NOVEL WEB Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Regressing to Devour
Thud!
My legs went limp, and I plopped down onto the ground.
This can’t be happening.
How could this be after all the trouble I went through to reach Gwangseong Elixir Point?
This precious elixir I found, known to be male-unfriendly—Mita Sacred Water—what a joke!
“Waaaah!”
I screamed as I grabbed my hair.
My vision started to blur.
According to the records from my previous life, Yujinhwi obtained the ultimate elixir from Gwangseong Elixir Point.
Mita Sacred Water is indeed an ultimate elixir.
In my past life, while practicing ‘that eunuch martial art’, I tried it with Dongchang and Seochang, thinking it was great for Yin Cold Energy Circulation.
The power I gained from consuming Mita Sacred Water and operating Gyuhwabojeon was an astounding level of one-gajap.
It’s not just effective for Yin Cold Energy Circulation; consuming it could lead to connecting the Ren and Du meridians, achieving the absolute elixir for male vitality!
But here’s the kicker: this damned elixir was made from a millennium of concentrated Yin energy from the heavens, truly a mass of extreme Yin energy!
What does it mean that it’s the essence of Yin Cold Energy?
“There’s no use for it in bed!”
Even mentioning that hideous name—Mita Sacred Water—is something I wanted to avoid. Consuming this would do nothing but harm.
Enhanced martial power?
That’s not significant at all.
Becoming even more impressive?
Of course, that is huge! In the medieval martial world, being able to wash hair and refine marrow is one of the few powerful cheat codes.
Spending over a hundred million won on dermatology is nothing compared to one session of washing hair and refining marrow.
But the problem is that consuming this wastewater would weaken the Yang energy I have built up so far.
Weakening my Yang energy means weakening my vitality as well.
And that’s not even the only side effect.
“A buildup of this powerful Yin energy could even change a man’s physique to that of a woman!”
With excessive Yin energy, even a man’s bones could transform to resemble those of a lady.
I knew this fact all too well as someone who specialized in Yin Cold Energy Circulation.
If I consumed Mita Sacred Water, I might even revive the gynecomastia that plagued me in my previous life!
Then, I’d have to wrap my chest again like that Sahyeong to hide…
No, all my efforts to become the ultimate physique, the alpha male beast, could crumble in an instant!
That cannot happen.
What a well-crafted alpha male physique it is!
I can’t just throw it away by doing something as trivial as washing hair and refining marrow.
“Why isn’t there any jade yang water!”
Jade Yang Water.
Opposite to Mita Sacred Water, it’s a pink liquid created from a millennium of concentrated Yang energy, possessing extreme Yang properties!
If only I had jade yang water!
I could have enhanced my beauty through washing hair and refining marrow, increased my vitality through power amplification, and become even more of a manly alpha male!
Just like how excessive Yin energy causes a feminine physique, accumulated Yang energy leads to a more manly shape—an alpha male physique!
But sadly, right in front of me was this trash called Mita Sacred Water, not the legendary jade yang water.
Why!
Why did the heavens give birth to Gwangseong Elixir Point and then to Mita Sacred Water?
“Saje? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Sahyeong approached me with a worried expression.
Seeing Sahyeong’s innocent face filled me with rage.
Why didn’t he ever mention what elixir he consumed in his past life?
Did he lead me to this pointless journey?
If I’d known this garbage like Mita Sacred Water was here, I wouldn’t have come directly!
I would have just told Sahyeong the location and let him handle it!
But, why?
Is it because in his past life, Yujinhwi distanced himself from women due to the side effects of Mita Sacred Water that weakened his vitality and left him with a androgynous body?
Well, Mita Sacred Water is indeed an ultimate elixir that offers a 1+1 effect of washing hair and refining marrow along with one-gajap martial power, so it’s reasonable to consume it despite the side effects. Even if other male martial artists had discovered Mita Sacred Water, they would’ve consumed it.
This is just the problem with martial artists. They’d eat poop if it helped their martial arts.
