Chapter 34: Exploring Ice and Fire Alone.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but curl her lips slightly as she watched Shi Yi's back. This was the first time anyone at Shrek had acknowledged her.
"He's just an auxiliary spirit master with innate full spirit power. I don't take him seriously. With the power of our sect, I'm sure I'll be no worse than him," Ning Rongrong thought to herself.
With a soft hum, Ning Rongrong skipped out of the restaurant in a very good mood.
"Training starts tomorrow, so let's go shopping today." With this in mind, Ning Rongrong headed towards the commercial streets of Soto City.
The next morning, Shi Yi ran out as usual. Although he had to get up early every day to practice, his training time wasn't very long. With the funds provided by Ning Rongrong, a wealthy woman, he wanted to plan his future training carefully.
When it came time for breakfast, Shi Yi didn't cook for himself as usual. Instead, he chose to go to the Shrek cafeteria for the first time. Now that Yu Xiaogang had arrived, the food at Shrek was sure to be good. Since he could eat ready-made food, he naturally wanted to try his own teacher's cooking.
Before even entering the cafeteria, Shi Yi was already struck by a pungent aroma. The rich, meaty aroma was incredibly tempting, and it seemed to be mingled with other flavors.
"Hmm, good cooking," Shi Yi commented inwardly, smiling.
Entering the cafeteria, he saw Tang San already seated in front of Yu Xiaogang. Shi Yi wasn't surprised; cultivating the Purple Demon Eye required early rising, a fact he knew well.
"Good morning, Teacher, Junior Brother," Shi Yi greeted with a smile, and sat down in front of Yu Xiaogang.
"Good morning, Senior Brother," Tang San replied, and Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly.
Tang San was quite surprised to see Shi Yi. Since Shi Yi arrived at Shrek, he had never seen his senior brother in the cafeteria.
Shi Yi knew exactly what Tang San was thinking, and said matter-of-factly, "Dean, you're so stingy! Was the cafeteria good enough? Now that the teacher is here, and since he's here to guide you in your cultivation, at least he won't let you down when it comes to food. As your teacher, I'm here to take advantage of you."
After Shi Yi finished speaking, Yu Xiaogang conscientiously poured a large bowl of broth and handed it to Shi Yi, along with two eggs and two steamed buns.
"Thank you for your hard work," Shi Yi said with a smile.
Yu Xiaogang's expression remained unchanged, as if he had become accustomed to Shi Yi's ways.
Shi Yi quietly ate his breakfast, saying nothing more. But soon, this moment of peace was shattered.
Xiao Wu heard the voice before she even saw him. "Smells good! Looks like we'll have something delicious to eat today."
Three people entered the cafeteria: Xiao Wu, along with her roommates, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. Shrek didn't have any female students, so naturally, there wasn't a girls' dormitory. So, Flanders had spent some money and rented a large house from the academy, which naturally became the girls' dormitory.
"Good morning, everyone," Shi Yi greeted the newcomers.
"Good morning," Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing responded, looking at Shi Yi in surprise. After last night's training, they had truly experienced the extraordinary power of Shi Yi's new cultivation method and were now quite impressed with his abilities.
Seeing Shi Yi present seemed to dampen Xiao Wu's good morning mood.
"Why are you here?" Xiao Wu asked Shi Yi.
"As a teacher at the academy, why shouldn't I be here?" Shi Yi asked with a grin.
"You..." Xiao Wu was about to say something, but Tang San stopped her.
Seeing this, Shi Yi also looked at Yu Xiaogang, "Teacher, I may have to leave temporarily during this period."
Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly and said, "Are you going to the Xingdou Great Forest again? How about letting Flanders accompany you?"
Shi Yi shook his head slightly and said, "I'm not going to look for soul beasts this time. I haven't been back for a long time. I plan to go back to the village before the start of systematic training. Rongrong gave me a considerable investment yesterday, and I also plan to go out to purchase some things and put the money to good use."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes fell on Ning Rongrong when he heard this. A hint of surprise appeared in his calm eyes, and he slowly said "Well, in that case, just say hello to Flanders after dinner."
Xiao Wu also whispered to Ning Rongrong, "Rongrong, you weren't fooled by him, were you?" Ning
Rongrong, silent and practically rolling her eyes at Xiao Wu, didn't say anything. Putting aside her belief that Shi Yi's theory was highly feasible, even if Shi Yi had deceived her, based on the cultivation method Shi Yi had shown her yesterday and her knowledge, she was certain it would be priceless if left out in the open.
