Poison Cultivation

In the path of cultivation, cultivation techniques are the foundation of a cultivator's existence, the lifeblood of their being, and the ladder to the pinnacle of achievement and continuous advancement.

No matter how exceptional your talent, you must never underestimate it.

Even with the same innate talent and physical attributes, a slight difference in the skill technique employed can lead to a vast difference in cultivation levels.

The speed of progress, the power of techniques, and the duration of true energy are all determined by the cultivation method.

If one can master a supreme and profound Dharma, not only can one become an immortal, but it would also be easy to establish a sect, make its incense flourish for a thousand years, and let its fame resound throughout the world.

Therefore, all sects and families in the world strictly guard their sect's secret cultivation methods, keeping them hidden from others, firmly controlling this crucial pass on the path to heaven, and refusing to divulge even the slightest bit of them.

The ordinary path of Qi cultivation originally has thirteen realms, but the crude techniques obtained by wandering cultivators in the world can only be cultivated to the ninth realm at most before reaching the end.

The Ninefold Refinement of Qi is the first threshold to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Ordinary cultivators who reach the ninth level of Foundation Establishment can only form a low-grade Dao Foundation.

If one's foundation is inherently weak and shallow, the path of cultivation will almost be cut off, making further progress extremely difficult.

Even with extraordinary ambition, without a miraculous encounter to strengthen one's foundation and solidify one's path, one will ultimately be destined for a mediocre life and become just another ordinary person.

Throughout history, even those few exceptionally talented individuals who miraculously defied fate to improve their foundations were extremely rare, one in ten thousand.

If one can cultivate diligently to the eleventh level of Qi Refining before attempting Foundation Building, one can condense a mid-grade Dao Foundation. The upper limit in this life is just enough to reach the Golden Core stage, and it will be difficult to advance any further.

Only by refining one's Qi to perfection and without any flaws, and by having one's true Qi clear and pure, can one condense a superior Dao foundation during the Foundation Establishment stage, and only then will one have the great opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage and attain the Nascent Soul stage in the future.

Prestigious families and cultivation clans have relied on the secret transmission of cultivation techniques and the monopoly of knowledge to control spiritual veins, treasures, and high positions of power for generations, remaining powerful for thousands of years.

As for Chen Luo, he possesses the three spiritual roots of fire, earth, and wood, but he is only of average appearance. The only thing he cultivates in his daily life is the rudimentary "Earth Spirit Technique" that can be found everywhere in the streets and markets. In the end, he cannot escape the ninefold shackles.

If he hadn't stumbled upon the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect's legacy, he would probably have only reached the ninth level of cultivation in his entire life, forming a low-grade Dao foundation, and his path of cultivation would have been limited to that.

Fortunately, he was lucky; with the "Ten Thousand Poisons Returning to Flow Cauldron," he could freely read all the first-tier secret techniques of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.

At this moment, he was about to cultivate the secret technique of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, "The True Explanation of the Five Poisons".

This method is exclusively for disciples in the Qi Refining stage. It allows them to rapidly increase their power by refining poisons, and the resulting true Qi is extremely poisonous.

When fighting an enemy, one can gain the upper hand simply by unleashing one's true energy.

Chen Luo was very concerned about this and hurriedly used his divine sense to read through the details.

According to the true explanation, the "True Explanation of the Five Poisons" can be used to refine a new poison every time it reaches three levels of cultivation.

When you reach the first level of Qi Refining, you can refine first-grade low-level poisonous substances; at the third level, you can refine mid-grade; at the sixth level, you can refine high-grade; and at the ninth level, you can refine top-grade.

Once one cultivates to the twelfth level, one can combine the four poisons into one, transforming them into a completely new poisonous substance, and enter the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, which is called "Five Poisons".

Chen Luo currently possesses a first-tier low-grade "Soft Tendon Flower" and a first-tier mid-grade "Bone-Corroding Heart-Rotting Grass," which are perfect supplementary materials for cultivation.

However, before fusing the poison, he must first transform the true qi of the "Earth Spirit Technique" into the true qi of the "Five Poisons True Solution".

He sat cross-legged with his palms facing upwards, breathing in the pure and spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He first focused his mind and concentrated his will, refining a wisp of the original true energy of the "True Explanation of the Five Poisons".

He then channeled this wisp of poisonous true energy into his dantian to refine his inherent earth elemental true energy.

The nascent Five Poison True Qi was tiny and weak, like dust and mustard seeds. As soon as it got close, it was suppressed by the original, abundant Earth Spirit True Qi in the body, almost dissipating into nothingness and teetering on the verge of shattering.

Fortunately, this myriad poisons' true energy is of the wood element, making it resilient and unbreakable, binding without breaking.

He patiently probed again and again, and after countless twists and turns, he finally broke through the barrier and refined a trace of earth elemental energy.

This process repeats itself endlessly, involving continuous breathing exercises.

