Returning to the valley, from a distance, Yang Yunhai could see Zhu Zhuqing moving nimbly along the cliff wall.
There was no doubt she had made significant progress recently. Her strength, stamina, endurance, flexibility, and balance had all improved considerably. Even her skin appeared firmer, and her figure had become even more pleasing to the eye.
Her abdominal lines were smooth like silk, her lower back round and firm like a peach, and her long legs looked strong, straight, and full of power , all changes visible to the naked eye.
Yang Yunhai withdrew his gaze, deciding not to disturb her.
By now, the sun had begun to dip toward the west , not far from evening. Seeing this, he decided not to cultivate and instead went straight into the wooden house, into the bedroom, and sat down at the desk.
It was time to see what kind of books his cheap master had left for him.
With a swipe across his chest, a thick stack of books appeared in his hand. Yang Yunhai slapped them onto the desk.
The first volume: Handbook of Common Medications. Skipped.
Second: Skincare Tips...
This was totally Chrysanthemum Douluo's style!
Third: Illustrated Guide to Rare Immortal Herbs.
Yang Yunhai sat up straight, as stiff as a pine tree.
Suppressing his excitement, he carefully opened the first page:
"Yearning Heartbroken Red , a legendary immortal flower of utmost passion and sincerity. To obtain it, one must think of their lover with genuine emotion and water it with blood from the heart."
The text came with detailed illustrations.
He carefully memorized it, then turned to the next page:
"Splendid Tulip , the king of immortal herbs..."
He kept flipping:
"Fragrant Splendid Immortal Herb, Miraculous Chrysanthemum of Heaven, Fiery Delicate Vegetable, Eight-Petal Ice Grass, Black Jade Divine Bamboo, Earth Dragon Gold Melon, Phoenix Crest Sunflower..."
"Damn! This is what real professionalism looks like!" Yang Yunhai's eyes lit up.
Dozens of immortal-grade herbs were listed , clearly more than the ones Tang San had in the Xuan Tian Record. It made sense: in a small martial arts world with scarce spiritual energy, how many immortal herbs could be born? Humans couldn't even fly , how far could they explore? How many rare plants could they document? In contrast, Douluo Continent, where soul masters and deities existed, was on a completely different level.
It was a difference in the scale of the worlds!
Next, he recalled how Tang Sect's hidden weapon Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus had instantly killed several Soul Saints even in their Martial Soul True Body state.
He went silent. His face twitched. He continued reading.
Despite the book's title, Illustrated Guide to Rare Immortal Herbs, the latter half also recorded many rare plants that hadn't yet reached the immortal level.
According to Chrysanthemum Douluo's notes, these weren't immortal yet only because they hadn't been discovered at the right time. Judging from their medicinal value, they had the potential to become immortal herbs if allowed to continue growing.
For example: Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King, Sacred Soul Grass , if left to mature long enough, they could definitely ascend to the immortal level.
"It's not that they can't , it's just that bad people don't let them grow..." Yang Yunhai sighed.
Half an hour later, footsteps echoed from the living room outside the slightly ajar door.
Yang Yunhai snapped out of his reading trance. He quickly stashed the books into his soul guide and strode out.
"Zhuqing, go take a bath. I'll cook." He smiled warmly and headed to the kitchen.
Not long after, at the dinner table, Yang Yunhai handed her another sachet he had bought and smiled:
"I picked this up on the way back. One for each of us."
"Thank you," Zhu Zhuqing accepted it happily.
Yang Yunhai added playfully, "How about a little reward? Maybe... I sleep somewhere different tonight? I promise, I won't do anything!"
Though their relationship had warmed up significantly, he still slept in his own room every night.
Once or twice was fine, but every day? In his previous life, he'd have been mocked as less than a beast.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't believe him, but she didn't want to contradict her boyfriend too directly. In love, she was cautious about every little move, trying to preserve the ideal romance in her heart. So she lowered her head and softly said, "We're still young..."
She believed her boyfriend had matured.
Soul masters strengthen their bodies through soul rings, so their physical growth outpaces normal humans. The faster you cultivate, the faster you grow. Yang Yunhai had already broken through to Soul Elder , his body had clearly matured.
He was a real man now.
That was obvious from his 1.75-meter height, strong physique, and those hands that always seemed a little too curious.
She didn't fully understand, but she realized it might be hard for boys to hold back for too long.
"Not young anymore..." Yang Yunhai glanced sideways and gave a slight nod. "Alright, forget it then."
"Let's eat. Food's getting cold," he smiled, picking up his chopsticks.
Zhu Zhuqing looked relieved. She glanced at his face, then nodded, "Mm."
Over a quarter hour later, outside the main door, Yang Yunhai leaned against the chair as usual, holding Zhu Zhuqing, watching the sunset and digesting dinner.
Zhu Zhuqing absentmindedly fiddled with the sachet, occasionally sneaking glances at him.
Yang Yunhai gently stroked her hand, staring into the distance, deep in thought.
"I need to finish reading Chrysanthemum Douluo's books soon, so I can learn to make a few decent tonics and mix them into my blood to help Dugu Bo detox."
He had already tested with his second soul skill , it could indeed absorb poison, but only when it had just entered the body and hadn't yet spread to vital organs.
Once the poison had reached the bones or vital organs, he couldn't do anything.
It wasn't that he couldn't absorb it , it was that he couldn't do it without causing harm. Poison wasn't like a stone you could dig out. It was like dye in a vat , once something's stained, it's hard to clean.