Suppressing my surging emotions, I mustered some superhuman acting skills and said to Sahyeong, “No, no! These are tears of joy! Sahyeong, look here! A whitish-gray liquid that radiates spiritual energy and cold air, it must be none other than Mita Sacred Water from legends!”
Sahyeong’s eyes widened at the mention of Mita Sacred Water.
As someone who’s taken a step into the martial world, he must’ve heard of such famous elixirs.
“Saje? Is it really true? Is that water actually Mita Sacred Water?”
“Yes!”
I nodded while wiping my tears, rising from my seat.
“Sahyeong, you must try Mita Sacred Water.”
“M-Me?!”
Sahyeong looked shocked by my words.
“But what about you? Mita Sacred Water is an ultimate elixir! Are you sure you don’t want any?”
He asked again, looking worried.
I shook my head.
Ultimate elixir? What a joke.
To me, it’s merely trash, an extreme poison that rivaled the legendary formless poison!
It’s completely useless, so it’d be better to let Sahyeong consume it and recycle it!
Even if it is a Yin Cold energy elixir, as he mentioned, it’ll still be an ancient elixir!
Thus, it’s right for Sahyeong to consume it here to connect the Ren and Du meridians and quickly lay the foundation to become the future sword saint!
Since the faster Sahyeong grows stronger, the quicker the reconstruction of the Gongdong Sect will be!
And the faster the reconstruction of Gongdong Sect, the better.
This way, I can push all the annoying responsibilities onto Sahyeong as the sword saint’s disciple, while secretly controlling the orthodox martial world as the behind-the-scenes figure of the Gongdong Sect, promoting my martial fame and appealing my charm to the beauties of the martial world!
For the future of Samcheosacheop and for pleasure without responsibility, Sahyeong had to consume Mita Sacred Water here!
“I’m fine! Judging by the amount of Mita Sacred Water here, I believe that if one person consumes it, they can connect to the Ren and Du meridians. However, if two people share it, they’ll both only experience a slight boost in power. I’m a slow learner, but you’re a genius, Sahyeong, right? So it’s only right for you to consume Mita Sacred Water to connect to the Ren and Du meridians and expedite the reconstruction of our sect.”
I logically laid out why Sahyeong should eat Mita Sacred Water. As I carefully poured all the Mita Sacred Water from the puddle into the cup I brought with the shed snake skin, leaving no drop behind.
The cloudy Mita Sacred Water swirled in the cup, releasing a white mist like dry ice.
The Yin energy ascending from the Mita Sacred Water within the cup was formidable. Even with the protection of the monster snake’s skin and my inner strength, my hands felt frozen.
“Here, drink up.”
I offered the cup containing the Mita Sacred Water, but Sahyeong shook his head.
“No. Saje, again, it’s better for you to drink Mita Sacred Water. I can still rise through my training without the elixir, as I’m indeed talented. So… this Mita Sacred Water is actually more necessary for someone lacking talent like you. If you wash your hair now, you could stand beside me. You’ve always wanted to stand next to me…”
Sahyeong looked at me cautiously with a gentle smile.
“So, I’d rather yield it to you.”
He came to a terrifying conclusion.
What?
Yield it to me?
This trash?
My hands quivered as I held the Mita Sacred Water.
No, this cannot happen.
After all the effort to build my Yang energy and the physique I’ve crafted, I can’t let it all fall apart because of this trash.
“No, Sahyeong. I appreciate your intention to yield such an ultimate elixir like Mita Sacred Water, but I cannot accept the elixir. Our sect does not need mediocre masters right now. To reconstruct our fallen sect, we need a master who can spread our name far and wide. And the only person with the potential to be that master is Sahyeong. So you must consume it and become a legendary swordsman, allowing our sect’s name to resound in the martial world! For me, your safety and the sect’s reconstruction are far more important than any of my gains. So I will only accept your intent, not the elixir!”
I beseeched while wrapping my feelings around my sincere words, gazing at Sahyeong with desperate eyes.
Sahyeong, under my gaze, pursed his beautiful lips.
His eyes slightly quivered.
