"...In the duel between Lin Yuan and Jiang Mo — the victor is Jiang Mo!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Principal Shen Luo stroked his beard, a deep smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
As the noise slowly faded, Jiang Mo turned away from the arena. His steps were slow, his exhaustion hidden behind his usual calm expression.
The air outside the arena was fresh, cool, and quiet — until a hard slap hit his back.
"Hey, Jiang Mo!"
Jiang Mo blinked and turned. A girl with short golden hair grinned at him, her eyes burning with excitement. It was Tian Yue, who had grown up to be a tomboy known for her wild fighting style.
"Your fight with Lin Yuan was amazing!" she exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. "Next time, you're fighting me! Don't even think of saying no!"
Before Jiang Mo could respond, another voice shouted, "Hey! Don't start without us!"
Shi Ming, along with Qing Dan and Dugu Yan, came running up the path. Shi Ming looked winded but grinning.
Dugu Yan, however, couldn't meet his gaze. Her usual confident demeanor faltered for a moment, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as her heart raced. Watching him fight had stirred something inside her — admiration, curiosity, perhaps even affection.
But Jiang Mo didn't notice. His thoughts were elsewhere.
He glanced at his friends, then said in his usual even tone, "All of you are here? Good. Let's go back together."
The group began to walk toward the Elder Hall.
However, today was destined not to be a peaceful day for the so-called geniuses of the Elder's Hall.
Just as Jiang Mo and his group stepped through the great marble archway of the Elder's Hall, their laughter and idle conversation abruptly died. Standing quietly to the side — bathed in the faint golden light streaming through the window — was a golden-haired girl whose mere presence seemed to command the air around her.
It was Qian Renxue.
The moment his gaze fell upon her, Jiang Mo felt a chill crawl down his spine. It wasn't the kind born of fear, but because of a past event. The kind that came from remembering a person who could smile like an angel and yet act like a merciless executioner.
He still clearly remembered that day — the day two years ago when she had suddenly appeared before him without warning.
He hadn't even managed to greet her before she had picked him up —by the back of his robe like a sack of grain.
Then, with a speed that made the world blur around him, she had carried him across mountains and rivers until the humid air of the Sunset Forest wrapped around them.
It was there, deep within that forest, that Jiang Mo saw something he would never forget — a valley so serene and sacred that it didn't seem to belong to the mortal world. At its heart lay a mystical spring divided perfectly into two halves: one radiating icy white mist so cold it froze the dew mid-air, the other glowing with molten red heat so fierce it warped the space above it.
He had heard of it before — a legend whispered by his grandfather, about Spirit Hall's secret treasure.The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He was still staring in awe when Qian Renxue stepped into the boundary of the well as though the extremes of heaven and hell meant nothing to her.
From the very center of that perilous equilibrium, she reached out and plucked two herbs growing side by side — their auras so pure that even a breath of their fragrance made his spirit power stir restlessly.
One was the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass — a crystalline herb of pale blue and white, its roots covered in frost so pure it gleamed like carved jade. It exuded a biting chill that seemed to pierce through one's soul, freezing not only the body but even the heart.
The other was the Infernal Delicate Apricot — its petals burning with scarlet brilliance, releasing waves of heat that shimmered like molten glass. It was the embodiment of blazing fire, its vitality so intense that it could melt iron.
Jiang Mo didn't know their names then, but he knew instinctively — these herbs were no ordinary treasures.
Before he could even open his mouth to ask what she was doing, Qian Renxue turned toward him, her golden hair flowing like sunlight, her expression unreadable.
Without a word of explanation, she grabbed his jaw and — with a swiftness that left him stunned — stuffed both herbs into his mouth.
The world froze for a heartbeat.
His eyes widened, and his body convulsed as the opposing forces of ice and fire erupted within him, surging through every vein, every organ, every cell. It was as though two divine beasts were tearing him apart from the inside.
Qian Renxue's calm voice echoed above the roaring in his ears:"Jiang Mo, you wish to grow strong, don't you? Then here lies your chance — the path to becoming impervious to both ice and fire. Regulate your breathing, or you'll explode into a bloody mist."
Then, before he could even scream, her foot struck his chest lightly — and he fell backward into the Yin Yang Well.
(Author Notes: Because Jiang Mo's martial soul is already an Ultimate Martial soul, his body also grew much stronger. So him refining the herbs had more than95% of chance. The rest of 5% dosen't matter because if his life is really in danger, Qian Renxue can easily step in to save his life, so she didn't bother to explain and directly brought him here.)