Here it is, Master,
Violet said as she handed Austin the celestial energy ginseng.
Austin reached out his hand and took it from her. An overwhelming feeling of triumph took hold of him.
In his hands was the most coveting magical substance hundreds of cultivators could only dream of
having.
"You... ... I see it now. You were in this together! This whole time, you planned to keep the celestial
energy ginseng to yourselves!"
Fanny exclaimed as she realized the truth.
"Oh, sister. You are too beautiful to be a monster," Fanny said, looking at Violet.
Fanny was a skinny little girl. Being around Violet who had the shape of a woman always made her feel
a little insecure.
Violet modestly smiled as she covered her mouth with her hand.
"You're beautiful too, little sister. You're blossoming. I am sure that you will soon turn many heads," she
replied sincerely.
The women seemed to have connected very well. They talked as if they had known each other for
years.
Austin continued to admire the celestial energy ginseng as he thought of the legend that surrounded
the magical substance. It was a tale widely spread among the disciples of Violet Orchid Empire.
It was said that this once allowed a disciple of the Bloody Hero Gang to go from the eighth level of the
Energy Gathering Realm to the first layer of the Earth Realm. To this day, it was still believed that the
substance remained as potent as ever, even after four hundred years.
He looked at the treasure on his hands and wondered if what the legend said were true.
He had many strengths but they were hidden in the shadow of his one great weakness: his lack of an
ability to cultivate vital energy.
It was for this reason that Austin longed to reach a higher level of vital energy all his life. This was his
greatest wish that led him to his quest to attain the celestial energy ginseng.
"Violet, stand guard for me. I want to cultivate inside this cave," he ordered.
"Master, are you sure you want to eat the celestial energy ginseng inside this cave?"
Violet asked. She was fully aware of his intentions, but she could not help but worry.
"Yes, I am. The longer it is in our possession, the more dangerous it is. There are many people who will
stop at nothing to own something so precious. Besides, my current vital energy is no longer sufficient. It
needs to be replenished as soon as possible. Now that I have the celestial energy ginseng, I can use it
to reach a higher level," he replied.
"Master, you are only at the seventh level of the Energy Gathering Realm. Isn't it risky? The celestial
energy ginseng has been in existence for so many years. Its power is unimaginable. I know the legend
of the Bloody Hero Gang, but how are we even sure that it's true that he reached the Earth Realm after
taking the ginseng? How did he manage to handle all that energy without meeting his peril if this
substance was as potent as they say?" she expressed.
"Good observation, Violet, but it is not enough to deem the legend false. Rare treasures such as this
one possess properties above the laws of nature that we are familiar with. Perhaps, the force produced
by the celestial energy ginseng, despite its potency, is not one that is harmful to men. In all honesty, its
power does not scare me. Don't worry," Austin told Violet. He was quite confident of his ability to absorb
the ginseng's energy because of another treasure that was in his elixir field: the vital energy stone.
If the little monkey he got it from were telling the truth, the vital energy stone inside his body should
allow him to store an infinite amount of vital energy.
With this treasure, Austin should be able to take in rare materials and treasures without the dangers of
being overwhelmed by their power.
If his body failed to withstand such an enormous amount of energy, he could channel them instead into
the vital energy stone. There, it would be stored. With its infinite capacity, he would be able to take in all
the vital energy produced by the celestial energy ginseng.
Austin had been extracting vital energy from the stone just to sustain himself. At that rate, he guessed
that there must not be much left.
This gave him very little to fear about the celestial energy ginseng's potency. He was even more
concerned that it would not be powerful enough to produce the amount of vital energy he needed.
Seeing Austin quite sure of himself, Violet ceased asking any more questions. After all, she knew
Austin. He was not the type to do anything rashly. He always made sure before he made decisions.
But once he decided to do something, it was almost impossible to convince him otherwise. With a sigh,
Violet conceded and went to leave the cave.
"Let's go, little sister. Master is about to cultivate," Violet said as she walked over to Fanny, taking her
arm.
Fanny hesitated. Hearing Austin's plan made her very curious. She wanted to know what it would feel
like too. She also wondered what would happen after Austin ate it.
Still, she knew that it would be very difficult for a cultivator to refine vital energy and reach a higher
level if someone were watching. One little distraction could void all his efforts. At worse, it could even
drive him mad.
Hence, Fanny reluctantly followed after Violet out of the cave.
"Fine. I won't watch your stinking cultivation. No big deal, I don't care about it anyway," Fanny said
bitterly as she left, staring at Austin. . . .