And that "something" was the internal organs.
His martial spirit's barbs weren't scrapers; they were short needles. It was hard enough to reach organs through the muscle, let alone extract poison with precision.
It was like picking grains of sand off soft tofu with embroidery needles , you'd pierce the tofu before you even got started.
So solving Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo's poison problem with just his martial spirit? Not realistic.
Could he rely on Chrysanthemum Douluo's medical books or ask him for help? Dream on.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's books focused heavily on making supplements and cultivation aids , detoxification wasn't his forte.
Yang Yunhai even suspected his cheap master had a cleanliness obsession and avoided dealing with poisons.
If he were good at it, he wouldn't have let Dugu Bo escape in every fight.
So really, the best path was to follow Tang San's method from the original , eat the Fiery Delicate Vegetable and Eight-Petal Ice Grass, then use his blood to make the detoxifying potion. Once the poison's gone, he could use other methods to cure the root cause.
In that regard, Chrysanthemum Douluo was top-tier.
If those two became friends, they'd complement each other perfectly.
His eyes narrowed as his thoughts continued.
"Even just the yin-yang energies inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would be too much for me right now."
"Even with the Fragrant Splendid Immortal Herb and the healing power of the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, I probably wouldn't last long in there. Those energies aren't just heat and cold , they're essentially poisonous. The healing might not be enough to counteract the ongoing invasion of cold and heat poison."
"Too much exposure could damage me permanently , like what happened to Tang San in the original."
"Still, I won't know until I try."
"But if I succeed, I'll be able to safely enter and exit the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well at will."
"My physique would improve drastically, and I could use lightning cultivation to quickly increase my power , almost like consuming soul-boosting herbs but with long-term benefits."
"Plus, my martial spirit would gain resistance to fire and ice , fixing its weakness."
"And my body would be immune to all poisons, which gives me a huge advantage when facing someone like Tang San, who loves to use poison."
"Too many benefits," Yang Yunhai thought to himself, feeling it was a huge win.
"Not to mention, after taking those two herbs, I can consume Autumn Dew Tear again to boost my spiritual power. That's great for developing soul skills and improving perception. If I could actually achieve that fire-eye x-ray vision... amazing."
"Unfortunately, immortal herbs are rare. Chrysanthemum Douluo's books don't detail which combinations are safe. So copying Tang San's successful approach is probably the safest option."
"Especially since my martial spirit is also Blue Silver Grass."
"Even if it has lightning attributes, the body refinement focuses on the body , it shouldn't affect the martial spirit itself."
"Otherwise, Tang San's poison attributes would've been wiped out, which didn't happen."
All things considered, the ice-fire body refinement was still the most stable path.
"Once I finish these books, I'll find a time to talk to Dugu Yan."
With that, he returned his focus to the sunset.
Not long after, the sun disappeared behind the mountain. Yang Yunhai looked down at Zhu Zhuqing and smiled, "Zhuqing, time to go back and cultivate."
"Mm." She snapped out of her daze, her cheeks flushing as she nodded and stood up.
They returned to their rooms and began cultivating soul power on their beds.
Two hours later, Yang Yunhai opened his eyes, dressed in sleepwear, walked to the desk, and began flipping through the medical books.
An hour passed. It was midnight. He looked out the window, stretched, and left the room.
Bathroom time , essential before bed.
Just as he opened the door, he noticed a faint light opposite his room. Peering closer, the door was ajar.
"Hm?" Spirit jolting, Yang Yunhai tiptoed quickly to the bathroom, finished his business, then crept to the door and pushed it open gently.
Under the faint moonlight, the blanket near the wall shifted slightly, while the outer side of the bed was empty.
A rush of heat crept up his cheeks. His pale face flushed red.
Taking a deep breath, he tiptoed over, gently lifted the blanket, and slipped in.
He moved closer. His hand brushed against a waist, and the body under his palm tensed. Then he gently pressed himself closer, and his chest filled with warmth.
As he shifted even nearer, the girl in his arms stiffened like she'd been shocked. She didn't move. Bit by bit, he turned her around, laying her flat on his chest. Her small fists pressed against him, her body curled slightly, head down, long lashes fluttering.
Their hearts pounded wildly. Yang Yunhai didn't dare speak.
He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would calm him.
Time passed slowly...
"Your soul power..." came a whisper.
"My soul power?" Yang Yunhai opened his eyes, confused. Then it hit him like a bucket of cold water.
His soul power could heal , a valuable ability. After battle, he could use it to help teammates recover overnight.
But... that alone wasn't enough.
So Yang Yunhai lowered his head and whispered, "Honey, do you know what tools a noodle chef needs to knead dough?"
As he spoke, his hand pushed slightly, arms tightened, bringing them closer.
Zhu Zhuqing froze, instinctively placing her hand on his. "A... cutting board? A rolling pin?" she answered, confused.
The next moment: "You're so annoying..." she muttered, giving him a gentle punch, cheeks red as fire.
Yang Yunhai said nothing, only loosening his grip after she gave a small push.
The next day, at the training field.
"Xiao Hai, where's Zhuqing?" Dugu Yan asked when she saw him arrive alone.
"Healing doesn't fix exhaustion," he said with a helpless shake of the head. "She twisted her ankle a bit while climbing yesterday. It's nothing serious , I've already applied medicine. One day of rest should do the trick."
"She's been training pretty hard lately. A little rest is fine..."
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