At first, the refining process was so slow that it was like water dripping on a stone, making no progress at all.

Over time, the Five Poisons True Qi grew stronger and stronger, its foundation became more solid, and the refining process became suddenly smoother and more swift and fierce.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Chen Luo had completely melted away all the spiritual energy he had previously possessed.

At that time, the true qi in the dantian was only equivalent to the amount of qi at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

This is because a great deal of energy is consumed when absorbing and refining old energy.

He focused on circulating his energy to consolidate his vital energy and gather his breath. In no time, his true energy was abundant, and his barrier was broken, allowing him to steadily reach the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Having arrived here, one would normally stop and rest for a while, but the most exquisite and unique aspect of "The True Explanation of the Five Poisons" lies in its ability to refine strange poisons and transform medicine into efficacy.

How could we let such a profound mystery slip by?

Therefore, Chen Luo was in no hurry to rest. Instead, he took out the Soft Tendon Flower, simmered it over a low flame to extract all its medicinal properties, swallowed it, and used his unique mental technique to carefully refine this wisp of poisonous flower medicine.

The Soft Tendon Flower is a low-grade poisonous herb of the first rank. Its medicinal properties are particularly good at paralyzing the meridians throughout the body. When the poison takes effect, it can make a person's bones and tendons go weak and their whole body lose strength in an instant.

The weaker one's cultivation level, the more potent the medicine.

Chen Luo channeled his inner energy throughout his limbs and bones, carefully enveloping the diffused medicinal energy, allowing it to seep into his muscles and meridians, slowly merging with his body.

Firstly, he relied on the innate and mysterious nature of the Myriad Poisons True Qi to melt poison and neutralize evil, and secondly, he was already at the fifth level of Qi Refining, with a solid foundation and perfect skill. This refining was effortless, and he completed the process in no time.

He casually caught a small bird on the wall and lightly exhaled a wisp of poisonous true energy from his fingertip, covering it with the bird's breath.

The bird immediately went limp, its whole body went numb, and it froze on the spot.

No matter how much it flapped its wings, struggled, and pecked, it ultimately had no strength left and could not move.

Chen Luo was overjoyed and thought to himself:

Excellent! With such a potent poison technique, even body cultivators will never dare to approach me in the future.

At this moment, he was in high spirits. Although he had been practicing hard for days and had not had a proper rest for nearly half a month, he was not tired at all.

They immediately retrieved another poisonous substance, "Bone-Corroding and Heart-Rotting Grass".

This herb is a mid-grade first-level poisonous material. As its name suggests, it is extremely effective at corroding tendons and bones, and its putrid odor invades the heart. It is incredibly vicious.

Following the previous method, Chen Luo gently simmered the medicine over a low flame, guiding it into his meridians.

Before long, his own true energy had become tainted with a vicious and poisonous aura that corroded his bones and heart.

At this point, one should have stopped practicing, but unexpectedly, the wondrous essence of the "True Solution to Ten Thousand Poisons"—its ability to refine poisons and enhance one's power—was fully revealed:

With each wisp of bone-corroding poison he swallowed, his internal energy thickened, showing clear improvement.

Chen Luo was both surprised and delighted. For ordinary cultivators to improve their strength even slightly, they had to meditate and practice breathing exercises for many years, enduring hardship and grinding away their life force like water dripping on a stone.

Where is there such a shortcut to gain power by refining a single poison?

Seeing that there was still plenty of the remaining Corrosive Heart-Rotting Grass, his eyes lit up, and he laughed loudly:

"Good! Good! Good! I've been stuck at the fifth level of Qi Refining for a long time. Today, I'll take advantage of the power of this poison to break through and advance straight to the sixth level of Qi Refining!"

At that moment, he was only concerned with enjoying himself, and kept drinking more poison until his stomach was bloated and he was finally satisfied.

Suddenly, a sharp, excruciating pain shot through his lower abdomen, startling him.

"Damn it, I was too greedy and ended up getting poisoned. I even had a qi deviation and became infected."

Everything in the world should be done in moderation. Even ordinary medicinal herbs and elixirs should not be taken indiscriminately, let alone the extremely poison that he drank, which corrodes the bones and heart.

He secretly realized: it seems that the method of increasing power through poison also requires moderation and restraint, and one cannot be greedy in the slightest.

Feeling the churning pain in his abdomen, like being stabbed with knives and needles, Chen Luo dared not be negligent for a moment. He immediately focused his mind and breath, and activated the "True Solution to Ten Thousand Poisons" innate poison technique, using the pure poison energy throughout his body to desperately circulate and neutralize the overflowing domineering poison.

After a moment of torment, the poison in his stomach gradually dissipated and merged with his body. Chen Luo's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and the cold sweat on his forehead gradually disappeared.

Once the true energy has circulated throughout the body and all the poison has been expelled, then one can examine one's own cultivation level.

His dantian was full and surging, the barriers loosened and he broke through, steadily stepping into the sixth level of Qi Refining.