Chapter 282: Heavenly Dao Poison Art

"Yes!"

Gu Mu knew his body was in the worst possible condition. He had thought it would take at least several months to heal, but now three sessions would suffice. He couldn't help but admire the strength of the "Grandmaster Uncle" before him even more.

"Your current condition won't worsen in the short term. I'll treat you slowly for the remaining two sessions. As for this Poison Hall branch and the matter of the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed, you handle them as you see fit. After all, you are the special envoy, and it's not convenient for me to interfere."

Having established his authority and offered a sweetener, Zhang Xuan knew that Gu Mu, the special envoy before him, was now completely submissive. He spoke calmly and took a seat at the center of the hall.

Gu Mu nodded and turned to Liao Xun and the others: "Except for the elders and vice hall masters, everyone else, leave!"

"Yes!"

With the special envoy's order, no one dared to disobey. Soon, only seven people remained in the room: four elders and three vice hall masters.

"I have come this time for only two matters!"

Flicking his sleeves, Gu Mu looked around.

Before Zhang Xuan, he was like a junior, not daring to overstep, but in fact, as a pinnacle of the Sovereign realm and a pinnacle three-star poison master, destroying this branch alone would be nothing.

Absolute strength gave him supreme authority, leaving no room for dissent.

"Please speak, Special Envoy!"

Liao Xun and the others quickly bowed.

"First, to establish the candidate for hall master. Second, the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed is ripe, and I have come to harvest it," Gu Mu said.

"Crimson Flame Lotus Seed..."

Liao Xun and the others shuddered simultaneously, their faces turning pale.

"The Crimson Flame Lotus grows where the earth's core fire burns, nourished by highly toxic substances. Its branches, leaves, and flowers are all poisonous, making it the best material for concocting poisons. Only the lotus seed, emerging from poison yet unstained, grows in this environment without any toxicity. Instead, it is a supreme treasure for breaking through to the pinnacle of the Sovereign realm. The Red Lotus Branch was established here and has stood for thousands of years precisely to tend this lotus."

Gu Mu's voice carried authority: "Now that the lotus seed is ripe, I leave the lotus flowers and leaves to you. I will take the seed. I trust there is no problem?"

"No... problem!"

Liao Xun and the others smiled bitterly and nodded simultaneously.

With the special envoy speaking and the special envoy's "Grandmaster Uncle" watching from the side, even if there were problems, they dared not object!

"Good. How much longer until the lotus seed is fully ripe?"

Seeing that the other party dared not resist, Gu Mu nodded in satisfaction and then asked.

He had come at this time precisely because he had calculated the ripening date, which was around these days, though he wasn't sure of the exact day.

"Reporting to the Special Envoy, about ten more days!"

Liao Xun said.

"Ten days? Very well, prepare the best room for my Grandmaster Uncle to stay. Within these ten days, I will determine the new hall master candidate!" Gu Mu said.

"Yes!"

Seeing his decision, everyone nodded.

Knowing that the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed would ripen in ten days, Zhang Xuan was not anxious. He could take the opportunity to digest the knowledge he had just learned and carefully study the poison energy within his body.

After all, he hadn't completely removed the other party's hidden danger, so even if Gu Mu realized that this "Grandmaster Uncle" was fake, he wouldn't dare do anything to him.

Moreover, having displayed so many impressive techniques that even a typical five-star poison master couldn't achieve, he probably wouldn't be suspected.

...

Ignoring how the new hall master of the Poison Hall would be selected, Zhang Xuan was now sitting in his room, with Great Medicine King and Steward Lu guarding the door. He focused intently on the numerous books gathered in his mind.

"Correct!"

He murmured inwardly. Countless books on poison masters in the library quickly converged, forming a thick manual.

Knowing this was the [Heavenly Dao Poison Art] he wanted, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate. He grabbed it lightly, took it, and casually opened it.

"Poison is a type of medicine. It can harm people, but also save them..."

The pages were densely covered with explanations about poisons.

This Heavenly Dao Poison Art, formed from collected poison books, was clearly more detailed and profound than the one in the Tianxuan Kingdom library. As he read, Zhang Xuan's understanding of poison grew deeper.

After an unknown time, he opened his eyes, and his gaze shifted from confusion to clarity.

"I never expected poison to be so profound!"

Recalling the poison art he had just learned, Zhang Xuan felt a surge of emotion.

No wonder poison masters terrified countless people. They were indeed fearsome. In terms of complexity, they were no less than the top nine professions like alchemists and artifact refiners, and their offensive power was even greater.

For example, with his current strength, he would be no match for a mid-phase Zongshi master. But with enough poison, he could easily poison and kill a pinnacle Zongshi master!

He could even poison someone at the Sovereign realm.

Of course, poison was not omnipotent. If one's cultivation was insufficient to suppress the killing intent within, they could easily be detected by a strong opponent, and they might be killed before even administering the poison.