Inside the cave, Austin sat with his legs crossed and positioned the celestial energy ginseng in front of
him.
As soon as he read the Golden Sun Scripture, its vital energy started to flow along a certain path
through his body.
Slowly, it revitalized his flesh, muscles, bones, and veins. The light golden vital energy made Austin
feel as if his flesh were emitting the golden light of sunsets and sunrises. Its brilliance reflected the life
and power it contained.
The light ball inside the elixir field resembled a small sun. A thousand streaks of golden light radiated
from the miniature fireball that illuminated the universe, coating the entire elixir field.
Austin could not help sighing at the strange sensation he felt inside his body. This had never occurred
in his previous attempts to cultivate with the Golden Sun Scripture. It was usually very reliable.
Suddenly, the ball of light in his elixir field started to emit exciting energy. It was as if it found something
it wanted for so long: food.
It spotted the celestial energy ginseng in front of Austin.
This was expected.
It was not the first time this happened.
Last time, the same light ball inside his elixir field flew out of his body and consumed three earth spirit
fruits and two Energy-boosting Elixirs.
This gave Austin an idea. As expected, the light ball once again burst out of his body and jumped at the
celestial energy ginseng. Tens of thousands of streaks of hot golden light shone upon the magical
energy source.
This made the celestial energy ginseng even more potent. Its energy increased so dramatically with the
tremendous force that the bright, golden light ball above it emitted.
This continued for about an hour. At last, half of the celestial energy ginseng was already consumed.
The brilliant light ball, seemingly satiated, slowed down a bit in its absorption.
Realizing this, Austin returned the light ball into his elixir field.
The moment it returned, Austin felt heat take hold of him. Suddenly, smoldering steam started to grow
furiously at his belly, turning into blazing streams of extreme heat.
Light, golden gas started to come out of Austin's orifices.
The temperature rose along with his cultivation speed, as his body became hotter and hotter.
The corners of his mouth twitched as Austin concentrated on chanting the scripture for a cycle.
Amidst the pain, Austin found himself smiling, in awe of the extraordinary efficacy of the celestial
energy ginseng.
The hot steam felt like torture, but it was a pain he welcomed as the reward immensely outweighed the
pain.
Austin felt a blazing gas fill his body, as a surge of pure, powerful energy filled it.
The celestial energy ginseng was working. After being extracted by the light ball, it was now being
converted into surges of pure energy which revitalized Austin's organs. Collateral damage was
inevitable.
His bones, cells and other body systems seemed to want more for themselves as well. They were
lavishly gorging on the energy.
Feeling the enormous amount of energy, Austin knew that he was about to reach a higher level of vital
energy. He took a breath to calm himself down and did his best to control the energy inside him to
guide its flow towards the path specified by the Golden Sun Scripture.
Jingle.
A clink echoed, disrupting the silence of the cave.
Suddenly, a soft voice was generated inside Austin's body.
Along with this, Austin felt an abrupt and dramatic increase in his power.
"The eighth level of the Energy Gathering Realm!" Austin yelled with excitement.
A tinge of joy flashed across his face.
However, there was still so much pure energy inside his body. It unceasingly replenished and renewed
his body systems, changing muscles, bones, cells, and tissues.
Then, another soft voice filled his body and echoed mildly throughout the cave's walls.
"The ninth level of the Energy Gathering Realm!" Austin exclaimed.
Reaching another level, he could not help but go wild with joy.
Three years ago, he arrived at this same level but was not able to return to it again. Now, he was back
at last.
He felt so physically strong.
Then, Austin made a decision. He decided not to continue pushing forward for higher energy levels.
Despite the abundance of pure vital energy and his confidence that progressing was possible, he knew
that continuing would make him unstable. It would get in the way of his daily duties and progression in
martial arts.
There were limits to the energy that one's flesh and organs could hold.
Failing to be aware of these limits and taking in more than what he could handle could cause a
cultivator's organs to be drained of strength. As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Negligence
would cause several problems that might impact a cultivator's future performance forever.
Although Austin was determined to take as many advantages as he could with the celestial energy
ginseng, he later realized the gravity of its consequences, thus, forcing himself to slow down. Instead of
pushing towards higher levels, he decided to consolidate his power at the ninth level of the Energy
Gathering Realm.
In essence, Austin was neither greedy nor complacent. He was content with his present situation.
Although most cultivators understood this concept, how many of them, like Austin, would really be able
to resist the temptation for reaching higher levels?
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