"Xiaohai, taking you as my disciple is absolutely the best decision I've made in my life."
Chrysanthemum Douluo's tone was full of emotion.
From a return-on-investment perspective, he had given only a few books and in return received two immortal-grade plants. That was an incredible bargain.
From an emotional standpoint, having such a good disciple was deeply gratifying. It had only been a short time since the apprenticeship, yet the moment Yang Yunhai obtained immortal herbs, he immediately thought of his teacher.
If it were someone else, who could do that? Wouldn't most people keep them for their own descendants?
Carefully taking the immortal herb and storing it in his soul tool, Chrysanthemum Douluo asked, "Disciple, what about you?"
"Among the immortal plants you got from Dugu Bo, are there any suitable for you?"
"Yes, in fact there are two," Yang Yunhai replied with a smile.
The effects of immunity to both ice and fire would inevitably be revealed during the upcoming Soul Master Tournament. It wouldn't be easy to hide,and couldn't be hidden for long.
Others might not realize the connection, but his teacher, Chrysanthemum Douluo, would surely suspect the immortal herbs, especially knowing that he had been in contact with them.
So it was better to be open about it and further strengthen their mutual trust.
Besides, he had already consumed them. What was there left to scheme over?
Thinking back to the original story, even Xiao Wu had returned the Lovesick Heartbroken Red after obtaining it. And Dai Mubai, despite knowing someone was from an opposing camp, had still accepted them as a disciple. In the same way, now that he was from the same faction and had become a disciple, offering his teacher the most suitable immortal herb, how could the teacher harbor ill intent?
The only slight concern was whether Chrysanthemum Douluo might want to search his soul tool for other immortal herbs.
But the chance of that happening seemed very low,immortal herbs couldn't be consumed in large amounts, and he had already willingly given the best one suited for his teacher without being forced to.
Would anyone give up such a good disciple over a potentially nonexistent, and inedible, immortal herb? That would be utterly foolish both in terms of return-on-investment and in sentiment.
"Two?!" Chrysanthemum Douluo was shocked and immediately asked, "Disciple, what kind of immortal plants are they?"
The medicinal power of immortal herbs was astonishing, and their properties varied greatly. Almost none could be consumed together,otherwise, conflicting effects could damage one's foundation beyond remedy, or even cause instant death. Not even a Titled Douluo would be spared.
He was well aware of that.
So hearing about two that could be taken together,how could he not be curious?
"Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fiery Apricot," Yang Yunhai replied.
This Dugu Bo really had a collection of poisonous plants… Chrysanthemum Douluo couldn't help feeling both exasperated and secretly glad. He suddenly realized that his years of clashing with Dugu Bo hadn't been without benefit,at the very least, it had made Dugu Bo remember his martial soul's appearance. Otherwise, even if Dugu Bo had stumbled across the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum in some remote place, he might have ignored it, and it wouldn't have ended up in his hands today.
And truly, Dugu Bo's ability to run away impressed him.
The origins of the two immortal plants,one ice, one fire,were likely either the extreme north or the volcanic regions at the edges of the continent.
Fortunately, Dugu Bo didn't recognize their true value, so his disciple and he reaped the benefits. Thinking of this made him secretly delighted. He was also happy for his disciple,while each of the two herbs alone might not count as top-tier immortal plants and couldn't be consumed directly, when combined they had extraordinary effects. It was said that together they could greatly strengthen the physical body.
With this, his disciple's physique and potential would be further enhanced, paving the way for even greater achievements in the future. As his teacher, he too would benefit.
If Yang Yunhai could one day reach level 99 as an Extreme Douluo, then he would practically be able to walk sideways across the continent without fear.
Youth was an advantage, and with such a foundation at this age, the possibility of reaching the peak was very real.
Chrysanthemum Douluo felt no jealousy at all, because his disciple had already given him the most suitable immortal herb.
As for other immortal plants, the chance of finding compatible ones was extremely low. Besides, he was already old and had reached Titled Douluo level, well past his prime cultivation years. The best time to take immortal herbs had long passed. Unless it was something like the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, which could directly enhance the origin of his martial soul, other herbs would provide little improvement and would only be wasted on him.
Without children of his own, any such treasures would end up being passed to his disciple anyway.
And with a disciple like Yang Yunhai, he truly felt he could treat him like his own son, and would certainly protect him wholeheartedly.
With a faint smile, he said, "Disciple, your luck is really unmatched."
Yang Yunhai had already absorbed the medicinal power of the young-stage Black Jade Divine Bamboo through the lightning-tempering process. Eating these new herbs now was indeed a perfect opportunity. It wasn't just coincidence,it was the kind of perfect timing that could only be called unbelievably lucky.
No wonder his martial soul and hair color had changed; it must have been due to the influence of the newly consumed immortal herbs.
"Just a stroke of luck," Yang Yunhai said with a smile. "Teacher, to be honest, the reason I could get these treasures really was a coincidence."
"When I first discovered Dugu Yan was poisoned, the detoxification method I thought of involved using the forces of ice and fire."
He left out certain details,especially the most crucial one, the existence of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"What a brilliant idea!" Chrysanthemum Douluo exclaimed after hearing it, then sighed.
"No wonder only two people in the entire Dugu family survived, and no wonder Dugu Bo couldn't cure it. A hereditary mixed poison from martial soul and soul ring mutations really is difficult to deal with."
Looking at his disciple, he smiled. "I knew there had to be a reason Dugu Bo treated you so well,you're his savior."
Indeed, it was a remarkable coincidence.
His disciple had taken an unorthodox approach, using ice and fire to counteract poison, and Dugu Bo just happened to have the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fiery Apricot. Even without recognizing their true nature, the cold and heat they radiated would be obvious to anyone.
His disciple was also clever enough to use this as an opportunity to obtain other immortal herbs from Dugu Bo.
"Teacher, if we're talking about cause and effect, you could also be considered Senior Dugu's savior," Yang Yunhai added. "After all, all my knowledge of pharmacology came from you."
Hearing that, Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately straightened his back, his tone full of pride. "Hmph, then Dugu Bo should count himself lucky."
When his disciple could one day openly reveal his Spirit Hall background, he would make sure to find an opportunity to tell that old man off,researching poison for decades and still not being as useful as his student was. Truly a waste of effort.
Just imagining that scene made him feel quite satisfied.
Yang Yunhai nodded slightly, then patted his chest, taking out a small booklet from his soul tool and handing it over. "Teacher, this is a new soul master theory I've developed recently. It contains my understanding of secondary development of soul skills and insights into creating self-made soul skills. It also includes some thoughts from my study of the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum."
"I don't know if it will be of any use to you."