The Truth About the Poisoning

Zhen Jin looked around, seeing that everyone's emotions had stabilized and their eyes were shining with hope, which slightly eased his worry.

Next, he ordered Huang Zao to direct everyone to start rebuilding the camp, while also setting up an alert line and laying defensive traps.

Inside the tent, Zhen Jin, Cang Xu, Zi Di, and Lan Zao gathered again.

Cang Xu spoke first, admitting his mistake with shame: "This is all my fault! I didn't expect the mountain goats' flesh and blood to be poisonous. I was blinded by the immediate benefits. When I discovered the herd was too large, I should have realized something was strange and been wary of the potential risks!"

Zhen Jin shook his head slightly and comforted him, "This sea island is dangerous and strange. We all wanted to get more food. This is not just your fault, Mr. Cang Xu. As the leader, I am even more to blame. However, dwelling on these mistakes now is pointless. Let's think carefully, how should we solve this problem?"

Cang Xu sighed and stated his opinion: "Now everyone is afflicted with the cold poison. This cold poison is very peculiar. On the surface, it seems that as long as we leave this place for a certain distance, the cold poison will act up. But in fact, I believe it's due to the temperature."

"It's close to the snow peak here, and the temperature is low, so the cold poison doesn't act up. The further we walk away from the snow peak, the higher the temperature gets. After reaching a certain degree, the cold poison in our bodies will be triggered."

"The most direct evidence for this point is the sheepskin coats! When we took off our sheepskin coats, our body temperature dropped rapidly, and the symptoms of the cold poison were greatly alleviated."

"That's all I know about the cold poison."

After Cang Xu finished speaking, his gaze turned to Zi Di.

Not just him, Zhen Jin and Lan Zao also looked at Zi Di.

In fact, everyone knew that since the problem involved poison, Zi Di, as a pharmacist, was the one with the most authority to speak.

Ever since Zi Di regained her mobility, she had been experimenting with potions using mutton, her own blood, and other things.

At this moment, she held a glass test tube in her hand and was carefully pouring some granules into it.

The test tube originally contained a liquid similar to fresh blood. After the granules were mixed in, it suddenly started bubbling like boiling water, producing a large amount of gas.

Finally, with a soft pop, the entire test tube directly shattered.

The bright red liquid inside splashed onto the carpet in the tent.

Zi Di, however, ignored the liquid. She bent down, her bright purple eyes wide, and carefully picked up the small granules on the carpet with her fingers.

After a dozen breaths, she had collected quite a few granules and gathered them in the palm of her hand.

She examined these small granules carefully.

Immediately, she keenly noticed that there were various cracks on these small granules, and these cracks were not transparent simple cracks, but had a light gray color.

Seeing this, Zi Di's eyes lit up: "Everyone, I think I've found the real reason."

"Oh? What kind of cold poison is it?" Zhen Jin asked.

Zi Di shook her head slightly: "In fact, there is no cold poison in the mutton. Before eating the mutton, for safety, I tested it using various methods. The results were correct, the mutton was indeed non-toxic."

Everyone was surprised: "Then what's wrong with us? Could it be something else that poisoned us?"

Zi Di shook her head again: "It's these mountain goat meats that caused the problem."

Zhen Jin and Lan Zao's faces showed even more confusion.

But a flash of inspiration struck Cang Xu's mind, and he blurted out: "Could it be magic power imbalance?"

"Yes, that's exactly the reason," Zi Di sighed, then explained in detail.

"It's close to the snow peak here, and the concentration of ice and frost elements in the surrounding environment is very high."

"The mountain goat herd lives and reproduces here, and the frost elements in the air permeate their bodies. If these mountain goats were natural creations, their bodies would be able to coordinate magic power and accumulate orderly magic power. When this stable magic power accumulates more and more, it will undergo a qualitative change and condense to form magic crystals."

"But as we speculated before, these mountain goat herds are man-made. Although their flesh and blood structure is stable, they do not inherently possess the function of coordinating magic power. They have always been protected by a magic-restricted environment."

"The frost elements within the mountain goats cannot be perfectly and naturally digested and absorbed. Although they can be converted into magic power, this magic power is very chaotic and contradictory. Not only can it not form magic crystals, but it also has a characteristic: when the temperature is low, it is relatively stable and lies dormant quietly within the body. When the temperature rises to a certain degree, it will suddenly erupt, forming symptoms similar to cold poison."

"I previously thought I had been poisoned by cold, so I took an antidote potion mainly made of fire element materials. As a result, the fire-attribute magic power in the potion further stimulated the ice-attribute magic power. The conflict between the two caused me to faint on the spot."

Zi Di paused, then continued, "Precisely because of this, after we took off our wool and leather clothes, our body temperature rapidly dropped, causing the ice-attribute magic power to become stable and contained again, which is why our condition improved rapidly."

"So that's how it is." Everyone was suddenly enlightened after hearing this analysis.

