A moment later, as my excitement subsided, the act of consuming the Millennium Snow Ginseng itself became another issue. I was well aware that one shouldn't casually consume a spirit medicine.
'If I could have devoured it like a meal, the Millennium Snow Ginseng battle wouldn't have taken so long...'
A spirit medicine like the Millennium Snow Ginseng is not something you see every day. In fact, among the spirit medicines discovered or manufactured in the past hundred years, only the Shaolin Temple's Great Pill can be compared to it. The term "spirit medicine" means it contains the utmost essence of nature, and can be seen as a massive clump of condensed energy.
If I were to consume the Millennium Snow Ginseng without sufficient preparation, I would surely feel my solar plexus swell, my dantian and buttocks heat up, and my blood vessels burst, leading to my death. It would be difficult to handle the overwhelming energy contained within the Millennium Snow Ginseng.
What the Millennium Snow Ginseng contains is extreme yin energy. To consume a lump of yin energy condensed over several decades or even centuries, I would need to possess an equally extreme yin energy. However, such power can only be found in the Northern Sea, and the Thunder Dragon Daily Skill I practice is fundamentally a yang energy technique.
Should I accept it with the same yin energy?
Or should I protect my life force with intense yang energy and integrate the yin energy?
The only method I can choose is the latter.
Of course, there is room to doubt whether my skill level is sufficient to survive after consuming the Millennium Snow Ginseng. My internal strength is probably at a first-class level, but compared to the formidable experts who participated in the Millennium Snow Ginseng battle, it falls short. To survive after consuming the Millennium Snow Ginseng, I need thorough preparation and concentration.
'Let me recall. How did the Millennium Snow Ginseng battle proceed? There must be some clue...'
The Millennium Snow Ginseng battle began when Danmu Xiao, the young master of the Danmu family, went on an outing. On the way, he befriended Wulong, a promising young disciple of the righteous sect, and they started touring Mount Huang. During their tour, they accidentally discovered the Millennium Snow Ginseng, and an argument and conflict ensued.
As a result, Danmu Xiao managed to outmaneuver Wulong and fled with the Millennium Snow Ginseng, while Wulong began to pursue him. Soon, high-ranking experts from the nearby Mount Huang Sect got involved, and experts from the Zhongnan Sect and Huashan Sect also rushed from afar to try to seize the Millennium Snow Ginseng. Even experts from the evil sects and the demon path swarmed to catch Danmu Xiao.
Danmu Xiao was lucky to escape with his life but lost an arm. He reportedly presented the Millennium Snow Ginseng to the leader of the Zhengtian Alliance, who had saved his life. In the end, everyone had worked themselves to the bone for nothing.
'Wait... Something seems off. He fled here?'
I lifted my head, sensing something strange in my memory.
The snowy garden where I stand is not part of a valley. The cave behind the waterfall extends for over ten zhang before abruptly ending at a precipice. Of course, there is a small path between the valleys, but escaping that way against someone like Wulong, a promising young disciple of the righteous sect, would be like plucking stars from the sky. Even if one person blocked the path, it would be impossible to pass, and the terrain makes it too easy for pursuers to stab from behind.
I suspected there was something more to the story between Danmu Xiao and Wulong. I also thought the battle that day, despite the righteous sect's usual facade, must have been a despicable mud-slinging fight.
Anyway, I had to make a choice now. Should I attempt to consume the Millennium Snow Ginseng right here, or take it away and think more calmly?
'What, take it away? Ridiculous! I'll just eat it here.'
I chose to eat it right here without hesitation. When you get something precious, you shouldn't give others a chance to steal or lose it. Since coming here was a life-and-death gamble, I had no choice but to trust my physical and mental strength and take another risk.
A drop of sweat rolled down my forehead. I swallowed hard, pulled out the Millennium Snow Ginseng, and held it in one hand. As expected of a spirit medicine, just holding it made a chill seep into my hand. The refreshing scent that wafted into my nose made me feel as if my insides were being cleansed, a pleasant sensation.
"Ah... No, let me recover a bit of my strength first."
I shook my head. As I was about to eat it, fear washed over me, and I realized I had expended a lot of energy getting here. The more strength I had, the better my chances of survival, so I decided to rest my exhausted body and mind from the climb.
I took out some dried meat and a bag of beans from my pocket and had a simple snack. I had also brought a wine bottle, but I deliberately didn't drink it, as I wasn't a fool to drink before consuming a spirit medicine.
'Still a bit hungry... Hmm.'
Feeling a bit hungry, I noticed the lotus flowers in the pond. Lotus flowers, leaves, and roots are very suitable for consumption. I thought that boiling them properly would make a nourishing dish.
Didn't the monks of Baihuan Temple eat those black lotus flowers regularly? There shouldn't be any adverse health effects. With that thought, I went to the pond and started harvesting the lotus flowers.
I cut one white lotus and one black lotus, and separated the leaves and roots. I then made a simple fire, scooped water from the pond into a pot, and started boiling it. Once it was boiling, I poured the water onto the snow and cut off the rotten parts.
The lotus flowers and leaves, now warm, were very delicious. I compared the tastes of the white and black lotus flowers, and both were quite tasty.
"Full."
Satisfied, I leaned slightly against the cave and lay down. I would rest for a moment and then try to eat the Millennium Snow Ginseng.
