Poison Cultivation

Chen Luo accepted Wen Ruan's kind offer without hesitation or refusal.

He has always been a man of broad-mindedness and is not the kind of person who is pretentious or affected.

Furthermore, you treat me with sincerity, and I will repay you with kindness. We support each other through thick and thin, providing warmth and illuminating each other's lives.

Accepting the protective talisman at this moment would actually put the girl at ease and put her worries at ease.

After putting the three talismans into his storage bag, Chen Luo said goodbye to the girl and walked home alone.

When they reached the alleyway halfway through, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

The man glanced at him and, as if encountering a ghost or a plague, hurriedly turned away, avoiding him at all costs.

Chen Luo was sharp-eyed and quick-witted; how could he not recognize who it was?

It was Liu Wei, my old neighbor.

In the past, this person was cold and indifferent, and I deliberately avoided him from then on, never to meet him again.

Today we meet on a narrow road, and I suppose I feel ashamed and embarrassed to face you, so I dare to hide.

Since he was deliberately avoiding him, Chen Luo didn't bother to pay him any more attention. He simply looked away and casually brushed past him.

After Chen Luo had walked away, Liu Wei cautiously emerged from the alleyway, watching the receding figure with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes, his expression shifting repeatedly.

"Strange... His meridians are clearly damaged, and his strength is barely at the third level of Qi Refining, so how come he now has such a heavy spiritual pressure and a completely harmonious aura that even I can't see through his depths?"

It should be noted that Liu Wei himself was also at the fifth level of Qi Refining, comparable to Chen Luo's cultivation level at his peak.

Such a change at this moment could not help but surprise him.

His mind raced, unable to find a solution. A sudden, unbelievable guess surfaced in Liu Wei's mind:

"Could it be... that his meridians have recovered, and his cultivation level has surpassed mine?"

He stared incredulously, his eyes wide, feeling that the idea was incredibly absurd, yet somehow contained a hidden logic.

After all, the scene before his eyes was so vivid that he couldn't help but believe it.

To be able to recover from severe damage to one's meridians—such a miraculous encounter and opportunity must have come from some extraordinary fortune…

"Sigh, I should have lent him the money back then."

He was filled with remorse, beating his chest, his face flushed with shame.

As the saying goes, "Leave a way out for others, so that you can meet again in the future."

At the time, he thought Chen Luoyong would never recover and was afraid of being dragged down, so he watched coldly without showing any mercy.

Now that others have turned their fortunes around and are rising rapidly, I am left with no way to advance or retreat, and I don't even have the face to go up and try to curry favor with them.

Feeling depressed, Liu Wei returned home in silence, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured himself a bowl of tea.

The moment it touched the tip of my tongue, I spat it out with two sharp "pui pui" sounds.

"Why does this water taste so bitter?"

His wife, Zhang, was holding and comforting their child when she heard this. She gave him a disdainful look and said indifferently:

"How can tea not taste bitter when it's poured into a cup?"

Liu Wei's anger flared even more, and he shouted sharply:

"Now that you know it's tea, quickly bring some clean water!"

Helpless, Zhang gently put the child down from her arms, got up and changed the boiling water, sighing softly as she poured it:

"Did you get upset outside again? You take your anger out on us, mother and son. What kind of skill is that?"

Liu Wei gritted his teeth, filled with resentment:

"Damn it! Chen Luo must have had some incredible luck. Not only have all his broken meridians been restored, but his cultivation level is now even higher than mine! It's really... really..."

He said "really" twice, but finally his breath caught in his throat, leaving only a long sigh, full of jealousy, hatred and regret.

Upon hearing this, Zhang was shocked: "Is that so?"

Then he thought again:

"You two have known each other for many years. Now that he has obtained such an extraordinary opportunity, he should, out of old friendship, lend you a helping hand."

Instead of going to visit and make amends, why are you sulking at home?

Liu Wei was speechless for a moment, and after a long while he sighed, "How can I face him?"

I deliberately kept him at arm's length before, turning him away. Now, when he sees me, he acts like I'm a stranger, not uttering a single question.

Upon hearing this, Zhang couldn't help but complain repeatedly: "Look at what you did back then!"

I advised you to cherish our past relationship, but you insisted on cutting ties and were even smug about it, thinking you were getting rid of a burden.

What's the use of regretting it now?

These words made Liu Wei blush with embarrassment and anger, and he slammed his hand on the table:

"What do you, a mere woman, know?! Who could have predicted such good fortune for him?"

Zhang was indignant and muttered in a low voice, "In the end, it's because you look down on people."

"How dare you!" Liu Wei was furious and slapped him across the face.

Snapped--!

A clear handprint appeared on Zhang's face, and in pain, she burst into tears.

"Fine, you suffer outside and then take it out on me when you get home. If you're so capable, go find Chen Luo."

Go, go!

She cried and screamed, threatening suicide, and swept all the teacups off the table. The child in her arms, frightened, also burst into tears.

The room was filled with the noise of crying, adding to the chaos.

Liu Wei was already filled with remorse, and their argument made him feel even more dizzy and angry.

All I can say is, if only we had known this would happen, why did we do it in the first place?

His house was in complete chaos, but Chen Luo remained calm and returned to his residence.

First, all the medicinal materials were taken out, and there was no rush to start the furnace to refine the pills.

With battles looming ahead, alchemy should be put aside for now. The important thing is to first learn some combat skills to protect oneself.

Fortunately, the "True Explanation of the Five Poisons" is a superior and mysterious method, containing many complementary and ingenious poison techniques and unorthodox methods.

He carefully examined the text and found it to be filled with a dazzling array of techniques, ranging from low-grade to top-grade, totaling over a hundred different methods.