This kind of situation is actually quite common in the cultivation of extraordinary individuals.

For example, when a mage meditates and makes a mistake, the conversion of ice elements into magic power is unsuccessful, and after it erodes the entire body, it results in being poisoned by cold, or even having the entire body frozen.

Battle Qi cultivators, such as warriors, knights, and swordsmen, who eat monster meat or take potions but cannot digest the massive magic power within them, will also suffer backlash.

This phenomenon is not only common in cultivators but even more widespread in nature.

Fishmen who live in the sea for a long time will experience dry and even cracked skin, and listlessness, if they enter the desert during the day. This is because the desert during the day is filled with fire elements, light elements, etc. When fishmen are immersed in such an environment, they inevitably absorb light elements and fire elements. Although these elements are not actively absorbed, they form magic power on the surface of the skin. This magic power conflicts with the water element magic power constructed within the fishmen's bodies, causing symptoms of dry and cracked skin and listlessness.

In the Northland, a lush phoenix tree suddenly encounters a blizzard. After the blizzard, all the leaves of the phoenix tree fall off, leaving only bare branches, and many parts suffer from frostbite. This is caused by a sudden surge of ice elements, resulting in magic power erosion.

Correspondingly, there are also many ways in nature to resist magic power erosion.

For example, the green pine in the snow can maintain the stability of its wood-attribute magic power in an environment rich in ice elements.

Another example is the rhinoceros in the great grassland, which often rolls in mud to resist the scorching sun, creating a mud armor to block the intense heat. At the same time, it can also prevent mosquito bites. This is constructing a layer of earth-attribute magic power, replacing its skin, engaging in a war of attrition, and defending against magic power erosion from the outside world.

"Wait, if Lord Zi Di's explanation is correct, aren't these mutton good things? These appear to be ordinary beast meat on the surface, but they actually contain magic power and can be considered monster meat. Monster meat is an expensive cultivation resource!" Lan Zao, as a Bronze-level elite at the grassroots, was very sensitive to cultivation resources and quickly exclaimed in a low voice.

Indeed, there is a great demand for the flesh and blood of monsters during the process of Battle Qi cultivation.

For example, those who cultivate fire Battle Qi usually need to eat fire-attribute monster meat.

On the one hand, monster meat is rich in nutrients, and long-term consumption will enhance the cultivator's own life foundation.

On the other hand, monster meat contains fire-attribute magic power. After Battle Qi cultivators eat monster meat, the magic power in the food also permeates the cultivator's body. If left unchecked, this external magic power can cause harm. But when the cultivator circulates a fire-attribute Battle Qi Formula, they can quickly absorb and convert this magic power, not only eliminating hidden dangers but, more importantly, allowing their Battle Qi to grow.

Hearing Lan Zao's words, Cang Xu nodded slightly in agreement, acknowledging, "According to what you said, this possibility does exist."

"The difference between monster meat and ordinary meat lies in whether it contains magic power."

"It's just that compared to normal monster meat, the magic power contained in this mutton is quite special. When the temperature is very low, the magic power is quite contained, hidden deep within the body, and relatively stable. When the temperature reaches a certain level, the magic power will reveal its chaotic nature, and the magic power will erupt, posing a life threat to the consumer."

"If an ice-attribute Battle Qi Formula is excellent enough to withstand and convert this ice-attribute magic power, then this mountain goat meat is valuable monster meat for these people."

"It's just... there probably aren't many such people." Zhen Jin had a thoughtful expression.

A Battle Qi Formula is a method that uses Battle Qi as a form to construct the coordination, balance, and circulation of magic power within one's body.

There are many Battle Qi Formulas, and their quality varies.

An excellent Battle Qi Formula not only requires the creator to be exceptionally talented but also needs generations of people to improve it. The most excellent Battle Qi Formulas that stand at the top and are widely recognized are very few in number, countable on ten fingers. For example, the Saint Brilliance Battle Qi cultivated by the Saint Brilliance Great Emperor, the Arctic Blizzard Battle Qi of the Ice Howl Duke, and the Blazing Flame Battle Qi of the Curved Sun Sword Saint.

The more excellent a Battle Qi Formula is, the more efficiently it can absorb and convert the magic power in monster meat.

Under normal circumstances, the magic power in monster meat is relatively balanced and stable, and after processing, the rate of dissipation is not fast. This magic power is easy to perceive and also easy to absorb and convert.

But the mutton is clearly not in a normal state.

The mountain goats themselves are not natural products. The richness of the magic power contained within them far exceeds their life level. The structure within the mountain goat herd is also very chaotic, with the vast majority being ordinary beasts, and only a few being Bronze-level life forms.

Delving deeper, the magic power in the mutton, once it erupts, can render Bronze-level Lan Zao and Huang Zao immobile. But when it is dormant and contained, neither Zhen Jin, Lan Zao, nor Zi Di can sense it.

These two characteristics of the magic power structure each significantly raise the requirements for ice-attribute Battle Qi.