Chapter 1009: Making Arrangements for Wei Ruyan
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"Actually, it does not matter whether you are able to return to the body of a female or not," Poison Master Bai persuaded.
As long as one was able to continue living, what did gender matter?
Besides, there were plenty of poison masters in the Poison Hall who had their gender mixed up.
Zhang Xuan shook his head. "That’s what I thought at the start as well. However, this body is not compatible with my Poison Soul Constitution. At this rate, I will gradually grow weaker, and it won’t take long before I am completely dead. Thus, regardless of whether I will lose my memory because of the possession or not, this is something that I will have to do. This is... my only opportunity!"
Based on what Poison Master Hai had said, it was apparent that he would require the help of the Poison Hall headquarters to help resolve Wei Ruyan’s condition.
However, the Poison Hall was ultimately different from the Master Teacher Pavilion. If he were to send her there without any arrangements beforehand, there was a good chance that things could go awry.
After all, the Innate Poison Body was simply too fearsome. It was only a matter of time for a person of such a constitution to rise to the position of the head of the Poison Hall. However, how could the incumbent hall master be willing to relinquish his power so easily?
In order to prevent any accidents from happening, Zhang Xuan felt that it would be safer to give her a formidable identity first... the founder of the Poison Hall!
With such an identity protecting her, even the incumbent hall master would not dare touch her!
But of course, it was likely that Wei Ruyan would be unable to follow up with his lie once she woke up, so there was a good chance that she might inadvertently leak the truth. As such, he had made sure to tell them in advance that she would lose her memory. As for the founder’s memory returning after returning to her peak state...
Once Wei Ruyan achieved such strength, whether she had really recovered her memory or not... who would dare to utter a word against her?
Knowing that the founder was bound to have a mission for them, considering how the other party had gone through the effort of explaining this matter to them, Poison Master Bai looked at her and asked with a determined glint in his eyes, "Founder, is there anything that you need us to do? As long as it is within our means, the both of us will even brave the fires of Hell to accomplish it for you!"
Poison Master Hai also nodded grimly in agreement.
At this moment, Zhang Xuan’s standing in the hearts of the two was comparable to what Kong shi was in the hearts of the master teachers. To be able to work for her was their greatest pride, and they wouldn’t back down even in the face of death.
"I don’t need you to brave the fires of Hell for me. However, I do have something that I need you to help me with." At this point, Zhang Xuan paused for a moment as he gazed at the duo before continuing. "I will be moving my soul into the body of a girl I have already prepared beforehand, but as soon as I do that, I will fall into an unconscious state. If... it is possible for the both of you, I hope that you can take me back to the Poison Hall headquarters and help me regain my strength as soon as possible!"
"This... Founder, rest assured. We will definitely accomplish it for you!"
They had been wondering what she would ask for, but upon hearing that this was the other party’s request, the two poison masters nodded.
If the headquarters were to learn that they had found the founder and brought her back, they would surely be handsomely rewarded for their immense contribution to the Poison Hall. Thus, it could be said that this job was not only not a hassle, it could even be considered a huge opportunity for them.
"Don’t be fooled into thinking that this will be an easy task!" But seemingly having seen through their thoughts, Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "After I successfully possess the other party’s body, my soul will fall into a coma. This means that I will continuously emit a poisonous aura around me. If you remain in close proximity to me, there is no doubt that you will be heavily poisoned as well!"
With grim looks on their faces, the duo straightened their posture and swore solemnly, "As long as it is a command from you, we will definitely accomplish it even if death is what we will face!"
While poison masters were not as concerned with rules and principles as master teachers, they would go to any lengths to protect their lineage and dignity.
"Don’t worry, you won’t face death. I will forge some pills tonight for you to ward off the poisonous aura. Once you feel like you are going to succumb to the poisonous aura, swallow one, and it should be able to neutralize the poisonous aura accumulated in your body thus far." After which, Zhang Xuan paused for a brief moment before adding, "Also, I will be imparting an even more profound poison cultivation technique and poison art to you. At the same time, I will think of a way to help the both of you achieve a breakthrough to Saint 5-dan."
"Thank you, Founder!" With their eyes widening and breathing hastening in agitation, Poison Master Bai and Poison Master Hai hurriedly clasped their fists and bowed deeply in gratitude.
Who was the person before them?
The founder of the Poison Hall!
The other party was the person who had founded the Poison Hall, leaving behind the heritage of the poison masters. For them to actually be so privileged as to receive the guidance from a figure like the other party directly... this was something they could never have dreamed of!
