Chapter 15: Mandarin‑Duck Celestial Herbs! Qiluo Tulip and Eight‑Petal Immortal Orchid!

She only knows that the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye lies in a valley, so she has to resort to a desperate method—climbing mountain after mountain to search. It's foolish, but for the celestial herb she has no choice.

After all, at this moment Qian Renxue truly doesn't know whether Dugu Bo has found the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye; otherwise she could use the poison formation outside the valley to pinpoint it.

Three days later, Sunset Forest.

It is a dense great forest, and they are currently on a hill about five hundred meters high within it. Because it is night, they can see little of the surroundings.

After two days of searching, She Mao finally discovered this treasure spot and rushed over with Qian Renxue and Ci Tun.

She Mao and Ci Tun each displayed their skill, climbing the mountain path as if walking on flat ground. Though they seemed slow, each step spanned over ten meters and was uniformly spaced, making the ascent feel like a vertical rise.

Qian Renxue immediately activated the Six‑Winged Angel soul seal, her martial soul taking hold, and flapped her wings to soar upward. The Six‑Winged Angel is not the Evil‑Flame Phoenix martial soul; in the original, Ma Hongjun could only fly after obtaining the third soul ring, the Phoenix Wing Soaring, and could not fly before the third ring—quite funny, and Qian Renxue almost laughed to death, thinking "Isn't this just a martial‑soul instinct?" Soon, the three reached the summit. Before them lay an inverted‑cone valley; their position was at its rim, and thick, humid heat rose from the valley, carrying a faint sulfuric scent.

"This is it, let's go!" Qian Renxue shook her wings and plunged straight down the pitch‑black, bottomless cliff ahead.

Ci Tun and She Mao saw Qian Renxue rush forward and hurriedly followed.

The moment they entered, Qian Renxue saw the famed Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye.

The Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye is not large, yet it is split into two sections: in an oval pool, the hot spring water is respectively milky white and vermilion. Strangely, although they share the same pool, the two colors are sharply separated, never mixing, each staying on its own side.

The billowing steam seen earlier rose from the interface of the two springs, continuously ascending until it gradually dissipated at the mountain pass.

"Shh, what is this place? My martial soul is being suppressed!" Ci Tun's face showed shock.

"This is one of three special natural environments, hailed as one of the three great treasure basins—the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye. Its unique conditions make it a gathering place of the world's finest spirits and celestial qi."

"The Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye not only nurtures flora but also has an extremely peculiar effect on bodies. If a human or animal lives beside it, within a short time the body will be struck by two opposing celestial qi; failing to leave promptly will cause the body to explode and die."

"However, extreme heat and extreme cold both counteract toxins. In a place like the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye, the anti‑toxin effect is especially potent."

"Ci Tun's uncle's martial soul carries inherent poison, so it will be suppressed by the extreme heat and cold here," Qian Renxue explained.

Mist swirls here, but Qian Renxue's eyesight is sharp; aided by the holy light emitted by her Six‑Winged Angel martial soul, she can still see everything around her.

Around the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye, a myriad of plants of every shape and hue spread, resembling a botanical paradise. Every plant here is a rare specimen, Qian Renxue forced herself to restrain her excitement and said.

"Ci Tun, She Mao, please guard the valley entrance for me; no one may enter without my order." She was about to soak in the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye, so she quickly sent the two away and also to keep Dugu Bo from disturbing. The valley outside has a poison formation; otherwise they wouldn't have found it in two days. Sunset Forest isn't as vast as Star‑Dou, but its area isn't small either. "Understood."

"Master, rest assured, but this spring feels extremely dangerous; please don't get too close," the two said as they left the valley and took positions on the summit.

Qian Renxue withdrew her martial soul, then eagerly pulled a small booklet from her crystal bracelet; the booklet recorded the uses and harvesting methods of the celestial herbs that Tang San and the Seven Freaks used in the original work.

This was a question Qian Renxue deliberately asked Ju Douluo at the Moon Pass, with no concealment—straightforward, lest Qian Daoliu give her a hard time! However, she only inquired about herbs that appeared in the original; she doesn't recognize ones that didn't. Even bringing Ju Douluo along, she remains uneasy; although Ju Douluo and Gui Douluo now belong to Qian Xunji, who knows if they have pledged to Bibi Dong.

Qian Renxue didn't rush to eat the nearby Eight‑Corner Mystic Ice Grass or Fiery Apricot Shrub; instead she looked at a strange celestial herb whose roots and leaves formed a fine vine canopy, while its tip bore a golden tulip that emitted a rich tulip fragrance, giving a sense of opulent grandeur.

Qian Renxue consulted the booklet: "Qiluo Tulip, elegant and noble; consuming it absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, the brilliance of sun and moon. The flower must not be swallowed; gently sip its stamen to draw the essence into the body, then cultivate soul power slowly so the effect spreads through all limbs and bones."

"Essence of heaven and earth, brilliance of sun and moon"—those eight words are what Qian Renxue values. The Six‑Winged Angel martial soul is beyond price; Ning Rongrong's Seven‑Treasure Glass Tower can't compare. The Six‑Winged Angel possesses solar attributes; if it gains lunar qualities, perhaps it could break the Six‑Winged Angel's shackles! As for leaving it as a gift to the Seven‑Treasure Glass Tower to make friends, Qian Renxue never considered it; they're just two super Douluo, and the alliance is fragile and laughable.

The Qiluo Tulip is the most extraordinary among this batch of celestial herbs for the Seven Freaks; on Sea God Island, Ning Rongrong's assessment level—Red‑Tier Seventh Test—was second only to Tang San.

That isn't due to her high talent; in terms of talent, Oscar, a food‑type, can naturally reach full soul power, so how could Ning Rongrong compare? It's simply that the Qiluo Tulip's effect is overwhelmingly god‑defying.

Qian Renxue then turned to an Eight‑Petal Orchid, its petals trembling faintly, entirely snow‑white and crystalline, giving an impression of lofty purity.

"Eight‑Petal Immortal Orchid, a celestial herb; it must be encased in gold‑filled jade. When placed in a jade vessel it never withers for a thousand years nor thanks for a hundred generations. Its properties are gentle yet the richest. It is easily absorbed but requires a long time; it consolidates the root, cultivates the source, and expels internal impurities. No special preparation needed—chew then swallow; it tastes sweet and fragrant."

"'Qiluo Tulip' and 'Eight‑Petal Immortal Orchid' are a pair of Mandarin‑Duck celestial herbs; they complement each other."

Qian Renxue did not take the golden vessel from the bracelet's storage soul‑conduit; she carefully packed it away.

Instead, she walked straight to the Eight‑Petal Immortal Orchid, opened her mouth wide, let out an "Awoo!" and gulped it down in one bite, root and all, Crunch! a few bites and it was gone.

She then hurried to the Qiluo Tulip, seized its stem, and voraciously sucked the stamen.

Qian Renxue sat cross‑legged, ran the Blazing Sun meditation to digest the medicine, and the Six‑Winged Angel martial soul automatically possessed her.

Crimson, gold, and pure white—the three martial‑soul aura colors swirled around her; between their flashes a richer milky‑white golden light framed them.

"Just eat and you're done—gobble it up!" (End of chapter)