After reaching an agreement with Dugu Bo, Tang Yin resumed his cultivation in a safe area outside the Icefire Duality Eye.
Tang Hao, who had gone to retrieve A'yin, soon returned.
As soon as he arrived at the Icefire Duality Eye, he eagerly planted the Blue Silver Emperor A'yin.
He then turned to Tang Yin. "Xiao Yin, let's begin now."
"Yes, Godfather," Tang Yin replied without hesitation. He walked to the Blue Silver Emperor and began releasing his Martial Soul, channeling green light into the plant to stimulate its growth.
Under Tang Hao's watchful gaze, Tang Yin had no choice but to obediently serve as a tool for reviving A'yin, nurturing her growth.
Whenever his soul power was depleted, he immediately meditated to recover, then resumed channeling energy into A'yin.
The moment he showed any sign of slacking off, Tang Hao would glare at him fiercely, his gaze sending shivers down Tang Yin's spine.
Though Tang Yin seethed with anger inwardly, he had to suppress his rage, focusing instead on cultivating diligently, recovering his soul power, and channeling green light into A'yin to accelerate her growth.
Six years.
Just six years.
Once he had gained sufficient strength and mastered the Icefire Immortal Herb for his own use, he would make Tang Hao pay dearly for his actions, leaving him to bleed for his crimes.
And so it was.
Several days passed quietly.
At that moment,
Inside a wooden cabin perched on a cliff,
Tang Hao sat in meditation, cultivating.
This cabin had originally belonged to Dugu Bo, but after Tang Hao drove him away, it naturally became his own residence.
During these past few days,
Tang Hao had spent his time either urging his adopted son to tirelessly accelerate A'yin's growth or coming here to cultivate.
He had discovered that cultivating in this location was far more effective than anywhere else, and most importantly, the injuries within his body were slowly healing.
This realization spurred him to cultivate even more diligently, so that when A'yin was resurrected, he could protect her and ensure no further harm would ever befall her.
As for his adopted son, Tang Yin, his sole task was to accelerate A'yin's growth, leaving him with nothing else to do.
Because Tang Hao forbade it.
Meanwhile,
Outside the Icefire Duality Eye,
Near A'yin's location,
Tang Yin sat in meditation, cultivating and replenishing his soul power near the Blue Silver Emperor A'yin.
The fluctuations of soul power around him grew exceptionally intense.
Before long,
His soul power level broke through to level twelve.
"I never expected this, truly never expected this."
These days of cultivation, combined with Tang Hao's relentless pressure to accelerate A'yin's growth and then restore his soul power, had naturally propelled Tang Yin to the twelfth level.
After consolidating his breakthrough, Tang Yin ceased cultivating and turned his gaze toward the Icefire Duality Eye.
Beside the spring, two medicinal herbs—one blue and one red—stood prominently on opposite sides of the spring's edge.
These were the Blazing Fire Apricot Beauty and the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass.
They were the key to keeping Tang Hao here.
However, to cultivate the Icefire Immortal Herb for his own use, Tang Yin would first need to withstand the overwhelming power and deadly poison of this place.
After a moment's contemplation, Tang Yin surveyed the surroundings of the Icefire Duality Eye before shifting his gaze to another area.
It was a peculiar, dimly lit place.
Originally shrouded in darkness, the area now glowed with a faint pink light. This pink aura, roughly ten meters in diameter, emanated from a central point.
Turning back to the massive flower, Tang Yin realized that the pale pink aura originated from its center.
This Immortal Grade herb was none other than the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Grade.
The Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Grade is a universal antidote, capable of neutralizing all toxins. It doesn't directly cure poisons, but it can counteract them.
This Immortal Grade emits a delicate, ethereal fragrance that renders any poisonous substance ineffective within its range. Its aroma neutralizes hundreds of toxins.
With this treasure, Tang Yin would no longer fear poison.
When Tang Yin was five years old, he had a premonition that he might one day visit the Icefire Duality Eye. He hastily sketched crude diagrams of Immortal Herbs and jotted down their names. Later, he coaxed every detail about these herbs from Tang San.
Initially, Tang San hesitated to reveal his knowledge, having learned it through clandestine methods at the Tang Sect and sworn to secrecy. But as Tang Yin's understanding grew, they eventually exchanged information, leading Tang San to finally share his secrets.
Now, this knowledge had come to fruition effortlessly.
"My strength is still too weak. If I secure the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Grade first, everything will fall into place. Cultivating the Icefire Immortal Herb will be no problem."
Tang Yin had deliberately delayed plucking these Immortal Grade spiritual herbs to avoid detection by Tang Hao.
If Tang Hao were to discover the true power of these Immortal Herbs, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Moreover, Tang Yin currently lacked sufficient containers to store the herbs, forcing him to leave them in the ground for now.
But now, he could finally begin.
Tang Yin glanced up at the cliff.
Blue Silver Grass he had cultivated there provided him with a clear line of sight. He was certain Tang Hao was still meditating above and wouldn't notice him for some time.
With this assurance, he took some protective measures and headed straight for the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Grade growing within the Icefire Duality Eye.
As he approached the Icefire Duality Eye, he discovered a dazzling array of plants, each more unique than the last. It was a veritable paradise for flora.
He didn't even glance at supreme medicinal herbs like the Snow Silkworm or Vermilion Lotus. Instead, he went directly to the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Grade's location, pulled out a box, and carefully harvested the herb according to the method Tang San had taught him, placing it gently inside.
