"So..." Xiao Yu pressed, her eyes narrowing with sharp intuition, "wouldn't it help you as well? You have been sitting by the rivers for weeks. You have been trying endlessly to decipher that scroll. Even after all your martial comprehension, you told me yourself that you cannot physically awaken the water attribute."
Yoriichi smiled bitterly, turning fully to face her.
"Yes, it possesses the theoretical capability to force an elemental awakening," Yoriichi admitted, his voice tinged with the cold, hard logic of cultivation. "But the chances of it working for me are less than five percent. You must understand the mechanics of the body, Yu. You are currently in a state of rapid, violent mutation. Your pathways are open."
He pointed to his own chest. "I am already in the 'adult' stage of my foundational cultivation. My path is firmly fixed by the immense, scorching Yang energy of my Sun Breathing. If I introduce a Yin-aligned, extreme water treasure suddenly into my Dantian, it will not calmly integrate. It will become a war zone. My inner flames will likely incinerate the essence before it can even take root."
Xiao Yu didn't back down. She stood up, walking over to him, and aggressively pushed the glowing azure root back into his hands.
"You take it," she commanded, her voice leaving absolutely no room for argument.
"Yu, it is a waste of a supreme treasure—"
"I said take it!" Xiao Yu insisted, her eyes flashing with stubborn resolve. "Even if there is only a five percent chance, there is still hope! Your physical foundation is incredible, Ning'er. You even survived the backlash of that crimson mark. I know you can survive this, and use it to break through to the next stages."
Yoriichi looked at the glowing root in his hands, then at his sister. "Yes, but..."
Xiao Yu suddenly stepped forward and shushed him, pressing her cold index finger gently against his lips.
A soft, genuinely fond smile broke across her refined, ethereal features.
"Listen to me, you stubborn old man," she said softly. "You know it, and I know it. Even though you have an absolutely terrifying, heaven-defying combat prowess, your actual cultivation realm is moving a little slow. Unlike me, who can just sit here and naturally break through the Dou Zhe stars because of this strange spark, you are hitting a wall."
She withdrew her finger, looking at him with deep, unconditional sisterly affection.
"I would absolutely hate to see you fall behind me," she continued, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "I refuse to let there be a massive gap in our realms in the future. I want to fight beside you, not leave you in the dust. I know this thing is dangerous. I know absorbing its essence might tear your meridians apart. But I know you, Xiao Ning. You can do the impossible. You always do."
She stepped back, offering a final, resolute nod.
Yoriichi looked at the Mystic Aqua Spirit Ginseng, the azure light reflecting in his crimson eyes. He remained silent for a long moment, deeply analyzing her words.
Her logic, while driven by emotion, was fundamentally valid. He knew his own talent limitations in this new world. His comprehension of the sword was absolute, but his Dantian was entirely bound by the physical laws of the Dou Qi Continent.
If he simply continued in one direction, relying purely on the fiery, Yang-dominant Sun Breathing without synthesizing any other element from that scroll, his Dou Qi absorption would become exponentially slower as he reached the higher realms. He would eventually hit an unbreakable ceiling.
He needed a catalyst. He needed the impossible.
"Okay," Yoriichi finally spoke, his voice a low, decisive rumble. He gripped the treasure firmly. "I will take it."
Without another word, Yoriichi turned and walked silently toward the extreme edge of the cavern, right where the misty spray from the roaring waterfall drifted inside. The ambient water energy here was the thickest.
He sat down in a perfect lotus position upon the damp stone. He closed his eyes, instantly plunging his consciousness into the absolute void of his mind.
He placed the soft, glowing ginseng between his palms, resting them on his lap. He started channeling his Dou Qi into the item, initiating the treacherous process of trying to absorb its essence slowly, little by little.
The moment the first tendril of azure energy entered his meridians, Yoriichi's body violently convulsed.
It was absolute, unadulterated agony. It felt as though a river of liquid nitrogen was being forcefully injected directly into a vein of flowing magma. The scorching heat within violently rejected the foreign invader, immediately attempting to burn the essence away.
Sweat poured down Yoriichi's forehead, instantly evaporating into steam off his searing skin. The soothing aura of the ginseng actively fought back, releasing gentle waves of calming energy that kept his mind from fracturing under the excruciating pain, regulating his bodily state just enough to prevent a total meridian collapse.
It was a brutal, microscopic war taking place entirely within his flesh. He was having a horrific problem trying to absorb even a fraction of a drop, but through sheer, inhuman willpower, he kept the circulation up. He did not let go.
Seeing the intense, trembling strain on her brother's back, Xiao Yu sighed softly. She knew she couldn't help him now; this was a battle he had to fight alone.
She turned away and started doing her own business.