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"That 'sweet potato' has a rich dragon qi, and its aura is vigorous and vast. It should be of the earth attribute, and based on its aura, I can preliminarily determine it's non-toxic," Dugu Bo said.
He could also tell that Su Wen was interested in this Earth Dragon Golden Melon.
"What? Didn't you already gain the ability to control the earth element? Are you thinking of using this Earth Dragon Golden Melon to strengthen that ability?"
Among the immortal herbs present, it was truly difficult to find one that was a perfect match for Su Wen's spirit. They could only offer somewhat similar functions in certain aspects. It can't be helped; Su Wen's abilities are a bit... miscellaneous.
The Earth Dragon Golden Melon, however, would be of great benefit to Su Wen. With that rich dragon qi, it might allow his spirit to evolve to the top-tier in one leap. This was the difference between low-tier and top-tier spirits. It was far simpler for a low-tier spirit to evolve to a high-tier or top-tier spirit than it was for a top-tier spirit to advance further. A top-tier spirit might transform from this melon, but it was a gamble. But if Su Wen absorbed it, as long as there was no conflict in medicinal effects, his spirit was guaranteed to transform into a top-tier spirit, and a strong one at that. And conflict... honestly, Su Wen's current spirit was in no state to conflict with the melon's medicinal power.
Based on all this, Dugu Bo assumed Su Wen had his sights set on the Earth Dragon Golden Melon.
However, Su Wen shook his head.
"No, I don't plan on absorbing this Earth Dragon Golden Melon."
"Earth Dragon Golden Melon?" Dugu Bo was surprised by the name Su Wen used. "You recognize it?"
Su Wen's reaction was extremely fast; he didn't show any sign of being flustered.
"A vigorous dragon qi, an earth-attribute aura, plus the appearance of a 'sweet potato' with golden leaf veins. Why wouldn't one call it an 'Earth Dragon Golden Melon'?"
Dugu Bo had a moment of realization and nodded. "That name you've given it is quite fitting."
"The reason I was looking at it is because it reminded me of my grandfather, the man who raised me. His spirit is a Sweet Potato. He only broke through to the Spirit Master rank a few years ago. By now... he should be close to breaking through to Grand Spirit Master."
Dugu Bo was speechless.
Your grandfather? How old is he? He only became a Spirit Master a few years ago, and now he's about to become a Grand Spirit Master? How absurd.
However, Dugu Bo observed Su Wen's expression and felt he wasn't bluffing.
"You want to let your grandfather consume this Earth Dragon Golden Melon?" Dugu Bo looked at Su Wen, finding it hard to believe.
He didn't know the exact age, but to be Su Wen's grandfather, he had to be at least fifty or sixty, maybe even seventy or eighty. At that age, and still just a Spirit Master... consuming this Earth Dragon Golden Melon... was truly a waste of a divine treasure.
However, Dugu Bo didn't try to persuade Su Wen otherwise. Instead, seeing Su Wen's resolute gaze, he secretly approved.
"In that case, which treasure do you plan to absorb for yourself?" Dugu Bo asked curiously.
After seeing so many heavenly treasures, Su Wen couldn't possibly not want to absorb one, right? After all, Su Wen's Book Spirit was still holding him back. Absorbing any one of the precious herbs here gave him a chance to evolve his spirit to a top-tier level.
Su Wen's gaze shifted to the two ends of the oval-shaped spring.
"You're still eyeing those two poisonous herbs?" Dugu Bo sternly explained the toxicity of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot Delicate Vegetable.
"Grandpa Dugu, you rely on the power of ice and fire to suppress your own toxins. You must be very clear, then, on the restraining effect that this place's naturally-forming, circulating ice and fire power has on poison."
"I'm thinking, if I could obtain this kind of extreme ice and fire power and temper my body with it, might I be able to gain a constitution immune to all poisons?"
Dugu Bo cut him off. "What you're saying is reasonable, but those two herbs are, themselves, extremely poisonous."
Su Wen retorted, "The toxicity within these two herbs should just be 'ice poison' and 'fire poison'—toxins derived from their pure ice and fire attributes reaching an extreme."
Dugu Bo fell silent. It seemed... they were indeed pure attribute-poisons.
"And if the medicinal powers of the two herbs are combined, I believe their toxicities will be enough to neutralize each other. After all, the same extreme ice and fire forces fill the air of this valley, and that isn't toxic."
The energy in this valley was non-toxic, but the clash of the two extreme attributes was still harmful to a Spirit Master's body. Perhaps the derived toxicity could be neutralized, but the damage to the body couldn't be healed.
Dugu Bo frowned. He was genuinely considering the possibility Su Wen raised. This involved the application of poison, the neutralization of toxicity... he had to take it seriously. This was his specialty.
"Theoretically, everything you're saying is sound." Dugu Bo actually felt there was a chance.
"But..."
"I know. Grandpa Dugu, you and Sister Yan already have toxins in your bodies. If you were to absorb these two poisons simultaneously, even if my theory is correct, it's highly likely it would cause the toxins to mutate, leading to an eruption," Su Wen said. "It would be better for me to try."
"You?"
"That's right. The tempering effect of the ice and fire attributes on one's constitution must be excellent. I want to use these two precious herbs as aids. I already have fire element control. With these two herbs, my fire control will certainly improve, and it's very likely it will also lead to me mastering ice element control."
Dugu Bo shook his head. Even if the theory was sound and the benefits were tempting, he was still going to stop Su Wen.
"You only see the benefits, but you haven't thought about what will happen to you if the two toxicities fail to neutralize," Dugu Bo said, shaking his head. "Even I can only make a preliminary judgment of their toxicity. I can't guarantee they are purely attribute-poisons, let alone whether the ice and fire toxins can be perfectly balanced and neutralized."
"Don't worry, Grandpa Dugu. I won't be too impulsive." Su Wen wasn't surprised and smiled faintly.
"I will first cultivate here for a period, attempting to absorb the extreme ice and fire energy to temper my body. Only if I can withstand that will I consider attempting to absorb both herbs at the same time."
Hearing Su Wen say this, Dugu Bo let out a breath of relief.
Good, the kid still has his reason.
"That's fine. Although the ice and fire energy in this valley is extremely corrosive, the two opposing forces seem to be perfectly fused, mutually propelling each other," Dugu Bo had cultivated here for a long time and was very familiar with the environment.
"In your situation, if you can withstand the extreme fire-attribute energy and use it to temper yourself, then by leveraging this special, symbiotic ice-and-fire power, you have a good chance of developing a resistance to the ice attribute as well."
Listening to Dugu Bo's analysis, Su Wen was very surprised.
This old poison's research into spirit cultivation was actually at a respectable level.
(End of this chapter)