Having already collected all the known Immortal herbs and harvested a portion of the rare and unknown treasures, it was time for Lü Buliang to consider whether to pick the two Ice and Fire Immoetal Herbs now.
His gaze settled at the center of the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well. In the middle of the extreme cold spring, there grew a white herb.
Atop the herb bloomed a white, star-shaped flower, with eight petals, each shimmering like icy crystals.
The original novel had mentioned this plant: the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. It was a flower of extreme cold that could freeze the heart and numb the central nervous system.
Within ten meters of this immortal herb, the cold it emitted was enough to cause fatal frostbite over time. To pick it, a weapon of metal was required.
At the center of the scalding hot spring, there was another plant, shaped like a fiery red cabbage, known as the Infernal Delicate Apricot.
Contrary to the Ice Grass, the Apricot radiated intense heat and could not be cut with metal—it needed to be harvested using jade to preserve its potency.
Both herbs were top-tier poisonous plants, containing extreme fire and ice toxins respectively. Once picked, their auras would merge, greatly diminishing their toxicity, but they needed to be consumed within ten breaths; otherwise, their medicinal effects would vanish entirely.
Picking the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot now meant Lü Buliang would have to consume them immediately and use the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well to absorb their full potency.
Jumping into the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well to absorb the herbs' energies would take time—and if he was unlucky enough to be caught by Dugu Bo, it would spell disaster.
After a moment of deep thought, the confusion in Lü Buliang's eyes disappeared, replaced by unwavering determination. He locked his gaze onto the two immortal herbs at the center of the springs.
Joining the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, getting close to Dugu Yan, learning about the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison, and scheming for over two months—all of it had been for this moment: to enter the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well, absorb the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot with the aid of the twin springs, and fundamentally transform both his Shadow Martial Spirit and his own body.
Now that the herbs were right in front of him, how could he back down out of fear of being caught by Dugu Bo?
Resolve flashed through Lü Buliang's eyes. No matter what, he would consume the herbs and jump into the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well!
With immunity to both fire and water, invulnerability to all poisons, and the assistance of the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Herb to ward off toxins—combined with the mobility granted by his Shadow Martial Spirit—he should be able to escape even if confronted by Dugu Bo.
At worst, he could rely shamelessly on his "teammate" relationship with Dugu Yan to buy time and bargain for survival.
With these preparations and the secret of the immortal herbs as leverage, Dugu Bo would likely hesitate to kill him.
Determined, Lü Buliang began walking toward the extreme cold spring.
The moment he took a step forward, a wave of chilling air assaulted him.
Another step, and a thin layer of frost covered his cheeks.
He was now less than ten meters away from the extreme cold spring.
The intense cold spiritual energy emitted by the spring was so sharp and domineering that even a gentle brush across the skin felt like being sliced by a blade—as if he had stepped into a super-frozen ice cellar, causing a numbness at the core of his nerves.
"The impact of this extreme ice spiritual energy is truly terrifying. Even circulating all my soul power to strengthen my resistance, I still feel the cold penetrating my bones, almost freezing my blood."
Taking another step, the bone-piercing chill intensified to the point where Lü Buliang could no longer feel if his face was burning or frozen.
Fortunately, he no longer needed to move closer. He pulled out a dagger from his soul guide ring and threw it toward the root of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
Unfortunately, the cold had stiffened his body, making his hands clumsy. The dagger missed, hitting the plant's shadow instead of its root.
Activating his third soul skill—Shadow Control—Lü Buliang manipulated the herb's shadow to retrieve the dagger and stab its root.
Swish—crash.
The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass fell, sending a wave of icy air rippling out. A thin frost quickly formed over the surrounding plants.
With the Ice Grass secured, Lü Buliang turned his attention to the center of the hot spring where the Infernal Delicate Apricot awaited.
This time, he drew a jade-crafted dagger from his ring, threw it toward the Apricot's shadow, and again used Shadow Control to retrieve the dagger and strike at its root.
Swish—crash.