"There is no need to get happy too early. To obtain my heritage, you will have to acknowledge me as your teacher. Also, in order to ensure that no accidents occur, I will have Sun Qiang control your souls. If you intend me any harm, death will fall swiftly upon you!" Zhang Xuan continued gravely.
This was not a matter of whether he trusted the other party or not. He had to ensure that not the slightest harm came to Wei Ruyan!
As the saying goes, a layer of skin conceals a human’s heart.
Furthermore, a constitution as rare as the Innate Poison Body was surely desired by many.
Thus, Zhang Xuan felt that while it was imperative to offer them some benefits to them to win their loyalty, he had to also prepare some measures to ensure that the other party didn’t betray him.
Knowing what the founder was worrying over, Poison Master Bai and Poison Master Hai clasped their fists and declared affirmatively, "Founder, rest assured. Our loyalty toward you is unwavering!"
Becoming the disciple of the founder was, for a poison master, similar to becoming the disciple of Kong shi. They would possess a standing above countless poison masters, such that even if they were to encounter 9-star poison masters, the other party would have to behave obediently before them, not daring to offend or disrespect them in the least.
"There is no need for you to give me your answer that quickly. I will give you some time to consider the matter. You can give me your response at midnight today," said Zhang Xuan with a casual wave of his hands.
"This... Yes!" The duo glanced at one another before nodding.
"Alright. For the time being, I don’t wish for anyone to learn of my matter, so make sure you keep your lips sealed. Otherwise, if the poison on the both of you isn’t neutralized in time, I can promise you that you won’t live past tomorrow!" Zhang Xuan said with a cold harrumph, his voice laced with threat.
The two poison masters clasped their fists and replied hurriedly. "Founder, rest assured. Not a word of this matter will come from our mouths!"
"Un. You are dismissed!" After saying his piece, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and fell silent.
Poison Master Bai and Poison Master Hai turned around and left.
After the both of them left, Zhang Xuan slowly opened his eyes once more.
If the both of them could achieve breakthroughs and become 8-star poison masters, Wei Ruyan would be in a much safer position in their care.
After sorting out the books in his head and compiling them into the respective Heaven’s Path Poison Art manuals, Zhang Xuan slowly made his way out of the Compendium Hall.
At this moment, Elder Xu, Ruo Qingyuan, and the others were waiting outside. Upon seeing that Zhang Xuan had left the Compendium Hall, they hurriedly relayed orders to their men to prepare a banquet to host him.
After feasting at the banquet, Zhang Xuan was shown to a new, grander accommodation. As soon as he was left alone, he entered the Myriad Anthive Nest and began reading through the Heaven’s Path Poison Art.
The reason he had told the other party to return at midnight was because he hadn’t internalized these books yet. There was no way he could offer guidance to the both of them in his current state.
Starting from the 3-star Heaven’s Path Poison Art, he gradually moved on to the 4-star, 5-star...
Cultivating as he read, his understanding of poison widened and deepened significantly.
After some time, he exhaled a mouthful of turbid gas. A sharp but sinister shimmer flickered across Zhang Xuan’s eyes.
Immense knowledge regarding poisons ranging from 3-star to 7-star was now imprinted deeply in his brain, becoming his own capability.
At this moment, in terms of comprehension of poison, even Poison Master Bai would be no match for him. He might even be a match for some 8-star poison masters!
Of course, due to his lacking cultivation, it would be impossible for him to take the 8-star poison master examination at the moment. In fact, even the 7-star emblem, which Ruo Qingyuan had applied for on his behalf, was only at ’quasi 7-star’.
While poison master was considered a Lower Nine Paths occupation, there was still a strict cultivation requirement on rank promotion, just like most Upper Nine Paths occupations such as master teacher and beast tamer.
To become a real 7-star poison master, one’s cultivation had to be at Saint 2-dan Spiritual Perception realm at the very minimum. To become an 8-star poison master, the requirement was for one to possess the cultivation of Saint 5-dan. This was a fixed requirement, and there was no one who had the authority to alter the rules.
However, Zhang Xuan wasn’t bothered by his poison master ranking.
The main reason the Poison Hall was so strict on the cultivation requirement on rank promotion was due to the risks in concocting higher-grade poisons. Without a sufficiently high cultivation, a poison master could very well injure themself or die as a result of attempting to concoct something beyond their current strength.
However, possessing the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, Zhang Xuan was impervious to all poison, so such a problem didn’t apply to him.