Moreover, some potent poisons required the poison master's essence blood and true qi to activate their effects. If one was not a poison master or was of too low a level, even if given a powerful poison, they couldn't use it and might even poison themselves.

It was like everyone knowing that atomic bombs were powerful, but without sufficient strength to control them, even if given one, it posed no threat and could even bring about one's own destruction.

Potent poisons were like powerful weapons. If one's strength was insufficient, they couldn't even touch them; within hundreds or even thousands of meters, they could be poisoned to death!

Extremely dangerous!

He had initially thought that if he could concoct a powerful poison, he might not even need to fear pinnacle Sovereign masters. Now it seemed that was somewhat wishful thinking.

"I don't want to use poison to harm others, but I must guard against being harmed by it!"

Knowing the profoundness of the poison master profession, Zhang Xuan became cautious.

He wouldn't use poison to kill, but he also needed to prevent being poisoned.

For instance, the poison energy within his body—if he had been a poison master beforehand, he could have prevented it and wouldn't be in such a predicament now.

"According to the books, the highest level a poison master can achieve is to possess a poison body. I can certainly cultivate one!"

He smiled slightly.

Like other professions, poison mastery required talent.

A talented poison master was said to have an innate poison body, which not only gave them a keen sensitivity to poison but also granted their body extraordinary resistance to toxins. That is, someone with this constitution could ingest even the most potent poison from another poison master and it would be like eating or drinking, causing no harm.

It was even said that such a person could absorb the power from poisons to greatly enhance their cultivation.

Of course, this constitution was extremely rare, possibly not appearing even among billions of poison masters.

This ability, like Zhao Ya's Pure Yin constitution, was innate, so he certainly couldn't achieve it. However, the Poison Hall's books contained many secret techniques for poison master cultivation, which he had just formed into a Heavenly Dao technique.

By cultivating this, even without an innate poison body, he could increase his body's resistance to poison, making it several times stronger than the specially tempered bodies of actual poison masters.

"Let's try!"

Acting on his thought, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate. With a mental command, the manual formed from poison master cultivation appeared before him, and he opened it to read.

After an unknown time, he exhaled a mouthful of turbid air and suddenly stood up.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

His entire skeleton crackled like frying beans, and his aura surged.

"Though not as good as an innate poison body, I am now unafraid of ordinary potent poisons. Even poisons concocted by a three-star poison master would cause me no harm if ingested!"

Feeling the changes in his body after cultivation, Zhang Xuan smiled.

After cultivating the Heavenly Dao Poison Art, his physical body had noticeably changed, enhancing his resistance to poison.

Although he didn't have an innate poison body, given his current state, even if he ingested poisons concocted by a three-star poison master, he would suffer no harm.

"Most importantly... my Heavenly Dao true qi, after cultivating the poison art, can heal people and help them break through, but it can also transform into deadly poison with a single thought, causing instant death!"

Besides the physical changes, the greater change was in his true qi.

Heavenly Dao true qi was pure and flawless, capable of healing injuries, restoring stamina, enhancing vitality, and helping others break through cultivation...

Now, having cultivated the poison art, it could also transform into poisonous qi with a single thought, unbearable to others. Once it entered the meridians, even a Sovereign master would find it difficult to dispel.

Like clear water, once inside the body, it could seep into any crevice, any acupoint. Even if one knew exactly where it was, if their true qi was not pure enough, they couldn't expel it.

This was no different from a terminal illness—knowing the cause and the cure, yet unable to treat it.

Truly worthy of being Heavenly Dao true qi—one thought brings life, another brings death.

He had never known it possessed such formidable abilities.

"Having finished cultivating the innate poison art, let's examine that poison energy!"

After cultivating the innate poison art, Zhang Xuan exhaled and once again focused on the poison energy hidden within his body.

Previously, he had little understanding of poison and couldn't identify what it was. Now, with knowledge comparable to a three-star poison master and skill in using poison that might even surpass Gu Mu, he was capable of studying the source of this poison energy and even finding a way to expel it.

His mind operated at high speed, and his state of mind instantly entered a state of utter stillness.

"This poison energy can hide in the blood and evade my Heavenly Dao true qi..."

Looking at the hidden poison energy, books on poison from the library appeared before him, and knowledge flowed through his mind.

There were no fewer than a million types of poison, each with different concoction methods and solutions. Even the slightest error could lead to a different result.

Zhang Xuan was not anxious. Using the books in the library, he screened them one by one.

"Green Spirit Poison Seed, no! Ink Void Poison Seed, no! Snake Clear Poison Seed, not that either..."

Based on the color and characteristics of the poison energy in his body, he eliminated possibilities one by one. After an unknown time, Zhang Xuan suddenly stopped, his face turning pale, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"It's actually this kind of poison... How... how is this possible?"