about it for a moment and reluctantly nodded.

Based on the bitter lessons he had learned at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he decided it was safer to let Li Xun keep it. If he kept the item himself, his curiosity would surely get the better of him and he would end up studying it.

And if something went truly wrong...

"Alright, that's all I can identify for now."

"Rest assured, though, the book-seeking mission I posted is still ongoing. As I collect more pharmacopoeias, I'm confident I'll be able to recognize even more celestial herbs. When that time comes, I'll help you identify the rest."

Li Xun gazed at Dugu Bo with a sly grin.

At this moment, the venomous old man, well past the age of eighty, could no longer maintain his composure.

"You brat, I knew you were doing this just to make a fool of me!" A cold sneer played on Dugu Bo's lips as he rolled up his sleeves and slowly walked toward Li Xun.

Oh no!

Startled, Li Xun immediately activated his Body Flicker technique to put some distance between them. "I give up, I won't guess anymore! Grandpa Dugu, the poison in your body hasn't been cured yet, don't get so worked up."

"Hmph, I've lived for so many years without a problem, what's one more day?" Dugu Bo let out a cold huff. "I'm going to teach you a proper lesson today."

Dugu Bo won't dare to stay put, Li Xun thought, and immediately dashed toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"If you're so capable, just stay in the water forever." Dugu Bo stood on the bank with an expression that was half-smile, half-frown, while profound astonishment stirred within his heart.

He noticed that Li Xun was able to stand right on the surface of the water without utilizing any soul skills or soul bones.

This was something entirely beyond the capability of anyone below the Title Douluo realm. Right now, he was dying to know what other astonishing tricks Li Xun could pull off.

"I was wrong..." Li Xun lowered his head and quickly surrendered. He had pushed the joke too far and bruised the old venomous man's ego; it looked like he would just have to wait until the man's anger subsided.

"Knowing you're wrong isn't enough."

Dugu Bo smiled and shook his head, turning to walk toward the outer perimeter of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well while keeping a sidelong glance on the situation behind him.

Seeing Dugu Bo walk away, Li Xun still didn't dare to climb ashore.

He was afraid the old man was fishing.

He had fallen for this trick when he was little. His parents would always tell him they wouldn't beat him when they got home, only to thrash him even harder once they arrived.

"I suppose I'll just have to wait until the old venomous man cools down." A smile crept onto Li Xun's face. "In that case, I might as well consume another celestial herb right now."

He retrieved a *Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum* from his soul tool. This was the one he had selected after much careful deliberation.

There was no point in even thinking about the *Love's Heartbroken Red*; he definitely wouldn't be able to pluck it.

He wasn't sure if his martial soul could evolve, so he passed on the *Qiluo Tulip*.

The *Wangchuan Qiushui Lu* was meant for enhancing eye techniques. If he possessed a Sharingan, Byakugan, or Rinnegan, he certainly would have chosen it.

The *Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower* was somewhat useful, but this celestial herb was overwhelmingly righteous and yang, primarily focused on purging impurities from one's martial soul. He felt his own martial soul didn't have any issues in that regard.

He dismissed it outright.

The effects of the *Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid* were too mild and slow, making it unsuitable for Li Xun's current situation.

After all, his soul rings were of the late-game scaling type; he couldn't rely entirely on the future, or the early stages would be far too stifling.

Practicing chakra wasn't as complex in its circulation pathways as Daoist Xuan Tian Gong, so the *Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone* would be somewhat wasteful for unblocking meridians.

After much deliberation, the *Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum* offered the most pronounced enhancement for him.

"Consuming it opens the channels of the four limbs, circulates blood through the eight vessels, and tempers the body into an indestructible Vajra state." Li Xun looked at the fluffy-hearted chrysanthemum in his hand. "It aligns quite well with the effects of the Fiery Apricot Essence and the Octagonal Xuan Bing Grass."

Without further hesitation.