A few gold coins wouldn't even amount to a drop in the bucket for their Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. If that was considered a scam, she'd be glad to be fooled again.
Seeing Ning Rongrong ignore her, Xiao Wu snorted softly and silently ate her breakfast.
Shi Yi didn't care what Xiao Wu said or did. In his eyes, Xiao Wu was just a floating spirit ring and spirit bone.
If it weren't for the fear of disrupting his own plans, affecting the plot's development, and not benefiting himself greatly, Shi Yi would have wanted to report this walking 100,000-year-old soul beast to the Spirit Hall. But then Bibi Dong arrived, embraced him, and with a call from her master 's wife, they entered the finale early.
Shi Yi ate swiftly, devouring everything in a flash, and headed for Flanders' office.
After convincing Flanders with the same rhetoric, Shi Yi arrived in Soto City, rented a carriage, and headed towards Sunset Forest.
Five days later, Shi Yi arrived at the small town outside Sunset Forest. Where there are people, there are interests. Nearly every soul beast forest has a commercial gathering place.
He bought a forest map in the town, but unfortunately, Shi Yi didn't see the information he was looking for.
He found a random hotel and waited quietly for nightfall. He had already simulated how to enter the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire.
Most ten thousand year old soul beasts have their own territories. With the little ant leading the way, it is not difficult to reach the range of the poison array set up by Dugu Bo. Once reaching the periphery of the poison array, Shi Yi can use the little ant's digging ability to find a suitable place to enter the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire. The only difficulty lies in Dugu Bo himself.
Titled Douluo came and went without a trace, and even Shi Yi couldn't determine their whereabouts. Therefore, Shi Yi could only choose to invade at night, sending Xiao Yi to investigate Dugu Bo's presence before deciding whether to begin a sweep. If he was, nighttime was when most spirit masters meditated, significantly reducing their perception.
The safest strategy was to ensure Dugu Bo's absence, absorb the Eight-Angled Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot, and use the Ice and Fire Spring as a hiding place. When the time was right, they could conduct a sweep and finally withdraw safely.
Of course, if Dugu Bo unfortunate discovered them, Shi Yi had made necessary preparations. What Tang San could do, he could also convince Dugu Bo.
"Get some sleep, and recharge your batteries. Man proposes, God disposes. Daozu Sanqing, all the gods, this is my first adventure in this world. I hope you will bless me with success," Shi Yi prayed inwardly, silently summoning Xiao Yi.
"Xiao Yi, we can make it, right?" Shi Yi whispered, gently stroking Xiao Yi's exoskeleton.
Xiao Yi's face showed a humanlike look of doubt. Sensing Shi Yi's inner excitement and worry, he gently nudged Shi Yi's palm.
Shi Yi didn't lack a better solution. Leveraging Yu Xiaogang's connections with Yu Tianheng, he could leverage them to connect with Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan. However, this would take time, and choosing this approach would involve significant uncertainties during this time.
If Tang San were to fall into Dugu Bo's sights, Shi Yi would no longer be the only option. Tang San, with his greater poison prowess, would clearly be more favored by Dugu Bo.
Having spent so many years with Tang San, Shi Yi understood his character well. Rather than expecting Tang San to share his immortal treasures, Shi Yi preferred to control the decision-making process for all immortal treasures himself.
Shi Yi gradually drifted off to sleep, sleeping from mid-morning until sunset.
After checking his spirit guides for any items he could use, Shi Yi left the hotel, heading towards Sunset Forest.
Upon entering the forest, Shi Yi summoned Xiao Yi. He pulled some sulfur from his soul guide and placed it in front of Xiao Yi, whispering, "Xiao Yi, find this scent and try to avoid the spirit beasts."
Xiao Yi nodded, the antennae on its head trembling slightly, and soon it had a general direction. Shi Yi cautiously followed Xiao Yi.
Shi Yi consulted the map he had purchased. The Sunset Forest wasn't very large, and he estimated he could reach Dugu Bo's poison array before sunset.
Following Xiao Yi, Shi Yi remained as safe as ever, though the constant detours took longer.
Soon, Xiao Yi stopped. Confused, Shi Yi stepped forward to observe. A faint green hue had enveloped the area not far away, but miraculously, it hadn't spread, as if contained by some kind of force.