"......?"
At that moment, I felt something strange.
Lying down, I noticed a warm energy slowly rising from my dantian. It felt like a furnace, as if it would melt my insides! The intense pain that threatened to burn my heart made me quickly sit up.
"Huff! Huff! Ahh...!!"
I was going mad. Why was this happening?
I quickly focused on the Thunder Dragon Daily Skill, sitting cross-legged. As I circulated the energy through the Great Cycle, the immense yang energy that had risen to my crown temporarily calmed, and the intense pain in my body lessened.
Bubbling
"Ahh...!"
In the next moment, I spat out blood. Although I had calmed the energy, the immense yang energy was still raging through my body like a wild beast. In the midst of excruciating pain, I tried to understand the situation.
And a fleeting thought crossed my mind.
'Spirit medicine... Spirit medicines coexist and support each other... Could it be...!!'
I was stunned.
The White Lotus and the Black Lotus!
No one had noticed, but these were also spirit medicines! Spirit medicines have the habit of coexisting with yin and yang energies, so a lotus with extreme yang energy must have been living near the Millennium Snow Ginseng, which has extreme yin energy.
'But... the monks who eat the black lotus flowers are fine...'
Because they ate both the white and black lotuses?!
Indeed, what I had done was something no one would have thought of. Those who explored this place later would not have considered eating both. Eating one would not activate the latent yang energy, but eating both would unleash yang energy comparable to the Millennium Snow Ginseng.
Crack
Thud
I could feel my blood vessels bulging. Despite desperately suppressing the energy with the Thunder Dragon Daily Skill, it was overwhelming. If this continued, my heart would burst first, followed by my internal blood vessels, which would pop like balloons. I sensed that I had less than half an hour left.
'This... If it comes to this... there's no choice!'
I closed my eyes tightly and lifted the Millennium Snow Ginseng in my hand. Without hesitation, I opened my mouth and started chewing.
Crunch
Crunch
I could feel the refreshing coldness sliding down my esophagus. When I thought the remnants of the Millennium Snow Ginseng had reached my stomach, it happened.
Boom!!
"Aaaaaah!!"
The extreme yang and yin energies collided explosively! The pain was worse than being stabbed in the stomach, making me roll my eyes and nosebleed. Blood streamed down, but the pain was so intense that I couldn't even notice it. It felt like needles were piercing my skin and flipping it over.
"Aaaah... Ahhhh...."
I crawled on the ground, screaming. It was impossible to sit cross-legged and calm the energy. For a moment, I felt a sense of relief, and sweat poured down my back.
Inside, the energies of the Millennium Snow Ginseng and the black and white lotuses were mixing. The collision felt like my insides were tearing apart, but the spirit medicine's energy was also healing the damage. Despite the pain, I was bewildered.
'Suicide... If I had just eaten the Millennium Snow Ginseng...'
The opposite scenario would have unfolded. The extreme yin energy would have surged, and it would have been impossible to block it with the Thunder Dragon Daily Skill. The thought of freezing to death after eating the Millennium Snow Ginseng made my spine shiver.
And I realized I had miraculously found the correct way to consume the spirit medicine.
Eat the extreme yin Millennium Snow Ginseng and the extreme yang black and white lotuses simultaneously!
There was no other way to survive after eating the Millennium Snow Ginseng.
I felt the pain gradually subsiding. Specifically, the yin and yang energies were mixing and expanding, and I was slowly channeling the energy into my dantian.
"Cough... Cough... Ugh..."
I desperately regained my composure and sat cross-legged. I clenched my teeth and tried the maximum cultivation technique I could.
When the yang energy reached my solar plexus, I could finally calm my mind.
In a relaxed state, I touched the tip of my tongue to the upper palate. I breathed through my nose, slowly inhaling until my lower dantian bulged. Then, following the principle of Wheel Arm Separating Clouds, I slowly exhaled, turning my palms outward and assuming the Horse Stance.
After repeating this about three times, the yang energy finally settled in my dantian.
The moment the yang energy settled in my dantian, the energies of the Millennium Snow Ginseng and the black and white lotuses, which were condensed in my dantian, resonated, and my body began to tremble. However, there was no pain. My eyes gradually filled with mystic energy, and sweat poured out of my body. The explosive power in my dantian struck the surrounding meridians.
Clang!
The power continued to rise along the Conception Vessel and eventually met a gateway. The power gently pushed the gateway, but it didn't open. I felt a slight pain near my temples, but I couldn't tell if it was real pain or just a vague sensation. I gathered the energy from my entire body into my dantian and released it all at once.
Rumble...
After a long while, I opened my eyes. A clear light seemed to penetrate my entire body.
The blood I had vomited,
The two fingernails I had lost from scratching the ground in pain,
The yellowish sweat covering my body,
The dried tears of blood in my eyes,
None of these mattered.
Steam-like mist rose from my body.
I slowly gathered my internal strength and stood up. I had successfully pushed all the energy into my dantian, and the power of the spirit medicine had spread throughout my body. As a result, I had successfully opened the Life and Death Gateway.
This means my internal strength has clearly reached the peak expert level!
I now possess a formidable internal strength comparable to the elders of major sects. The techniques and internal strength I use will now be at least ten times more powerful than before.