Including techniques such as "Concealing Qi and Form, Infatuation Talisman, Transporting Techniques, Purifying Insects Incantation, Poison Mist Technique, Mysterious Light Blinding Technique, Wooden Vine Technique, Poisoning Clothes with Clothes, Blood Poison Technique, Poison Saliva Technique, Dead Wood Technique, etc."

All sorts of strange and supernatural abilities, each one vicious and ingenious.

Chen Luo was mesmerized by what he saw, and only then did he realize the profound depth of the Nascent Soul sect.

"Compared to sects, independent cultivators are like those in wheelchairs compared to those in horse-drawn carriages—they're on completely different levels."

He muttered to himself, suppressing his excitement, and began to practice spells that were quick to learn and short in duration.

Examples include "poisoning techniques such as applying poison to clothing, blood poisoning, poisonous saliva poisoning, withered wood poisoning, concealing qi and form, poisonous flame techniques, and teleportation techniques," etc.

The "poisoning through clothing" method involves using the five poisonous energies to attach to clothing and then poison the garment.

Normally, a light touch of the palm is enough to silently poison an enemy.

The "Blood Poison Method" involves condensing and hiding the true energy of the five poisons in the blood, causing poisoning upon contact with the blood.

The "poisonous saliva method" involves temporarily turning one's own saliva into poison; even a single spit can kill a person.

The "Dead Tree Method" is even more ingenious. It condenses the true energy of the five poisons into a seed and plants it in a tree. The tree's surface remains unharmed, but the sap quietly transforms into poison.

If placed near a water source, it can pollute the water source without anyone noticing.

The following techniques, namely "Concealing Qi and Hiding Form," "Poisonous Flame Technique," and "Transportation Technique," are self-explanatory.

The former can conceal one's aura and form, thereby hiding one's cultivation level;

The latter can spew poisonous flames, fireballs, and create smoke and fire;

Later on, one can move objects out of thin air based on their own cultivation level.

Besides these, other methods of poisoning are even more mysterious and unpredictable, making them impossible to guard against.

Chen Luo possesses the "Five Poisons True Qi," which makes cultivating these methods twice as effective with half the effort. Not to mention that his cultivation has already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, and with focused study, his progress is incredibly fast.

He remained oblivious to everything else, focusing solely on his studies, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

One day, there was a sudden knock on the door.

When Chen Luo opened the door, he saw that the person standing outside was none other than Zhang Sheng.

Upon seeing him, Zhang Sheng's face immediately contorted with anxiety, and he spoke urgently:

"Brother Chen, have you made up your mind about what we discussed the other day?"

Hu Bao has been pressuring us several times already. If we keep delaying, he'll become suspicious sooner or later.

His words were earnest, his expression melancholy, and he seemed to be thinking of Chen Luo in everything he did, displaying utmost sincerity.

Chen Luo sneered inwardly.

I thought that after two months apart, Zhang Sheng might not be truly loyal to Hu Bao and would still have some sense of propriety and bottom line.

Now it seems that this person had already fallen into the trap, joined in the wrongdoing, and finally could not restrain himself any longer.

With his own "True Explanation of the Five Poisons" at hand, he has mastered about 70-80% of the various poison techniques, and there are still one or two spells that he has not yet mastered. There is no need to rush to reveal his true identity.

So they simply kept them hanging, making them anxious and uneasy.

Having made up his mind, Chen Luo feigned seriousness and slowly said:

"I recently sold my Silver Star Bullets and am about to go into seclusion to refine elixirs. However, I am very busy and may need to postpone this for a while."

Upon hearing the words "Silver Star Bullet," a glint of light flashed in Zhang Sheng's eyes.

The magical artifacts carried by cultivators are all refined over many years and are quite valuable;

Now that Chen Luo has sold off his magical artifacts, he has not only lost his means of protection against enemies, but he must also have a large sum of spirit stones in his hands.

This is definitely a fat sheep!

He quickly seized the opportunity and repeatedly urged them:

"Brother Chen, how long are you going to hesitate? At least give me a straight answer so I can help you cover for Hu Bao and prevent any unforeseen complications."

Chen Luo feigned hesitation, his face showing doubt, but inwardly he was thinking:

I have never seen anyone so eager to die.

After a moment, he slowly spoke:

"It will be set for one month from now. Once the month is up and the alchemy furnace is complete, I will know the outcome."

Zhang Sheng was overjoyed, but he still pretended to be worried.

"In that case, I will come back to discuss this again in a month."

He bowed and left quietly, inwardly setting Chen Luo's death date in his heart.

After leaving the Chen family mansion, Zhang Sheng hurried along, about to go find Hu Bao to inform him, when he suddenly felt a dark shadow silently approach from behind, its five fingers as hard as iron, suddenly gripping his neck tightly.

A cold, sharp voice rang in my ear, chilling me to the bone:

"Don't move, or I'll take your life!"

Zhang Sheng was terrified, never expecting that someone could sneak up on him without him noticing.

The opponent's cultivation level must be far superior to his own.

His mind raced, and he wanted to yell and curse, invoking the rules of the marketplace to intimidate them.

You should know that the laws and regulations of the market strictly prohibit private fights and murders. If you harm yourself, the other party will also find it difficult to escape the law enforcement team's arrest.

But that hand gripped his neck tightly, its strength chilling and ruthless; with just a little force, it could snap his throat.

Even if the law can severely punish the murderer afterward, Zhang Sheng himself is already dead. What's the point of punishing the culprit?

After weighing the pros and cons, how could they dare to make the slightest rash move?

He could only stand stiff as a board, not daring to even breathe.

The shadowy figure restrained him without uttering a word, and slowly led him into the depths of the alley...