Of course, this didn’t mean that cultivation wasn’t important to a poison master who was impervious to poison. Even if a poison master could concoct the most potent poison in the world, if they weren’t strong enough to plant the poison on their opponent, it would be futile too.
Taking the current Zhang Xuan for example, the Heaven’s Path zhenqi was indubitably an extremely frightening poison. However, to poison a Saint 4-dan expert to death, he still had to rely on disguising himself and tricking the other party to consume it of their own accord. With his current strength, it was impossible for him to beat his zhenqi into his opponent’s body directly.
This was also why it was still very dangerous for him to confront a Saint 4-dan directly.
Just the ability to concoct poison wasn’t enough. Being able to utilize it against one’s opponent to subdue him was what made a true expert!
Despite everything I have learnt, I still cannot come up with a treatment method to resolve Wei Ruyan’s condition. However, with my current means, I should still be able to stabilize her condition for around half a year to a year. With this period of time, it should suffice for her to make the journey to the Poison Hall headquarters! Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
Even though the Heaven’s Path Poison Art he had compiled from the books in the Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall contained incomparably deep and profound knowledge, greatly benefiting him, it still didn’t grant him the capability to solve the complications regarding the Innate Poison Body.
However, while he was unable to cure the root of the problem, he was more than capable of delaying the worsening of the condition.
Standing up, Zhang Xuan walked up to Wei Ruyan. He began driving the Heaven’s Path zhenqi in his body, turning it into lethal poison.
It was futile to deal with the Innate Poison Body using nourishment medicinal herbs that reinforced one’s foundation. The only thing that worked was poison!
Back then, Wei Changfeng had been aware of the details regarding the matter, and Wei Ruyan’s unique constitution hadn’t awakened entirely either, so no one was any wiser about her condition. Out of concern for his daughter’s condition, Wei Changfeng had been feeding her all kinds of medicinal herbs ever since she was young, but this had only served to worsen her affliction. Had Wei Ruyan not met him, she would have long succumbed to her affliction.
Taking a deep breath, a grim look surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s eyes. Maneuvering his fingers adeptly as if he was playing the pipa 1 , he nimbly shot surges of his lethal Heaven’s Path zhenqi into each and every acupoints all over Wei Ruyan’s body.
Shortly after these surges of zhenqi seeped into Wei Ruyan’s body, her pale face began to gradually regain a slightly red glow.
Even though she was still unable to regain her consciousness, she was finally in a safe and stable condition, at least in the short-term.
Knowing that the other party would be fine for around a year, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With a thought, he drew his soul out of his glabella.
"Soul Guiding Art!"
After which, his massive soul began forming several hand seals, and before long, he succeeded in severing a fragment of his soul. That fragmented soul dove straight into Wei Ruyan’s glabella.
This student of his had been ill as long as she could remember. Living under the protection of her father’s wings, she had an innocent personality that was incapable of scheming against others. If she were to head into the Poison Hall headquarters, a place where even master teachers would tremble in fear before, without any protection, she would surely have a layer of her skin shed at minimum.
Thus, after much consideration, Zhang Xuan decided to leave a fragment of his soul with the other party to assist her in times of need.
After that was done, he fell into deep contemplation once more. He hesitated for a brief moment before eventually taking out the only golden page that he had left. With a tap of his finger, he sent it into the other party’s glabella.
This was the golden page that had formed when School Head Jiang Qingqin acknowledged him as his teacher. All along, he couldn’t bring himself to use it. However, if it could be exchanged for the safety of his student, he was more than willing to do so.
After doing so, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief before moving his soul back into his physical body.
What Zhang Xuan had left was just a mindless soul fragment made up purely of intent, on top of which, there had been an exchange of soul essence between the both of them before. As such, Wei Ruyan’s body didn’t instinctively reject Zhang Xuan’s soul fragment. It dove into the other party’s mind, hiding itself in the depths of the other party’s consciousness. Even the strongest of person wouldn’t be able to sense the presence of his soul. In fact, as long as Zhang Xuan willed it so, this student of his wouldn’t be aware of the matter either.
The concern that a teacher had for their students need not be made known to the student. The only thing that teachers expected from their students was for them to better themselves, and that was why they could push on despite being misunderstood or unappreciated by their students. As long as their efforts could help the latter and help them achieve greatness, they would feel relieved and gladdened from the bottom of their hearts.
This was not foolishness. This was because there was a single belief that was even heavier than the greatest of mountains in the world driving them...
They are teachers!