The Infernal Delicate Apricot fell, releasing waves of intense heat like scattered sparks.
With both immortal herbs successfully harvested, Lü Buliang picked up two stones from the ground, holding one in each hand. Activating Shadow Control again, he swapped the shadows of the stones with the shadows of the two herbs.
Whoosh—
The two stones replaced the herbs at the center of the springs, while the Ice Grass and the Apricot appeared in Lü Buliang's hands.
Holding them, he felt warmth from his left hand and chill from his right.
Suddenly, a faint red glow covered the white Ice Grass, while a pale white glow enveloped the red Apricot—their auras merging.
This was the perfect moment to consume them—within ten breaths.
Without hesitation, Lü Buliang stuffed both herbs into his mouth. Instantly, his mouth felt both scalding hot and freezing cold—a true sensation of fire and ice.
Chewing and swallowing, he noticed a grassy flavor with a hint of sweetness and bitterness.
One minute later, the medicinal effects kicked in.
Lü Buliang's body convulsed violently. Ice-blue and fiery-red energies alternated across his body, creating a bizarre and striking sight.
An unbearable Itch spread across every inch of him, followed by the searing pain of burning flames and the biting cold of frozen marrow.
The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot—both highly toxic—had now unleashed their full force inside him. The conflicting toxins fought a ferocious battle within.
This must be the agony Dugu Yan often spoke of—the torture of living while wishing for death due to poison…
His only thought now was to leap into the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well, using the molten-like heat of the spring to numb the unbearable pain and itching.
Without hesitation, Lü Buliang shut his eyes and hurled himself into the well.
Splash—!
Milky white and crimson-red water splashed high as Lü Buliang plunged in, sinking beneath the surface.
Ordinary people couldn't even approach the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well without risking death by explosive body rupture. Falling into it would almost certainly mean annihilation.
Luckily, the violent clash of the immortal herbs inside Lü Buliang's body had dulled his senses entirely to external pain.
In this state, he could fully absorb the herbs' energies with the well's help—the only method mentioned in the original work for safely assimilating the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot.
As he sank deeper, the intertwining red and blue waters surrounded him, their scorching heat and biting cold suppressing the rampant energy inside him.
No longer overwhelmed by pain, Lü Buliang only felt occasional discomfort, while the meridians throughout his body gradually opened up, feeling simultaneously hot and cold—a strange yet marvelous sensation.
Under the well's influence, the energies of the two poisonous herbs rapidly integrated into his being, transforming his body.
Through waves of excruciating torment, Lü Buliang's three soul rings shone brilliantly, spinning wildly.
Though his Shadow Martial Spirit did not materialize, a strange phenomenon unfolded.
The intense ice and fire energies within him gradually fused and erupted outward, forming two indistinct figures—one crimson and one milky white—on either side of him.
The two figures resembled him in form but were indistinct in appearance.
Brilliant red and blue lights radiated from them, blending like the energies of the Yin-Yang Well itself.
The crimson and milky white figures looked like ultimate embodiments of ice and fire, reflections of Lü Buliang himself.
Suddenly, the two merged, their energies combining into a single black figure.
This black figure had no distinguishing features except for a left eye glowing white and a right eye burning crimson.
Dark energy coiled around it, exuding an aura of mystery, depth, and darkness.
Sinking deeper into the well, Lü Buliang's body merged with the black figure.
In that instant, all colors vanished—the black figure disappeared, and calm returned to the spring.
The Martial Spirit Awakening Card gifted by the system allowed the user to awaken part—or even the whole—of their body as their Martial Spirit.
Since a person's body embodies yang energy, their shadow embodies yin. Awakening a shadow as a Martial Spirit was equivalent to awakening a yin-aspect body spirit.
A shadow, representing the darker side of oneself, is a true body Martial Spirit.
Such spirits possess the potential for a second and even third awakening.
The combined effects of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot had pushed Lü Buliang's body to its limits, triggering the second awakening of his Shadow Martial Spirit.
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