To the north of the Tiandou Empire, beyond the northernmost border, lies a place known as the Extreme North.
It is a vast, endless land of ice and snow. To this day, humanity has only explored a tiny fraction of it. It is a true life-and-death forbidden zone, a place where few dare venture.
On the outermost edge of the Extreme North, there are dozens of pine forests, all covered in a thick layer of white snow.
These forests are home to many ice-type soul beasts and could be considered a gathering place for such creatures. Though the trees in these forests are evergreen conifers, the frigid cold and constant snowstorms have covered them in thick layers of snow.
When one looks across the landscape, it appears as though the entire area is draped in silver, with snow blanketing everything—there is no sign of the vibrant greenery that typically fills a forest.
As a result, these forests, regardless of their size, are known as the Frozen Forests.
The Frozen Forests are a desolate and harsh place, rarely visited by people. Apart from soul masters who possess ice-type soul spirits, it is uncommon for soul masters of other types to come here in search of soul rings.
"Is this the largest Frozen Forest in the northernmost region of the empire?"
In the midst of the snowstorm, Lin Rong stood at the edge of a forest. A phantom cyan dragon-shaped shadow coiled around him, insulating him from the cold and snow.
Behind him, the old butler unfolded a map and confirmed, saying, "There are a total of thirty-seven Frozen Forests in the northern empire. According to records, the forest before us is undoubtedly the largest one."
"If the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng truly resides in a Frozen Forest of the Extreme North, then the chances of it being here are the highest."
Lin Rong nodded in agreement, and with the old butler, they entered the forest, planning to find a place to rest first.
A quarter of an hour later, inside a cave.
Twelve pots of Sunfire Flowers were arranged in a circular pattern inside the cave.
These twelve Sunfire Flowers were one of the many rare herbs found in the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes. Not only were they medicinal, but they also continuously released heat, making them natural treasures for warmth.
In the cave, the twelve flowers glowed like little suns, their intense light pushing back the chill.
"Having many treasures in hand really is convenient," Lin Rong mused as he began to collect six of the Sunfire Flowers.
In just a short time, the temperature in the cave had gone from freezing to somewhat warm.
After half of the Sunfire Flowers were collected, the cave's temperature finally stabilized at a comfortable level. At this point, the phantom cyan dragon-shaped shadow around Lin Rong also vanished.
Since there was no longer a need to ward off the cold, he naturally no longer needed to maintain his Dragon Soul protection. After all, using this ability consumed his soul power constantly.
Before attempting to lure the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng, both Lin Rong and the old butler needed to be in optimal condition.
Deep within the Frozen Forest, in an underground cavern.
In the cavern, on a rock, lay a ginseng plant about a foot and a half long.
This ginseng was very similar to the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng. The ginseng's skin was as transparent as crystal, so even an untrained person could immediately tell that this was no ordinary plant.
But unlike the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, which was a blood-red color, this one was a jade-green, as though made of flawless emerald.
Similar to the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, this ginseng also had a distinct pattern raised on its skin, forming a unique design.
However, while the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng had a pattern resembling a five-clawed dragon, this ginseng had a pattern resembling a five-feathered green phoenix.
The phoenix design was vivid and emitted a faint green light. It almost appeared as if the phoenix was about to burst from the ginseng's skin and soar into the air.
Without a doubt, this ginseng was the legendary King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng, a peerless immortal treasure that had transcended the boundaries of nature itself.
Among all the immortal herbs, only the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng and the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng—when they reached their respective ages—could rival this ginseng in prestige.
Boundless life force emanated from the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng, seeping into the surrounding soil of the cavern.
Above the cavern, a pine tree's roots had absorbed some of this life force, growing far more robust and thick than the other pine trees in the forest.
The moment Lin Rong brought the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng into the Extreme North, the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng in the cave slightly stirred.
As a highly intelligent being, it couldn't help but feel a vague sense of foreboding.
However, the feeling wasn't strong, and it seemed mixed with something it desired.
Moreover, the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng was highly confident in its earth-escape abilities. Therefore, it chose not to leave its hiding place.
Back in the cave.
A fire was crackling in the hearth, and a pot was set over it.
The old butler cut off a small piece of the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng and placed it into the pot. He then continued to add other ingredients for their hotpot.
Lin Rong sat nearby, watching the old butler prepare the meal, though his mind was preoccupied with a question he couldn't quite figure out.
The Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes had existed for a long time, and over the years, many King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng plants had grown within it.
Logically speaking, if the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes could produce so many King of Ginseng, then after so many years, it should have been no problem for these ginsengs to reach the Nine-Pin grade.
However, the reality was that none of the King of Ginseng in the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes had any rank at all.
In other words, there wasn't a single ginseng with an age exceeding twenty thousand years.
Given the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes' ability to promote the growth of rare plants, it seemed impossible for such a thing to occur.
But, strangely enough, this inexplicable phenomenon had indeed happened inside the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes.
Could it be because the ginsengs had a form of spiritual awareness?
Once a ginseng reached the King grade, it might no longer like the environment of the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes and choose to leave, seeking a new place to grow?
Or perhaps, once one ginseng reached the King grade, the rest of the ginsengs, constrained by the laws of nature, would stop growing once they reached an age of ten thousand years?
After thinking it over, Lin Rong could only come up with these two theories to explain why there were no Nine-Pin or higher-grade ginsengs in the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes.
And between these two, the second theory seemed more plausible.
The first theory couldn't explain why a King-grade ginseng would abandon the superior environment of the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Eyes to find another place to grow.
The second theory, however, not only made sense but also explained why the other ginsengs stopped growing after reaching ten thousand years of age. It could even account for the age of the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng.
The Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng naturally reached the Eight-Pin grade and evolved over ten thousand years.
A ten-thousand-year Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng could rival the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng.
If the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng reached twenty thousand years, thirty thousand years, or even higher, which immortal herb could compare with it?
But if the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng also suffered the suppression of the King of Ginseng, then once its age exceeded ten thousand years, it too would stop growing.
In that case, the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng would indeed only compare with the highest-ranked Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, and together, they could be called the King and Queen of Ginseng.
In the original story, it was described that the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng grew for nearly a hundred thousand years.
However, when the ninth soul ring of Tang Hao was first described, it was also said to be black with a red hue.
Initially, the Titan Giant Ape was said to be over ten thousand years old, but later, it was revealed to be over sixty thousand years old in the mouth of Dragon King Meng Shu.
In the end, Tang Hao's ninth soul ring and the Titan Giant Ape were both described as being ten thousand years old.
This inconsistency in the data was frustrating.
Thus, in this version, I directly changed the setting of the King of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng, making it a ginseng that had grown for one hundred thousand years.