When Tang San noticed Xiao Tianyang's silence, he quickly changed the subject: "Brother Tianyang, there are many types of medicinal herbs here, each with different effects. There must be one that suits you. Let me think about it..."
After pondering for a while, he continued, "Your martial spirit is fire-based, so this Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is perfect for you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Tianyang reached out, grabbed the herb with its golden leaves and cockscomb-like petals, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"How is it?" Tang San asked, slightly stunned but quickly recovering. "This herb is highly effective in enhancing flame and soul power. It should be of great help to you."
"Ugh, it tastes awful!" Xiao Tianyang stuck out his tongue, revealing green fibers clinging to it.
Tang San: "..."
'I was asking about its efficacy, not how it tastes!'
At that moment, Xiao Tianyang raised his hand, and flames surged around him. However, aside from the flames burning a little brighter, there was no other noticeable change.
"How is this possible?" Tang San frowned.
Logically, such a rare and potent herb should be immensely beneficial, even to a titled Douluo. How could it have no effect on Xiao Tianyang, a soul elder?
Xiao Tianyang waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. I'm already much stronger than you, so a little extra strength doesn't matter."
Tang San, however, wasn't ready to give up. He tried several more herbs: the Qiluo Tulip, the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone, and the Strange Velvet Chrysanthemum...
After consuming them all, the only change was that the flames in Xiao Tianyang's hand grew larger and brighter. His soul power level remained unchanged, and there was no qualitative improvement.
"Is it because these herbs aren't old enough?" Tang San muttered to himself, puzzled. "But that can't be. Brother Tianyang already used his first soul skill to accelerate their growth. How could they still have no effect?"
"Alright, don't worry about it," Xiao Tianyang said, patting Tang San on the shoulder. "Maybe my martial soul is just too powerful, so these herbs have only a minimal effect on me."
"Perhaps that's the case," Tang San conceded, unable to think of another explanation. But then he suddenly remembered something and clapped his hands. "Wait, there was only one of each of those herbs earlier..."
In truth, Tang San had initially chosen those herbs because they were perfectly suited for the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils. During his first attempt, he hadn't considered other herbs, focusing only on those specific plants. Now, realizing that those were the ones he had prepared for Dai Mubai and the others, he felt a pang of regret.
But before he could finish his thought, Xiao Tianyang interjected, "Did you forget about me?"
Tang San's eyes lit up. "Right! With Brother Tianyang here, there's no need to worry about running out of herbs. Fortunately, we left the roots earlier, and with the nutrients here, we should be able to grow a few more plants."
"That's settled then," Xiao Tianyang said indifferently, waving his hand. "You go ahead and do what you need to do. That old poisoner will be back in three days. We can't let him go on a rampage and hurt anyone."
Tang San nodded seriously. Even though Xiao Tianyang had the backing of a super Douluo, distant water couldn't quench a nearby fire. Moreover, Tang San had no intention of breaking his promise to Dugu Bo.
Besides, he had a closer relationship with Dugu Bo, and it was only right to take what they needed openly rather than secretly.
Soon, the two went their separate ways to focus on their tasks.
Tang San didn't immediately start working on solving Dugu Bo's residual toxin problem. He already had a plan in mind and just needed time to execute it.
In three days, as long as Dugu Bo saw progress, everything would be fine. Tang San believed that Dugu Bo wouldn't be reckless enough to harm the disciple of a super Douluo.
Instead, Tang San decided to focus on improving his own strength. The recent incidents—Xiao Wu being taken by the Titan Giant Ape and then by Dugu Bo—had dealt him significant blows. He was now more determined than ever to grow stronger.
With that in mind, he immediately set to work on the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot.
Meanwhile, Xiao Tianyang sat aside, pondering the issue of integrating different flames.
After obtaining the manual earlier, he hadn't had the chance to study it. First, he left Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, then entered Blue Tyrant Academy, and was subsequently captured.
He had been so busy that he almost forgot about it. Fortunately, the slight improvement in flame fusion earlier had reminded him.
"Still, it's strange," Xiao Tianyang thought. "These herbs are supposed to be top-tier treasures, so why do they have such a weak effect on me?"
This thought disrupted his earlier train of thought...
The next night, Tang San, who had consumed two medicinal herbs, woke up at the intersection of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was startled.
"Brother Tianyang, why are you here too?!"
"Why the fuss? It's just a bath," Xiao Tianyang said lazily, pulling the towel off his face and leaning on the edge of the spring. "Are you alright?"
Tang San regained his composure and couldn't help but ask, "You seem disappointed?"
Xiao Tianyang chuckled. "I won't tease you anymore. With my physical condition, the spring water here can't harm me, so don't worry. Besides, compared to me, you seem to have changed quite a bit."
At that moment, the Eight Spider Lances on Tang San's back had a faint dark red hue. The white lines representing the highly toxic parts had also thickened.
"Actually, I haven't fully absorbed the medicinal power of the two herbs yet. Otherwise, the effects would be even more pronounced," Tang San explained with a smile, seeing that Xiao Tianyang didn't press further.
Xiao Tianyang rinsed the towel in the spring water, wrung it dry, and said, "In that case, it's time to get to work."
"Don't worry, Brother Tianyang. When it comes to poisons, I'm very confident," Tang San said as he climbed out of the spring. "And during this time, we can accomplish a lot here. I believe you'll be surprised when the time comes."
Xiao Tianyang raised an eyebrow, knowing Tang San was hinting at refining two hidden weapons: the Hades Post and the Child-Mother Soul-Chasing Dart. The former was highly toxic, while the latter was ferocious—both were difficult to defend against.
"I'm looking forward to it," Xiao Tianyang said, shifting the topic. "By the way, you were training yesterday, so I suppressed the evolution of my martial soul to avoid disturbing you. But now that you've completed your initial training, I can proceed."
Hearing this, Tang San was initially excited. After all, Xiao Tianyang had consumed so many herbs the previous day with no effect, which had shaken his confidence. But then he was moved. Xiao Tianyang had deliberately delayed his own progress for Tang San's sake.
"Brother Tianyang, go ahead. I'll stand guard for you," Tang San said solemnly.
…
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