20: Chapter 20: Ice and Fire Body Refinement, Shaking the Heavenly Dou Royal Family

Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"Haha, this old man has finally broken through!"

Gold Crocodile Douluo suddenly opened his eyes, feeling the surging, vast Soul Power within him that far exceeded what he had possessed before, and he could not help but laugh heartily.

In the distance, Ji Xuan had already stored most of the Immortal Plants into his Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse. Hearing the commotion, he turned to look at the Gold Crocodile Douluo, whose Aura was completely different.

Ji Xuan walked forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and congratulated him: "Congratulations, Junior Martial Uncle, your strength has advanced further."

"Haha, Xiao Xuan, this is all thanks to you."

Gold Crocodile Douluo strode up to Ji Xuan and patted him on the shoulder.

He had been trapped at the Peak of the ninety-eighth level for many years and had thought he would never have another chance to break through in this lifetime; he had not expected to encounter such an Opportunity during this trip.

"Junior Martial Uncle, you are too kind." Ji Xuan smiled slightly, "Since you have successfully broken through, I should also seize the time to refine the Immortal Plants."

"Go ahead." Gold Crocodile Douluo nodded slightly, "With this old man here to act as your Protector, you can rest assured. It just so happens that I also need to consolidate my Realm."

Ji Xuan nodded in acknowledgment and turned to walk towards the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The closer he got to the spring, the more Ji Xuan truly felt the terrifying nature of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Two extreme, diametrically opposed energies—extreme heat and extreme cold—were constantly eroding his body.

If it were an ordinary Spirit Master, they would likely have been severely injured in an instant.

Ji Xuan's mind stirred, and the Power of Order quietly circulated. The discomfort instantly dissipated for the most part; although he could not completely resist it, he could already handle it with composure.

His current progress in comprehending the Power of Order was approximately twenty percent, allowing him to detach from his reliance on his Spirit and directly manipulate basic natural elements.

However, he still could not influence the energy derived from Spirit Abilities at the moment.

He vaguely sensed that when his comprehension progress exceeded thirty percent, he might be able to get a glimpse of the path.

Ji Xuan's gaze fell upon the two Immortal Plants growing beside the spring.

The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot Delicate Herb, when picked and consumed together, can forge a body immune to all poisons.

Ji Xuan condensed a wind blade in his right hand and flicked his fingertips, two sharp wind blades precisely cutting off the stems of the two Immortal Plants.

Although this would result in the loss of some of their efficacy, for Ji Xuan, the impact was not very significant.

Ji Xuan then controlled the wind elements to combine the two Immortal Plants, and without hesitation, he put them into his mouth.

He took off his shirt and leaped into the center of the spring.

In an instant, red and blue light constantly shimmered on Ji Xuan's body surface, and the two energies of ice and fire continuously scoured his limbs and bones, with each impact bringing waves of stinging pain.

Thanks to his extremely strong physical constitution, this ice and fire tempering, which would be unbearable for ordinary people, was still within his controllable range.

Seeing Ji Xuan jump into the spring water, Gold Crocodile Douluo's eyes flashed with a hint of worry, but seeing that his breathing was steady, he set his mind at ease and immediately found an open space to consolidate his brand-new Realm.

Afterwards, Ji Xuan would briefly come ashore every two days to replenish his consumption.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel speechless; this Douluo Continent was truly worthy of being the bottom-tier of the Xuanhuan World, as even those who reached the level of Titled Douluo still had to eat.

...

Time flowed, and a month passed in a hurry.

Inside the training ground lounge at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

Dugu Yan nestled in Yu Tianheng's arms, her brows tightly furrowed as she clutched the corner of her clothes tightly:

"Tianheng, my grandfather hasn't come back for a month. Before, he would come back to accompany me for a few days at most every half month or so, but this time..."

Yu Tianheng gently held her hand and comforted her in a gentle voice: "Yanzi, why don't you seek help from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family? After all, your grandfather is a Guest Elder of the Imperial Family."

He paused, then added: "If there is still no news, I will try my best to request help from my Family."

