Tang San voiced his thoughts. "Teacher once said that the fourth spirit ring should have a maximum lifespan of 4,500 years. We're already far behind the Seven Treasures team. If my spirit ring's lifespan could be higher, perhaps I could narrow the gap."
"Theories only represent the majority—there will always be exceptions," Yu Xiaogang explained to himself before continuing, "Xiaosan can give it a try, but the lifespan shouldn't exceed 6,000 years."
Absorbing a spirit ring beyond one's level was also an interesting direction for theoretical research.
Yu Xiaogang decided to use Tang San as a test subject and compile the results into his own theory.
---
The Sunset Forest was vast. After searching for several days in a row, the group still hadn't found anything.
Seeing that they had wasted quite a bit of time, Yu Xiaogang suggested, "Spider-type soul beasts are nocturnal. It's unlikely we'll find them during the day. Everyone, rest this afternoon, and we'll set out again later tonight."
"Master, couldn't Third Brother's martial soul absorb a plant-type spirit ring? The thorny devil vine we passed earlier would've been perfect for Third Brother," Xiao Wu couldn't help but question.
In her opinion, there was no need to make things more difficult than they had to be.
Liu Erlong, who had already adopted Xiao Wu as his goddaughter, chimed in, "Xiaogang, I think Xiao Wu is right."
"What do women know!" Yu Xiaogang snapped angrily.
If Tang San absorbed a plant-type spirit ring, how could he put his own theories into practice?
Tang San replied, "Xiao Wu, Teacher Erlong, let's follow Master's arrangements."
With the person involved speaking up, Liu Erlong and Xiao Wu naturally couldn't insist further.
As night fell, the Shrek group began searching for traces of spider-type soul beasts in the forest.
Suddenly, a wave of emerald green poisonous miasma appeared before them.
Ma Hongjun didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just ordinary miasma. Just as he was about to walk through it, Tang San pulled him back.
Without saying a word, Tang San grabbed a nearby young soul beast and tossed it into the miasma.
As expected, the soul beast dissolved into a pool of thick liquid within moments.
"This…" Ma Hongjun swallowed nervously.
Without Tang San stopping him, his fate would likely have been the same.
A faint purple glow flashed in Tang San's eyes as he peered through the miasma with his Purple Extreme Devil Eye. With its exceptional vision, he easily spotted the mountain peak behind the miasma.
"Whoever set up this poisonous miasma must be incredibly skilled," Yu Xiaogang muttered after searching the area for a moment without finding anything unusual.
Yu Tianheng suddenly recalled something. "Yanzi once mentioned that Elder Dugu had a secret garden in the Sunset Forest. Judging by the color, this miasma resembles the poison of a green phosphorus snake."
After some testing, Tang San shook his head. "This isn't green phosphorus snake venom—it's poison mist emitted by a plant called Green Phosphorus Seven-Extreme Flower."
"Green Phosphorus Seven-Extreme Flower? Could it be an immortal herb?" Xiao Wu exclaimed in surprise.
Tang San nodded at first, then explained with a bitter smile, "It can indeed be considered an immortal herb, but it's extremely toxic. Unless you're a soul master with the strongest toxins, absorbing this thing would be tantamount to suicide."
Everyone was shocked and immediately abandoned any reckless thoughts.
"This miasma doesn't exist here by chance. Perhaps behind it lies Elder Dugu's secret garden," Tang San analyzed.
But even if they knew that, how could they get past the poisonous fog to obtain the immortal herb?
Flender adjusted his glasses and, pretending to act wise, chuckled, "Little monsters, did you forget that your principal has flying abilities?"
"This miasma hasn't reached the sky. I can fly high and take a bird's-eye view."
"Right!" Everyone suddenly realized.
However, it was already nighttime, and visibility was very low. They decided to wait until morning for Flender to investigate.
---
When Ning Tianchen and Dugu Bo left the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, they sealed the top entrance with massive stones and covered the surrounding area with soil.
Their goal was naturally to prevent anyone from discovering it from the air.
Of course, the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well had more than one entrance. Another hidden opening was concealed within the poisonous miasma. Only Ning Tianchen and Dugu Bo knew about this—Dugu Yan wasn't even aware of it.
Early the next morning, Flender's investigation yielded no results.
"It's just an ordinary mountain. I saw clearly—there's no trace of any treasures," Flender reported.
"Perhaps the Green Phosphorus Seven-Extreme Flower just grows naturally here, and we were mistaken," Yu Tianheng said regretfully.
While Dugu Bo was away, if they could enter his secret garden, they'd likely find an immortal herb.
They planned to leave before Dugu Bo returned. Even if their actions were discovered later, it wouldn't be traced back to them.
Of course, there was no "if." Since Flender couldn't detect anything unusual, they naturally couldn't find anything either.
Just as everyone was feeling disheartened, some good news finally arrived.
Not far behind them, a Pit Demon Spider Emperor was eyeing their position, preparing to hunt.
Flender immediately noticed its presence. "A 6,500-year Pit Demon Spider Emperor. Xiaogang, what do you think?"
"Teacher, let's choose it," Tang San said firmly.
At 6,500 years, it still fell within the thousand-year spirit ring category, so there wouldn't be any soul oscillations.
Yu Xiaogang pondered for a moment before finally agreeing to Tang San's request.
---
Over the next few days, the matter of the Seven Treasures shop had been settled by Ning Tianchen. They just needed Dugu Bo to bring the medicinal herbs, and they could officially open for business.
That day, Dugu Bo went to the simulated cultivation field to find Ning Tianchen, who was training.
"Little one, I'm returning to the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well today. I remember you left two immortal herbs by the water's edge. Do you want me to retrieve them for you?"
Ning Tianchen was about to decline when he paused in deep thought.
Tang San was the chosen one of this era. Who knows? By sheer luck, he might stumble upon the location of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well today.
After some consideration, he said, "Outsiders shouldn't be able to find the entrance to the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well today. Old man, if someone tries to force their way in, destroy those two immortal herbs."
The only attribute of the Seven Kill Sword's martial soul was killing intent.
Adding ice and fire attributes to his martial soul held no significance for him at this stage.
Moreover, the effects of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot could be replaced by the spring water of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well today. Whether the herbs were kept or destroyed made no difference to Ning Tianchen.
When Dugu Bo arrived at the outskirts of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well today, he sensed from afar that the Shrek group was being blocked by the poisonous miasma.
He didn't rush over but stood at a high point to observe the movements of the Shrek group from a distance.
"Are they just hunting for spirit rings?"
Dugu Bo felt a twinge of guilt. If someone found the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well today, the medicinal herbs he had planted there would be lost.
The medicinal herb trade was also going to be a pillar of the Dugu family's future economy. Without the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well today, how could he continue selling herbs?
Realizing this, Dugu Bo understood that he had to drive these people away. And in the process, he couldn't appear to be deliberately showing up here.
After recalling the area, he remembered there was a fairly powerful soul beast nearby. He decided to chase it down and "accidentally" encounter the Shrek group along the way.
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