Chapter 1006: The Visit of White Poison Master

Walking into the Scripture Collection Hall, Zhang Xuan helplessly shook his head.

It wasn't that he wanted to impersonate the founding patriarch of the Poison Hall, but at that time, there was simply no other choice.

If he hadn't said that, Elder Xu would likely have committed suicide, and they would have been irreconcilable with the Poison Hall, leaving no room for compromise. Although this approach was a bit of a bluff, it resolved all the problems at hand without delaying his reading—a win-win situation.

Of course, the success of the disguise was largely thanks to the Cruel One.

Using the disguise button from the Purple Leaf King, he concealed his killing intent, successfully emitting the aura of a human expert, making Ruo Qingyuan and the others dare not doubt him.

Otherwise, once the Cruel One's aura was released, even a fool would know he was an alien spirit clan member. Not only would it fail to intimidate, but he might be exposed before he could even finish speaking.

However, the effect of the disguise button was far inferior to the books left by Teacher Kong. It could fool poison masters, but for master teachers, it wouldn't be so easy.

"I don't know how long I can keep up this pretense. I'd better focus on reading for now!"

Although he had managed to bluff them temporarily, many things couldn't withstand scrutiny. For now, the best course was to read as quickly as possible. As long as he found a way to resolve Wei Ruyan's condition, he could leave immediately without having to deal with them.

With this in mind, without further hesitation, he quickly ascended to the fourth floor.

The books on this floor were noticeably fewer than on the first three floors, but they were more profound. Those who left these books were mostly at the peak of Four-Star, Five-Star, or even higher.

He scanned the rows of bookshelves, imprinting the books into his mind, turning them into his own knowledge. As he read more, his understanding of the poison master profession deepened.

In less than an hour, he finished reading everything on this floor and continued to the fifth floor.

The books here were only open to Five-Star poison masters. The number was even smaller, and it took him less than half an hour to absorb them all.

"Still nothing?"

After finishing all the books on the fifth floor, there was still no substantial information about the Innate Poison Body. Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel anxious.

This Scripture Collection Hall had only seven floors, and he had already gone through more than half of the content without any clue. Could it be that even here, there was no solution for the Innate Poison Body?

If so, that would be disastrous!

Although Wei Ruyan's condition hadn't deteriorated completely, she couldn't hold out long enough to search for a higher-level Poison Hall.

"I'll decide after reading the last two floors..."

Knowing that anxiety was useless, Zhang Xuan rubbed his brow and continued upward.

The books on this floor numbered less than ten thousand. He walked slowly along the bookshelves, and just as he had memorized most of them and was about to head to the last floor, he heard the door "creak" open, and a figure walked in.

It was an old man in his sixties, with a snow-white beard and bright, piercing eyes. He was dressed plainly, without a poison master badge, making it impossible to determine his exact rank.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan paid him no mind and was about to go upstairs when the Cruel One's voice sounded in his mind.

"Master, this person's strength is even higher than Ruo Qingyuan's. He's probably already at Saint Realm Level Four..."

"Saint Realm Level Four, a Seven-Star poison master?"

Zhang Xuan was startled.

Wasn't the strongest in Hongyuan Poison Hall the Hall Master Ruo Qingyuan? He was only at the peak of Level Three. Where did this Level Four suddenly come from?

Such strength was not inferior to the Purple Leaf King.

"Yes, although he hides it well, he can't fool me!" the Cruel One secretly transmitted.

Having devoured the Water Leaf King's primordial spirit, his strength had recovered somewhat. Now, even the old man not far away didn't notice his observation.

"Why would a Saint Realm Level Four expert come here silently?"

Frowning, Zhang Xuan's vigilance increased greatly.

He was about to summon the Purple Leaf King and the other puppets to strike first and take the man down, but then he stopped, thinking of something.

An expert of such a high level appearing here surely wasn't here to read books or take a stroll. He must be here for him.

Since he hadn't attacked directly but had pushed the door open, he probably wasn't here to cause trouble but had become suspicious and wanted to test him!

If it was just a test without action, there was no need to bring out the Purple Leaf King. Otherwise, if the commotion grew too big, not only would his disguise be useless, but damaging the books on the seventh floor would only cause more delays.

"A Saint Realm Level Four expert has a primordial spirit. It won't be as easy to fool him as before..."

It would be best to avoid a fight, but fooling such an expert would certainly be harder than before.

Claiming to be an Innate Poison Soul Body, as long as he couldn't be poisoned to death, Ruo Qingyuan and the others wouldn't dare to doubt. But for an expert with a primordial spirit, this trick wouldn't work well.

With a primordial spirit, one could examine the soul... He had only gained this ability through soul fusion with Wei Ruyan; he wasn't a true Poison Soul Body. If examined, the flaw would easily be discovered.

Unless... he could prevent the other from using his primordial spirit to probe!

What should he do?

...

While he was thinking, the old man who had arrived behind him was also focusing his gaze on the person in the room.

This fellow before him was indeed only at the Mortal Saint level in real strength, with nothing special about him. He looked ordinary, even a bit shabby.

