You have continued your journey and reached Middle Lower Qi condensation, to which I congratulate you, my disciple. But do not gain a shred of pride or arrogance, because for your current self you're nothing but a speck of dust in an endless sea of sand. You have just begun your journey and I shall be your mentor.

In the middle Lower Qi condensation, your poison Qi will be able to course more meridians, and thus, giving you more power and a better physique. The ability to use the Poison Breath will be increased and you'll find yourself feeling less exhausted with every use.

Here is a diagram on how to circulate the poison energy into the newly unlocked meridians.

***

A small diagram of a man, circulating the energy, quite vivid and lifelike manifested on the book.

The man was sat in the lotus position and began moving the energy through different pressure points on his body.

Three more meridians were added to the former five I had already unlocked, making them eight. This would increase my power several times. Because the increase of meridians is not additive, but more like with each new meridian unlocked the base energy I could manipulate and control would multiply.

I sat down in the lotus position and rotated my Poison Qi in the same manner that the pictures depicted. And soon, I became aware of a newfound level of power that coursed through my meridians.

Another page opened up, unveiling a new spell. The picture in the book showed a man standing in a martial stance, one handheld vertically in front of him, and the other tucked under his armpit, like a punch in wait for a release.

The man then took a forward step, and the arm under his armpit extended forward into a forward grab, the fingers opened up then they clawed at the air.

The course of the meridians required to do such a move was simple, but it also required the usage of all of the newly unlocked meridians.

I was highly tempted to try out this new move, which is named, Poison Tiger Claw.

But, there was a great deterrent, I was no longer in the jungle where I could resupply my inner reserves of Poison Qi, by eating random bugs and poisonous plants. I was in an ice-cold cave in a high and steep mountain, a single use of any martial spell will cost me Poison Qi that I do not want to be wasted right now, especially when this place is reeking of danger.

I gripped my fist tight, shaking away the ecstatic feeling of a new spell, and focused on my current goal. One has to be smart about what they do, and this doesn't only account for a cultivation world. Taking idiotic risks is nothing short of suicidal. Even if this journey itself is an idiotic risk, it promises benefits, but using a spell just for the sake of seeing how it performs, while under my circumstances and without any tools or means to supplement the Poison Qi I will be using, then wouldn't that be even more idiotic?

I began circulating the energy through my newly unlocked meridians and had managed to discover an amazing new fact. The rotation of the poison Qi within the meridians became faster than before, and the energy it released doubled up and continued rising. The cold temperature felt less and less dangerous and began to graze upon the limits of discomfort.

If I continued rotating the energy this way, I would only feel a slight annoyance from the cold instead of the bone-rattling feeling I had before.

With this newfound strength, I continued my exploration within the cave.

If this was a regular cave the time, I would take to get to the depths of it would undoubtedly be less than an hour, but It took me hours to get to the deepest part of the cave. Mainly because of the cold, it rose on occasions, and even after rotating my cultivation forcefully to help myself from falling prey to the bone-biting cold, I barely managed to survive thanks to the time-lapse of the cold increases. It only spiked after every ten to twenty minutes and lasted for at most ten seconds. But with every step, the coldness that would occasionally increase would become harder to bear.

At the end of the cave was a wide room that you could fit a couple of basketball courts with ease in. its walls were made of ice, crystal clear ice that was reflecting the scarce source of light that came from the cave's entrance.

That tiny source of light, reflected enough against this crystal-clear surface gave me a clear view of what was happening, and the source of this cold temperature.

It was a monster's breath,

Yes, a monster so huge that I found it amazing how it managed to fit itself into that cave entrance. It must have come in here when it was a baby and now it had grown into such a large creature.

Yet how did it get its food? I failed to understand the base behind how this world works, but I didn't bother thinking about it for now. I doubted that it would be like a cultivator, not needing mortal food, but rather the rich worldly energy.

Back to the monster, as I looked at it, it was nothing but a big ball of slowly inflating and deflating white fur. It had two massive arms and legs, resembled a humanoid figure frighteningly, and its face was that of an ape. Yes, this was, for the lack of the proper term that the cultivators would use on this monster, a Yeti.

I took a big gulp, there was no way in hell or heaven if I was going to survive if this bugger wakes up.

I turned to walk away, there was nothing here to gain, and only death would await me if I were to accidentally wake this behemoth.

Yet, from the reflection on one of the room's walls, I saw a glistening source of dim light. Something was reflecting a tiny bit of light somewhere around the room. I turned to check again and noticed that the yeti had his arm wrapped around something.

It was a rose, a white and sky blue colored rose. The stem of it was made of a crystal clear substance, that looked like ice. And its petals were distinct and apart from each other, making it one of the most beautiful roses I have ever seen.

The book in my chest vibrated. Then that old ancient voice sounded in my mind explaining to me what I was seeing.

***

Origin Yin Flower.

A flower that is condensed and created from the concentration of purest forms of Yin energy.

It is said that consuming this flower will give the user unparalleled Talent in the way of Yin. It is best used by female cultivators. Still, Yin can also be harnessed by male cultivators if they wish to pursue the Demonic or Devil cultivation paths.

***

Another sentence was also suddenly spoken through my mind.

***

My heritage is considered a wrongful path, in the way of other cultivators, poison is insidious, and highly frowned upon, it is a Demonic Cultivation path that scratches the rims of the Devil Path. Still in the world of cultivation, basing your decisions on rightful and wrongful will put your martial heart to the test.

One must not bend their knees to those above him in submission but rather rise above, struggle, and strive to feel pleased about yourself.

Disciple of mine, you may be the vilest of the people or the most benevolent, it all depends on how you see the world, but no matter if you are a saint or a devil incarnate, it shall crack against the will of the heaven if you are not pleased with yourself. Do what you want to do, challenge who you wish to challenge, and break who wishes to break you. Be overbearing, be proud, and most of all, never cower. For even if poison is the path of the cowardly as these insignificant and utterly delusional cultivators believe it to be, it means nothing if you make your own fate with your own hands.

Disciple of mine, take every discission in your life only if you feel pleased about it. Never bow down to anyone, and always let your back be as straight as an arrow. Even against the judgment of the world, if you feel that you are doing the right thing, even if the right thing in the eyes of the world is wrong, then do it, and do it while being proud.

Cultivation is not just about the body and soul, but also your spirit. Even if your body looks like that of a disgusting creature that has been scooped from the yellow river of the underworld, your spirit, if never contaminated could blossom into the most divine of beings.

Disciple of mine, be courageous, not reckless, be proud, not prideful, and be honest with yourself no matter the situation. If you see a wrong then change it with your own hands. Never let yourself regret anything, and live your life, seeking to better it, and seeking to achieve your goals.

Disciple of mine, these words I impart upon you are words that I wish I would have received when I first began my journey. If you honestly work by them, you shall witness great improvement in your cultivation, and at the same time, you shall see the world in a different light.

***

After listening to that sermon, I was honestly feeling touched. The words of this speaker resounded through my soul, I felt that my cultivation rose a bit just by listening to them. And thus, I smiled.

Whoever made this book is one of the wisest of the people I have ever known.

I looked at the flower once again, there was a risk to taking it, and it involved doing something stupid. But if it is risky and there was a reward to be had, then baking off was not an option. This is what the book master had written, never feel regret for things you feel deserve your attention. And this rose right here, is a prime example.

*****

Today's chapter is thanks to Luis Rivea's generous donation. I decided to post a chapter for every new patron that joins the community. this will both encourage new patrons and at the same time encourage me to write more and the community to have more chapters.

If you wish to help join my patron.

https://www.patre*on.com/BoucettaAmr (Without the Star symbol * )