When Dugu Bo returned, he found that Oscar had already entered the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures. After a moment's thought, he decided not to disturb Oscar and took Dugu Yan directly to the stone house on the cliff face.
Dugu Bo was now truly determined to try the method Oscar had described. If it proved successful without any side effects, he would have to make plans for Dugu Yan soon.
...
Oscar took a simple look at all the medicinal herbs within the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures, and his excited heart gradually began to calm.
If it had been anyone else who knew the effects of these herbs, they would probably have been unable to resist stuffing these heavenly treasures into their mouths.
But Oscar would never do that. Because not only did he now understand the effects of these heavenly treasures, but he also knew their terrifying aspects.
If used improperly, even a divine-grade herb could become a deadly poison. The medicinal properties of these heavenly-grade herbs were extremely potent on their own, and consuming too much would undoubtedly lead to irreversible side effects.
After all, Oscar understood the principle of the dangers of excessive supplementation.
That said, Oscar greatly admired Dugu Bo. Because Oscar knew that while Dugu Bo might not understand these herbs as clearly as he did, he should at least know that many of them had beneficial properties. Yet he could resist taking them, which showed he had a certain amount of research into medicine.
Moreover, Dugu Bo's own willpower was strong enough to resist touching these things.
So, it wasn't just luck that allowed him to break through to become a Title Douluo; his own abilities played a significant part as well.
After a brief survey, Oscar discovered that he recognized quite a few of the herbs here. Although he didn't know all of them, he recognized most of the ones he needed.
And that was enough. After all, there would be plenty of opportunities to learn more in the future; for now, what he could use was sufficient.
After confirming a few things, Oscar had his own plan. After hesitating for a long while, he walked toward the extreme cold end of the hot springs.
Soon, Oscar stopped in front of a white herb.
At this moment, Oscar was fully circulating his soul power within his body, but a faint white mist still appeared on the surface of his skin. Despite having soul power protecting him, Oscar's body continued to tremble as he endured the impact of the extreme cold energy.
The top of this white herb looked like a large white flower, octagonal in shape, with its core shimmering like ice crystal with tiny pistils. This flower emitted no fragrance.
And its location was right at the center of the Extreme Cold Yin Spring.
This was called the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, a divine-grade cold herb that could make one's heart grow cold and freeze one's consciousness.
Within ten meters of this herb, the cold energy was overwhelming. Staying for even a short time would cause the cold poison to attack the heart, becoming incurable. Let alone eating it, just being near it would bring misfortune. To pick it, one must use a metal object.
Although the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass was also a divine-grade herb, it was not beneficial. On the contrary, it was a rare and potent poison—at least, that was true for a single herb.
If the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass was taken together with another divine-grade herb, however, the two would complement each other and become an absolutely supreme supplement, offering even soul masters the chance to defy fate and change their destiny.
The other divine-grade herb was called the Blazing Fire Apricot Delicate Vegetable, and its effects were the exact opposite of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. The Blazing Fire Apricot Delicate Vegetable was an extreme heat source. Unlike the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, it could only be picked with jade; otherwise, its effects would be greatly diminished.
Coming now to the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Oscar dared not wait or hesitate any longer. He took out a dagger from his soul tool. As the dagger in his hand flashed, he instantly cut the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass just above its root.
Then, Oscar's left hand suddenly activated his cyan soul power, condensing it into a perfect jade hand. This was one of the uses of his Sky-Crystal Jade Sword's two skills.
However, because only in its sword form could the Sky-Crystal Jade Sword unleash its full power, Oscar had chosen to focus on mastering the sword.
In fact, this external soul bone could be used to create any shape or object he desired through this condensation skill, provided he had enough soul power.
The jade hand that appeared out of thin air instantly grabbed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and then Oscar's figure quickly flew toward the extreme heat of the Fire Spring.
The Blazing Fire Apricot Delicate Vegetable was fiery red all over, somewhat similar in shape to a vegetable, but its extreme heat could incinerate anything that approached it.
Oscar directly condensed a jade sword to cut the Blazing Fire Apricot Delicate Vegetable just above its root, then condensed another jade hand to pick it up as well.
The moment the two divine herbs gathered before Oscar, the extreme cold and extreme heat that had been emanating from them disappeared simultaneously.
At this point, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass was enveloped in a faint red glow, while the Blazing Fire Apricot Delicate Vegetable was surrounded by a faint white mist.
Oscar knew that he could not hesitate at all. Although the two divine herbs restrained each other after coming together, their effects would completely disappear after ten breaths.
So without hesitation, Oscar pinched the two divine herbs and put them in his mouth.
Although these two divine herbs were poisonous, after restraining and neutralizing each other, they lost their previous dominance. They dissolved the moment they entered his mouth, turning into fluid that slid down his throat. At this moment, Oscar only felt his mouth watering with a fresh fragrance.
But in the time of just three breaths, Oscar's body trembled violently. Then, a layer of ice-blue rose directly from his feet.
In the blink of an eye, Oscar's entire body had turned blue. Then, another layer of red rose, and at this point, Oscar looked like a freshly cooked shrimp.
If someone had been observing Oscar at this moment, they would have noticed that his body was alternating between blue and red, an incredibly strange sight.
And yet, this simple alternating process nearly caused Oscar's spirit to collapse.
The impact of two extreme energies was so painful that it exceeded the sum of all his usual training and tempering combined.
However, he still had some control over his body. Taking a deep breath, Oscar directly leaped forward into the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures.
His figure simply fell from where the Extreme Cold Yin Spring and the Blazing Yang Spring met. With a splash, Oscar was completely submerged in the water, sinking instantly in moments.
The reason Oscar didn't enter the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures immediately after consuming the two divine herbs was to wait for the effects to kick in. Otherwise, if he had jumped in even a moment earlier, he would have been reduced to bones and ashes.
Now that the effects had taken hold, however, Oscar didn't feel much as he entered the water. Because the pain from the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Blazing Fire Apricot Delicate Vegetable had caused all his perception of the outside world to vanish instantly.
At this point, Oscar had no capacity for further thought. He focused all his energy on circulating his soul power, using the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures to absorb and refine the effects of the two divine herbs.
And with the effect of the Ice and Fire Eyes of Two Natures, there was a strong catalytic effect on the two poisonous divine herbs Oscar had consumed, promoting his absorption of them and transforming their massive and terrifying ice and fire energy into power to forge and transform his body.
(End of Chapter)