He really didn't understand why Ruo Qingyuan and the others were so easily fooled into believing that he possessed the founding patriarch's soul.

Just as he was about to speak and ask a question, he saw the fellow suddenly dash forward, head straight for a bookshelf.

"Hmm!"

He frowned.

Could it be that he had seen through his specialness and was trying to escape?

If so, that would be bad!

Moreover, judging by his speed, if he really crashed into it, all the books on that shelf could be destroyed!

These were books painstakingly collected by countless poison masters of the Poison Hall. How could he let them be destroyed before his eyes!

His face darkened, and he circulated his true qi, reaching out a hand to grab the fellow. But then the fellow suddenly stopped, sat cross-legged on the ground, and seemed to enter a cultivation state.

Cultivation...

The old man was baffled.

A moment ago, he was sprinting with all his might, about to crash into the bookshelf, and the next moment, he sat down to cultivate... That was too big a difference, too unreliable!

This old man was none other than White Poison Master Bai Ting, who had just arrived from the headquarters. After learning that this impostor was in the Scripture Collection Hall, he had asked Ruo Qingyuan and the others to wait outside and entered alone.

Just as he was thinking about how to start a conversation, he heard the fellow sitting not far away speak in a calm voice.

"What did you see?"

Looking around and finding no one else, the White Poison Master pointed at himself in confusion: "Me?"

The fellow ahead didn't answer but nodded.

"Besides books, there doesn't seem to be anything else!" Not understanding the other's meaning, the White Poison Master hesitated before replying.

This was the Scripture Collection Hall; everything in sight was bookshelves and books. What else could there be?

"Alas!"

The fellow ahead sighed, his tone filled with desolation and disappointment: "I thought a Seven-Star peak poison master and Saint Realm Level Four expert would have a different insight, but it seems... you're just like everyone else."

"You, you... know my strength?"

His pupils contracted, and the White Poison Master was startled.

He had concealed his strength and wore no rank badge. On the surface, he looked no different from an ordinary Six-Star poison master. Yet the other had said it outright with his back turned... This was hard for him to believe.

"Saint Realm Level Four, what's so hard to see about that?"

Snorting, the middle-aged man ahead, with his eyes tightly shut, "looked" toward the bookshelf not far away: "These are not books, but knowledge. Unfortunately, later generations have distorted my teachings, making them all seem plausible but wrong!"

"Your teachings?"

The White Poison Master frowned.

"Yes!"

Nodding, the middle-aged man sighed again: "Do you know why you've been stuck at the peak of Seven-Star and unable to break through? The Silkworm Star Art is not a weak technique, but unfortunately, the medicine that goes with it has gone wrong, and your Primordial Spirit acupoint is sealed like iron, never opening. What a pity!"

"You, you... know I practice the Silkworm Star Art?"

His body stiffened, and the White Poison Master couldn't believe it.

He had come to test the other, but before he could even speak, he heard this, and his eyes widened in shock.

The Silkworm Star Art he practiced was created by an Eight-Star poison master. He had obtained it by chance during a trial in his youth. He had thought that with such a powerful technique, breaking through to Eight-Star poison master was within reach, but he never dreamed he would be stuck at the peak of Seven-Star for hundreds of years.

As for the reason for his stagnation, it was exactly as the other had said. When he first practiced, the poison medicine that accompanied it went wrong, damaging his foundation, and his Primordial Spirit acupoint was tightly sealed. He had exhausted all his strength but couldn't open it.

If he couldn't do it when he was young, now that his lifespan was only a little over a hundred years away, he probably had no hope of breaking through in this lifetime!

This was his deepest secret, unknown even to the Sea Poison Master who came with him. Yet this person, without even looking, had revealed it in one sentence... He felt a chill run through his body, and his heart nearly leaped out of his throat from fear.

To see through all this at a glance... Could he really be the founding patriarch?

Otherwise, even an Eight-Star poison master wouldn't have such insight!

"The Silkworm Star Art: inhale and exhale like a silkworm, illuminating the stars! Nourish with poison, use the stars as a medium. The original intention is to spit out qi like silk, traveling through the whole body. But you have spread the silk all over your body, completely sealing the Primordial Spirit acupoint... It would be strange if you could break through!"

Shaking his head, the middle-aged man was full of disappointment, as if lamenting for a junior who had gone astray.

"I..."

Cold sweat broke out on his head, and the White Poison Master was speechless.

With just one glance, the other had not only revealed his cultivation level but also pinpointed the crux of his cultivation problem, pointed out the flaw in the Silkworm Star Art, and identified the issue in his practice...

This could no longer be explained by mere insight... It required a deep and thorough understanding of the poison master profession!

Even the hall master of his branch... couldn't achieve this!

"Don't be nervous. Using the wrong poison actually... doesn't harm the foundation. The reason you're in this situation, with such a big deviation in your cultivation, should be due to someone's betrayal!"

Ignoring his tension, the middle-aged man continued.

"You..."

His scalp tingling, the White Poison Master's eyes bulged as if they would fall out. Losing all his previous composure and the dignity of a Seven-Star poison master, he couldn't help but ask: "You, how do you know?"