A serious contemplation process.
Isn’t it an ultimate elixir?
Why is he so reluctant to yield it?
Even a fool would typically just accept the offer of an elixir!
Of course, I wouldn’t touch this trash at all.
Given that Sahyeong already possessed an androgynous physique and gynecomastia, drinking this extreme Yin elixir might only worsen things, potentially making him grow into something even more beautiful than women!
But it isn’t my concern. I don’t have that kind of taste. Regardless of how beautiful a man may look, the fact remains he is still a man. I detest man-love.
After all, Sahyeong must have consumed Mita Sacred Water in his previous life.
As I kept contemplating this awkward stand-off between Sahyeong and the Mita Sacred Water, something caught my eye.
What’s that?
I noticed a blood-red moss growing on the wall.
Typically, dark red means dead, but surprisingly, this moss was not only alive but brimming with vitality!
The moment I saw it, a certain elixir name rushed through my mind.
‘Could it be…?’
I directed a handful of my inner energy through the Minor Yang Heart Method towards the red moss.
As my internal radar extended delicately, I sensed a hot energy—masculine-like Yang energy—emanating from the vibrant red moss.
Yang energy in the form of red moss!
This cannot be mistaken.
That moss is indeed the rare Hongyangtae, a moss-shaped elixir that has absorbed Yang energy for a hundred years!
Eureka!
Like Archimedes discovering buoyancy, I internally shouted “Eureka” as I spotted Hongyangtae!
Yes!
Unless in extreme environments governed by extremely cold or hot climates, most elixirs, to some extent, contain Yin and Yang energy at varied ratios, or both kinds of elixirs can be found growing in the same place.
Though it’s one tier lower than Mita Sacred Water and too little in quantity to achieve a complete wash hair and refine marrow, that’s irrelevant!
A Yang energy elixir is better than anything!
That monster snake I cooked into a soup earlier doesn’t even compare to a pinch of Hongyangtae.
This means that if I consume Hongyangtae, then convert it all into vitality through Energy Circulation Method, my vitality will see a dramatic increase!
The reason I failed to sense Hongyangtae before was due to the shock from discovering that Mita Sacred Water, what Sahyeong had consumed in his past life, had also hidden the Yang energy, making it undetectable.
Understanding the entire situation, I turned to Sahyeong and said, “Sahyeong, you should consume Mita Sacred Water. I’ll take the Hongyangtae that’s growing on the wall instead.”
In his past life, Sahyeong must have consumed both Mita Sacred Water and Hongyangtae to maintain balance between Yin and Yang.
Extreme Yin elixirs can be dangerous. If an average martial artist, who doesn’t practice Yin Cold Energy Circulation, consumes Mita Sacred Water alone, the likelihood of freezing to death or turning into a cripple is high.
So, consuming the Yang elixir, Hongyangtae, alongside the extreme Yin elixir, Mita Sacred Water, is common sense in elixir consumption!
But one thing is for sure, I wouldn’t offer Hongyangtae to Sahyeong.
And I certainly wouldn’t dream of turning Sahyeong, who should be the one to kickstart our sect’s reconstruction, into a cripple!
It seems contradictory, wanting to have my cake and eat it too.
However, aka… in the past, I mastered the ultimate Yin Cold Energy Circulation, Gyuhwabojeon, achieving the realm of Hyun-gyeong in that practice.
If I use the knowledge gained from the skills of Yin Cold Energy Circulation in conjunction with the three Yin True Formula in this context to guide Sahyeong with verbal instructions on the energy circulation path, he can safely absorb the essence of Mita Sacred Water without Hongyangtae!
At long last, it’s time to put the knowledge from that worthless martial art to use!
They say even dung can be useful if employed correctly.
I never thought that trashy eunuch martial skill would be useful here.
While harboring those thoughts, I gazed at Sahyeong.
After pondering my proposal, he nodded gravely and said in a serious voice, “Okay, I understand, Saje.”
Finally getting Sahyeong’s consent, I smiled.
Yes, this is how you regress and devour!