"What do I need to do?" Yuan resolved himself after hearing that he could help Chu Liuxiang.
Feng Yuxiang retrieved another box from her spatial ring and handed it to him.
"Open it."
Yuan nodded and opened the box, and to his surprise, there was a scale inside. However, it was not the Flood Dragon's scale. This scale was bright red and emitting a fiery aura that made Yuan feel like his face was before an open oven that had its temperature maxed.
"What is this…?" Yuan looked at Feng Yuxiang as the hot air continued blowing into his face.
"That's an Inferno Dragon's scale. They're just like the Flood Dragon, but with a fire element. The Flood Dragon and the Inferno Dragon are like Yin and Yang with the Flood Dragon being Yin and the Inferno Dragon being Yang."
"Despite their different element that normally opposes each other, you can actually cultivate them together."
"If you cultivate the Inferno Dragon's scale while she cultivates the Flood Dragon's scale, you can ease each other's pain."
"However, since she has already absorbed a pill that enhances her effects, you will also have to do the same in order for this to work."
"It's going to be incredibly painful, Young Master. Do you still want to do it?"
"I will do it." He immediately nodded.
Not only will this benefit Chu Liuxiang, but it will also benefit him.
"Also you should know that the Inferno Dragon's scale will only affect those with fire spiritual veins. If you do not have such veins, you won't benefit from it." Feng Yuxiang suddenly said, leaving Yuan speechless.
He doesn't know his spiritual veins' element, and if this doesn't affect him, it would definitely suck for him. However, if it works on him, he will know that he has fire element spiritual veins.
"Regardless, I am doing this for Lulu. Even if I don't benefit from it, I am fine with it." Yuan eventually said.
"Okay. What about you? Do you want to continue? If you don't, there's no point in all of this." Feng Yuxiang asked Chu Liuxiang next.
"I… I want to continue." She said as she slowly stood back up.
"Good."
"Whenever you're ready, Young Master."
Yuan removed his clothes and entered the bathtub with Chu Liuxiang.
Feng Yuxiang then dropped the Inferno Dragon's scale inside the bathtub, and the icy water immediately began to melt, quickly becoming lukewarm.
"You can go ahead and start cultivating now," she said to them a moment later.
Yuan took a deep breath and started absorbing the treasure.
"Ah! It really freaking hurts!" Yuan exclaimed in a shocked voice.
He had underestimated the pain Chu Liuxiang felt before, but after experiencing it himself, he did not blame her for wanting to quit.
'And this is how it feels with the pain lowered? I cannot imagine it being any more painful than this!' Yuan cried inwardly.
Seeing Yuan's painful face, Chu Liuxiang took a moment to brace herself before she started absorbing the treasure again.
Intense pain immediately permeated throughout her body. Even though it wasn't as unbearably painful as before, it was still painful enough to knock most people unconscious if they experienced it.
However, she wasn't the only one suffering this time, and Yuan was enduring the same pain just for her, so she couldn't give up no matter how painful it was.
"Young Master, slow down on your side. If you absorb the treasure too quickly, the Yin and Yang will become unbalanced, and it will only get more painful from there." Feng Yuxiang warned him.
Yuan silently nodded and controlled his pace until it matched Chu Liuxiang's pace.
"I know it's very painful, but at least it'll be done within an hour if you continue at your pace." Feng Yuxiang said a moment later.
An hour would usually disappear very quickly, especially when they're focused, but this time it was different.
The sensation of pain made them count every second even if they didn't want to, making it feel longer than reality.
However, despite feeling similar levels of pain, both Yuan and Chu Liuxiang were having polar opposite experiences.
Chu Liuxiang was assaulted by an extremely cold sensation while feeling like her spiritual veins were being stabbed all over by sharp icicles. Meanwhile, Yuan felt like he was being baked inside an oven, and his internal organs and blood felt like it was engulfed in flames.
It felt like they were living in separate versions of hell.
"It's almost been an hour… I wonder if the Inferno Dragon's scale will affect the Young Master, and if it does, how much will it increase his talents." Feng Yuxiang mumbled to herself.
"A tiny percentage of Brother Yuan's talent is enough to make even a once-in-a-century genius look like an ordinary cultivator…" Xiao Hua said.
"Yes, that's why I am excited. What will happen if he happens to have fire element spiritual veins?"
A couple more minutes later, Yuan slowly opened his eyes and took a long and deep breath.
Ding!
<Your resistance to pain has increased significantly>
"Lulu, are you okay?" Yuan asked her.
"Yes, I am fine. Just a little exhausted, that's all."
They left the bathtub shortly after.
After they got dressed, Feng Yuxiang asked them, "How do you feel?"
"Umm… I can't really tell… Are we supposed to feel any different?" Yuan asked.
"Not really. As long as you don't feel any post-pain or sickness, it means you'd successfully managed to absorb the treasure."
"I thought body tempering was the most painful thing in the world, but my experience today proved me wrong…" Yuan sighed.
Feng Yuxiang smiled and said, "If you think this is painful, just wait until you experience treasures that are far more potent than the scales. Although they are considered as heavenly treasures in this world, they are only low-grade treasures in the upper heavens."
Yuan swallowed nervously after hearing her words.
"Anyways, let's rest here for today. We'll return to Min tomorrow.." He then said.