"This is Dugu Bo's poison array," Shi Yi muttered.
Without giving it much thought, Shi Yi fixed his gaze on Xiao Yi and chuckled, "Xiao Yi, normally, there's no place for you to dig. Now you can. Try to dig as deep and wide as possible, otherwise it's easy for the ground to collapse. We'll go underground, but we'll make as little noise as possible."
Xiao Yi nodded, a touch of human excitement on his face. Digging is a natural skill for ants, and it's Xiao Yi's favorite activity. However, Shi Yi usually didn't dare let Xiao Yi try it. Digging underground can easily cause the ground to collapse. It wouldn't be a big deal in the Soul Beast Forest, but if Xiao Yi were to let him do it in the city and cause a house to collapse, Shi Yi would be in big trouble.
The forest soil was soft, and as Xiao Yi dug deeper, a dark hole soon appeared. Xiao Yi dug so deep that the ground was almost inaudible. Shi Yi filled the hole in after entering, and kept a distance from Xiao Yi to avoid eating dirt behind him.
Shi Yi followed Xiao Yi throughout his journey. By this time, the light had faded from the underground. Shi Yi also pulled out a piece of rare cyan metal from his soul guide. This was the metal Yu Xiaogang had obtained from Flanders. Although he couldn't see very far in this underground world, it at least brought a glimmer of light into Shi Yi's eyes.
Shi Yi couldn't stay in darkness for long.
Perhaps Dugu Bo's poison array wasn't very extensive, but after an unknown amount of time, Shi Yi finally felt the sensation of an uphill slope, confirming that Xiao Yi was climbing higher.
As Xiao Yi emerged from the ground, the cave brightened slightly, though without a strong glow. Shi Yi realized that the sun must have already set, and night had quietly arrived.
Seeing Xiao Yi emerge without hesitation, Shi Yi's face lit up with excitement. Xiao Yi's ability to emerge without hesitation indicated that the surface was safe and Dugu Bo wasn't there.
Seeing this, Shi Yi hurriedly followed. Exiting the cave, he gazed out. The entire valley was tinted in distinct shades of red and blue, radiating from the icy and fiery power of the Yin-Yang Eye. This encompassed the oval pool at the valley's center. The surrounding shores were dotted with the immortal flowers and plants Shi Yi longed for, a variety of exotically colored plants.
Due to the collision of the icy and fiery powers, a thick mist rose from the central intersection of the pool, rising straight up the mountain pass and spreading out, obscuring the entire valley.
"Traveling underground even eliminates the need to descend from the cliff. If Dugu Bo isn't here at this point, he's probably eating with his granddaughter. We need to hurry," Shi Yi thought to himself.
Soon, Shi Yi stopped before a white herb. By this point, Shi Yi had fully activated all twelve of his meridians, a faint white mist appearing on his skin.
Despite the frantic throbbing of his twelve meridians, Shi Yi's body continued to tremble, as he endured the onslaught of extreme cold.
The top of the white herb resembled a large, octagonal white flower, its center dotted with stamens shimmering like ice crystals. No fragrance emanated from it. It lay precisely at the center of one side of the Cold Extreme Yin Spring.
Fortunately, the surface of the Cold Extreme Yin Spring was frozen, making it easier for Shi Yi to pluck the herbs. Not daring to hesitate, Shi Yi swiftly swung his dagger.
At that moment, the small ant standing by the Blazing Extreme Yang Spring stirred. It suddenly leaped up from the shore, its massive forelimbs waving in mid-air. The sparse, delicate Fiery Apricot blossom growing in the center of the Blazing Extreme Yang Spring was instantly swept up, rooted, and swept towards Shi Yi.
The man and the beast, their telepathic connection, perfectly timed their actions. Shi Yi instantly grasped the two immortal herbs with both hands, seizing the moment their auras met and quickly devoured them.
Just as the ant was about to land, Shi Yi retracted it into his body and, with a plop, leaped from the ice into the spring .
Within Shi Yi's body, the medicinal properties of the two immortal herbs were taking effect. The forces of extreme heat and cold constantly collided within him. For a moment, his body felt like a battlefield, with both sides engaged in a frenzied struggle.
Despite his robust constitution, Shi Yi suffered even more pain. Even under the onslaught of the two immortal herbs, he remained resilient and able to withstand the impact.
It was unknown how long it took before Shi Yi passed out from the pain of the onslaught.
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