In the one-on-one matches at the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena, Hu Liena had never once been defeated.
With her outstanding record, she earned a Gold Spirit Arena Badge.
When she later learned that Yan had only received a Bronze Badge, she couldn't help but feel a touch of pride.
But upon discovering that Yan's spirit power had also risen by one level — still above both hers and Xie Yue's — that tiny sense of superiority immediately vanished.
Xie Yue, however, seemed to have anticipated this outcome all along.
"Brother Yan, you're still the strongest. Just as Teacher Lin said — once you get serious, none of us can keep up with you."
"We're all progressing together," Yan replied with a faint smile. "My spirit power is only one level higher than yours. The gap isn't that big."
After saying that, he turned to look at the others.
"You've all been improving as well, haven't you?"
Sun Chuantao stepped forward and reported:
"Brother Yan, I just obtained my fourth spirit ring last month. I'm now level forty-one. Li Kai and Zhang Ping are both about to break through level forty, and Xu Yu just reached level thirty-nine."
"Good. Very good," Yan nodded. "We're a team. Every bit of progress from each of us strengthens the whole. Let's all keep pushing forward together."
Standing beside him, Xie Yue nodded in full agreement.
"Brother Yan is right. We must support each other, help each other, and grow together."
"Mm."
After that, Yan joined everyone in training once again.
~~~~~~~~
Time flew by like an arrow; months slipped away in the blink of an eye.
Now, only one year remained before the Continental Spirit Master Tournament.
During the past eleven months, Yan's spirit power had increased by four levels — he was now level forty-nine, just one step away from breaking through to the fiftieth level.
Hu Liena had reached level forty-seven.
Xie Yue had broken through level forty-seven even earlier and was now striving toward level forty-eight.
Yet, no matter how hard the two of them worked, the gap between them and Yan only grew wider.
Yan's innate talent clearly surpassed theirs. Once he became serious, he was truly unmatched — and they had long since come to accept that fact.
Within the Spirit Hall Academy team, the others had also made remarkable progress.
Sun Chuantao's spirit power reached level forty-four.
Li Kai and Zhang Ping were both at level forty-three.
Even the lowest among them, Xu Yu, had advanced to level forty-two.
Meanwhile, in another place —
The Sunset Forest.
Here, Dugu Bo encountered Tang San.
Persuaded by Tang San's words, Dugu Bo brought him to his secret medicinal garden to detoxify the poison in his body.
As Tang San took in the sight before him, he was utterly shocked.
"Th-this… this is the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!"
Dugu Bo frowned slightly.
"Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? Kid, what are you talking about?"
"It's nothing. Just that this place is truly remarkable. With the presence of this well, I'll be much more confident in curing your poison."
Dugu Bo gave a cold, sinister chuckle.
"You'd better not be trying to trick me, boy. If you dare play any games, I'll toss you straight into that spring — and not even your bones will remain."
Tang San, of course, understood perfectly well how terrifying the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was.
Any living creature that fell into its dual-polar waters — one of extreme heat, the other of extreme cold — would be disintegrated within moments.
"Why would I need to deceive you? Your poison runs deep; it'll take time to purge it completely. But your granddaughter is still young — I have absolute confidence that I can cure her."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo's expression softened slightly.
He gestured around the area.
"All the herbs you see here are mine. Some grew naturally; others I transplanted myself. There are toxic plants and restorative ones alike. You may use whatever you need — but you must tell me first before picking anything."
Tang San frowned slightly.
"What? You still don't trust me?"
Dugu Bo sneered.
"Trust? That word doesn't exist in my vocabulary. I'm only giving you a chance — nothing more. And don't blame me for being cautious; I have my reasons."
"What reasons?"
"Because besides the two of us, someone else has been here before — and stole herbs from this place."
"What?! In a place this hidden, someone actually found it?"
Tang San's brows knitted tightly; his expression turned grave.
Such a heaven-defying treasure ground — the fewer who knew of it, the better.
Dugu Bo let out a low, icy laugh.
"You needn't worry. That thief is probably already dead."
"Probably? You're not sure?"
"I'm not. But if he fell into that spring, do you really think he could still be alive?"
Tang San glanced at the perfectly divided twin springs — one red, one white — and nodded slightly, understanding Dugu Bo's meaning. The weight in his heart eased somewhat.
He knew that this was Dugu Bo's secret garden, and naturally, Dugu Bo would want no third person to know of its existence.
In that light, his wariness toward Tang San was understandable.
That day, after being threatened by Yue Guan (Chrysanthemum Douluo), Dugu Bo had been uneasy.
He had worried that the person who fell into the spring might have been the young fire-attribute Spirit Master who accompanied Yue Guan — one of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall.
Later, he secretly inquired about it and learned that the young man had safely returned to Spirit City with Yue Guan. Only then did he finally relax.
Thus, he concluded that the person who had fallen into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well must have been someone else.
As Tang San surveyed the surroundings, his expression suddenly changed.
At the very center of both the icy and fiery springs, he could see faint traces of plant stems — yet no flowers or leaves remained.
"Senior, was there originally something growing there? Something that's been taken?"
Following Tang San's pointing finger, Dugu Bo nodded slightly.
"You're right. There used to be a particularly poisonous herb there. Its blossom was white, shaped like an eight-pointed star, with tiny crystalline stamens in the center — no fragrance at all."
At that description, Tang San's heart trembled violently.
The records within the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record (Xuantian Baolu) flashed through his mind — the description matched perfectly.
"A rare, deadly poisonous immortal herb… the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass!"
"Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass?" Dugu Bo repeated in confusion.
But Tang San didn't answer. Instead, he pointed to the opposite, fiery spring.
"If I'm not mistaken, there was another poisonous herb growing over there, wasn't there?"
Dugu Bo sighed lightly.
"You're right again. That one was also a highly toxic plant — it looked a bit like a cabbage, but was entirely crimson."
Tang San's heart leapt once more.
"It's that one! Without a doubt!"
"Brat, what's all this muttering? What is it exactly?"
"It's a top-tier fire-type poisonous immortal herb — the Fiery Apricot Inferno!"
Dugu Bo's face darkened, surprise flickering in his eyes.
Around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well grew hundreds of rare herbs, most of which even he, a lifetime poison expert, couldn't identify.
Yet this boy, barely into his teens, could name them at a glance and describe their properties in detail.
Tang San's heartbeat quickened; an uneasy premonition rose in his chest.
Both of these were peerless poisonous immortal herbs — even touching them would kill an ordinary person instantly.
Their harvesting methods were also extremely specific:
the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass could only be picked with metal,
while the Fiery Apricot Inferno could only be plucked using jade.
Even if one managed to harvest them, preserving them was near impossible — their medicinal essence would dissipate almost instantly.
Only by consuming both simultaneously could one absorb their full properties.
"Who could have taken those two immortal herbs? If someone picked both of them… consumed them at the same time… and then jumped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well…"
A sudden realization struck Tang San like a hammer to the chest — his heart clenched painfully.
"No! That herb thief might still be alive!"
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