This box, purchased during his trip with Tang Hao, proved unexpectedly useful.
With the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Grade in hand, he approached the Icefire Immortal Herbs.
He first went to the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass.
As a supreme cold-attribute plant, the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass emanated a bone-chilling aura that could freeze the central nervous system. Within a ten-meter radius, its icy energy was overwhelming, and prolonged exposure would allow its lethal cold poison to invade the heart, leaving no cure.
Yet poison was still poison, and all poisons were inherently countered by the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Grade.
Moreover, Tang Yin knew that while this herb was classified as an Immortal Grade, it was far from beneficial. On the contrary, it was an exceptionally potent poison. Even a powerhouse like Poison Douluo Dugu Bo would never dare linger near it for long.
Even Tang Hao, if poisoned by it, would struggle to fully recover.
Relying on the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Grade, Tang Yin approached the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass and activated his Martial Soul, unleashing its life-nurturing green light.
Just as he'd anticipated, the green light instantly imprinted itself upon the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass.
To his surprise, he sensed a nascent life form gestating within the plant—a creature still incredibly weak and small, its consciousness yet to fully develop.
But now, nourished by his Martial Soul's green light, the creature rapidly absorbed the energy and began to awaken a faint spark of sentience.
This unexpected development left Tang Yin astonished.
If this continued...
Within a year or two, the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass would likely develop sentience, becoming an Octagonal Profound Ice Grass Soul Beast.
Next, he moved to the Blazing Fire Apricot Beauty, an Immortal Grade plant with supreme fire poison, and began emitting his Green Light Martial Soul's growth-accelerating energy.
Just like the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass, this Immortal Grade plant also harbored a nascent life force. Under his Green Light Martial Soul's influence, its sentience gradually awakened.
If both Immortal Grade plants gained sentience, they would become formidable beings born with the extreme attributes of ice and fire, each possessing potent ice and fire poisons.
Controlling such power would greatly enhance his advantage against Tang Hao.
A cold smile crept across Tang Yin's face.
"Father, oh Father, just wait for the grand gift I'm preparing for you."
After nurturing both Immortal Herbs, he returned to A'yin's territory and sat down to cultivate.
His first Soul Ring materialized around him, and he activated his Soul Skill.
Under the radiant sunlight, streams of solar energy converged upon him.
As the energy entered his body, he could feel his cells gradually strengthening, their vitality increasing, and his physical constitution steadily improving.
Day after day, he continued this routine.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Tang Yin spent his days using his Green Light Martial Soul and his first Soul Skill, Photosynthesis, to nurture his adoptive mother, the Blue Silver Emperor A'yin.
At night, he cultivated his soul power and tempered his physique.
When Tang Hao wasn't watching, he would also nurture the Icefire Immortal Herbs.
Tang Hao occasionally brought in Soul Beasts for Tang Yin to battle.
After two years of relentless training, Tang Yin's physical strength far surpassed ordinary human limits.
Now eight years old, his soul power had reached level 20.
He needed only one more Soul Ring to break through to become a two-ringed Great Soul Master.
At this moment, within the Icefire Duality Eye, Tang Yin sat cross-legged near the edge.
A dense, emerald-green soul power radiated from him, dyeing the entire Icefire Duality Eye green.
Remarkably, two Immortal Grade herbs within the eye continuously absorbed the green soul power he emitted.
These herbs were the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass and the Blazing Fire Apricot Beauty.
Thanks to Tang Yin's two years of nurturing, two sentient beings had formed within the herbs.
They thrived on his soul power, relishing the nourishment from his Green Light Martial Soul and the Photosynthesis provided by his first Soul Skill.
Their consciousness grew stronger and stronger.
Soon, two orbs of light—one blue, the other red—manifested within the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass and the Blazing Fire Apricot Beauty.
These were the spirits of the two Immortal Herbs: the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass Spirit and the Blazing Fire Apricot Beauty Spirit.
"Eee-yah!"
Like newborn infants, the two Immortal Herb Spirits quietly detached from their hosts and drifted toward Tang Yin.
They circled around him, their movements conveying an overwhelming sense of affection, as if he were the closest person in their world.
"The Immortal Herb Spirits... it truly worked," Tang Yin murmured, reaching out to stroke the Octagonal Profound Ice Grass. The creature born from the Blazing Fire Apricot Beauty smiled in satisfaction.
Two years of tireless effort had not been in vain.
"Eee-yah! Eee-yah!"
As the red and blue orbs chirped, crimson and azure light radiated from their forms, enveloping Tang Yin.
It was a peculiar sensation, as if the energies of the Icefire Immortal Herbs were tempering his body.
Even this brief exposure revealed the immense power of the ice and fire energies' refinement—it was truly extraordinary.
"Go back now," Tang Yin instructed. "Absorb the ice and fire energies to cultivate, and condense the extreme toxins within the Icefire Duality Eye. I'll take you with me when I leave."
The now-conscious Icefire Immortal Spirits clearly understood.
After circling him once more, the two orbs flew back into their respective hosts, beginning to absorb the Icefire Duality Eye's energy.
Born from the Icefire Duality Eye, these spirits had now gained sentience, evolving into true living beings.
The difference between conscious and unconscious absorption was vast, though achieving full transformation would undoubtedly be a long and arduous process.