He bit down and swallowed the heavenly core of the flower in one go, followed by ingesting the petals one by one.

Then, tossing his clothes and soul tool onto the bank, he plunged backward into the water.

The medicinal efficacy of the *Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum* was domineering, far beyond the gentle supplementary nature of herbs like the *Wangchuan Qiushui Lu*. He needed to leverage the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to forcefully absorb its medicinal power.

In the distance.

Hearing the splash of water, Dugu Bo smiled and shook his head. He took out a pill for consolidating his foundation, nourishing his origin, and detoxifying, swallowing it directly.

......

Although the medicinal properties of the *Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum* were domineering, they still fell far short of the *Octagonal Xuan Bing Grass* and the *Fiery Apricot Essence*. It was just that not much time had passed since Li Xun consumed the previous two celestial herbs, which made the process slightly more painful.

Fortunately, he was situated right within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and possessed the self-healing capability of Wood Release.

There was no real danger to speak of.

The two forces of chakra and soul power within his body were also accelerating their fusion, stimulated once again by the celestial herb.

Now, all that was lacking was a catalyst, and these two powers would completely blend into one another without any distinction.

Sensing that the medicinal power had been fully absorbed.

Li Xun snapped his eyes open. Feeling the surging vital energy and blood rushing through his body, he made a swift movement and leaped out of the water.

"My soul power has reached the thirtieth rank."

Li Xun examined the soul power within his body. "There should also be latent soul power that will only manifest when I acquire a soul ring."

When a soul master reached the upper limit of their rank, the excess soul power within their body would not be displayed until a soul ring was obtained, remaining stored entirely within the physical body.

"I wonder how much time has passed, and if the old venomous man's anger has subsided." Li Xun changed into a fresh set of clothes and walked toward the outer perimeter.

Before he even reached the edge, however, he bumped straight into Dugu Bo coming the other way.

Perhaps due to the ongoing detoxification process, the hair on Dugu Bo's head was no longer quite as distressingly green.

"Brat, are you really that cowardly? You actually hid in the water for a whole day."

Dugu Bo scoffed derisively.

"How could I possibly be hiding from you!" Li Xun chuckled. "The medicinal effects of the celestial herb lingered for a long time after I consumed it, so I simply used the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to make a breakthrough."

Dugu Bo was taken aback and carefully sensed the fluctuations of soul power emanating from Li Xun.

"You've cultivated to the thirtieth rank!" Dugu Bo's gaze sharpened.

"It was pure luck, sheer luck. I owe it entirely to the celestial herbs here; otherwise, I wouldn't have reached the Soul Elder realm so quickly." Li Xun flashed a cheeky grin.

"Good grief, brat, doesn't that make you the fastest soul master in the entire continent to break through to the Soul Elder realm!" Dugu Bo exclaimed in admiration.

"I suppose I am, haha." Li Xun laughed along, not quite daring to openly claim it.

He knew that the person who reached the Soul Elder realm the fastest on the mainland should be Qian Renxue.

She possessed a god-tier martial soul and started with twenty ranks of soul power at her awakening at age six. Even if she went undercover in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family at age nine, those three years were more than enough for her to cultivate to the thirtieth rank.

The reason Qian Renxue's soul power didn't rank higher later on was precisely because of her undercover assignment.

Hmph! And she didn't even accomplish anything worthwhile with her infiltration, while completely delaying her cultivation.

Li Xun muttered inwardly.

"If you are, then you are, there's no need for 'suppose'." Dugu Bo smiled and shook his head.

This child Li Xun was sometimes a bit too modest, though that was a trait he actually rather liked.

"Have you decided which soul beast you want to choose for your soul ring?"

Dugu Bo stroked his chin. "If you have, I'll take you out to hunt it down. After all, we're already right here in the Sunset Forest."

"Then I'll have to trouble Grandpa Dugu."

Li Xun cupped his fists in salute. "My third soul ring requires a Cyan Vine of around five thousand years."