"Thank you, Tianheng." Dugu Yan raised her head, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Seeing this, Yufeng, who was on the side, also spoke up to comfort her: "Vice Captain, don't worry too much. Senior Dugu is a Titled Douluo; what could possibly happen to him?"

The other team members nodded in agreement, "That's right, Vice Captain, Yufeng is right."

Although Ye Lingling, who was always cold and aloof, did not speak, she also nodded gently.

Dugu Yan stood up, her gaze sweeping over the others, "I understand, thank you everyone, I will go find the three Education Committee members now."

Dugu Yan hurriedly left the lounge.

Watching Dugu Yan's departing back, Yu Tianheng sighed to himself, his brows slightly furrowed.

Back then, his grandfather, Clan Master Yu Yuanzhen, had specifically sent him to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy to give him an advantage in the Family competition, telling him to pursue Dugu Yan in order to win over Dugu Bo.

After years of effort, Dugu Yan had finally accepted his feelings not long ago.

But if Dugu Bo really met with an accident... would his grandfather still support him being with Dugu Yan?

...

"Dong! Dong! Dong..."

The door to the Academic Affairs Office was knocked on urgently.

"Please come in."

An old man's voice came from inside the room.

Dugu Yan pushed the door open and entered; all three Education Committee members were there.

"Young Miss Dugu, is there something you need?"

The one who spoke was an old man of medium build with white hair and beard, and a ruddy complexion.

This old man was the Chief of the Academic Affairs Committee, Meng Shenji, whose Spirit was the Black Demon, a control system eighty-fifth level eight-ring Battle Spirit Douluo.

Beside him was another very fat old man, the second seat of the Academic Affairs Committee, Bai Baoshan, whose Spirit was the Heavenly Star Furnace, a defense system eighty-fourth level eight-ring Battle Spirit Douluo.

The other old man, who had an ordinary appearance and a normal build, was the third seat of the Academic Affairs Committee, Zhilin, whose Spirit was the Sky Green Vine, a control system eighty-first level eight-ring Battle Spirit Douluo.

The three of them all cast their gazes upon Dugu Yan.

"Three Education Committee members," Dugu Yan bowed slightly, "My grandfather has not had any news for a month. Could I please ask you to help search for him?"

"Senior Dugu?" Meng Shenji pondered for a moment, "In that case, let us go and ask for His Majesty's instructions first."

"Thank you for the trouble, three Education Committee members."

"Young Miss Dugu, don't worry too much. Senior Dugu is highly powerful; nothing will happen to him."

Meng Shenji comforted her with a sentence, then hurried to the Imperial Palace with the other two Education Committee members.

...

Inside the Golden Throne Hall of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the three Education Committee members of the Imperial Academy request an audience."

"Proclaim them."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"His Majesty has an edict: summon the three Education Committee members of the Imperial Academy to enter the hall for an audience!"

The three Education Committee members walked into the hall.

"Three Education Committee members, what important matter do you have?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty." Meng Shenji spoke first, "Senior Dugu has not returned for a month, and Young Miss Dugu wishes to seek the Imperial Family's help to search for him."

After hearing the report from the three Education Committee members, Emperor Xue Ye's brows furrowed deeply.

Dugu Bo was the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's Guest Elder, their only Titled Douluo; if something were to happen to him, the power of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would surely suffer a great loss.

A moment later, Emperor Xue Ye pondered and said: "Mr. Dugu is a pillar of the Empire. This matter must not be neglected. Committee Member Meng, I authorize you to mobilize the Imperial Secret Guards to investigate, especially in the Sunset Forest."

"Your subject obeys the edict." Meng Shenji bowed to receive the order.

Emperor Xue Ye then looked at Bai Baoshan and Zhilin: "Two Committee members, you are responsible for coordinating the academy's forces to conduct a careful search within the city and its surroundings. Report any clues immediately."

Emperor Xue Ye added: "Remember, this matter must be conducted in secret. Do not make it public to avoid causing unnecessary turmoil."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The three replied in unison and immediately exited the hall.