Choice

Over a month later.

In a forest outside Qingshan Town, Qing Lin was sitting cross-legged on a rush cushion beneath an ancient tree. Her hands formed a cultivation seal, and wisps of pale-white energy seeped out from the air, then continuously poured into her body.

Not far away, Lin Yuan leaned against an ancient tree, gently flipping through the ancient tome in his hand. With Soul Power, he sealed off and blocked the surrounding noise around Qing Lin, while also sensing the area to prevent anything from disturbing Qing Lin's breakthrough. Chances to break through the bottlenecks in the late stages of Dou Qi were extremely rare.

Suddenly, Lin Yuan turned his head and looked northwest. Several hundred meters away, a second-rank Black-Striped Leopard was walking in this direction. Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed, and an invisible Soul Fluctuation spread toward the northwest. After the Black-Striped Leopard came into contact with this Soul Fluctuation, it was so frightened that it abruptly leaped up, as though it had seen an incomparably terrifying sight ahead, then sprinted madly in the opposite direction.

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze, a bit more satisfaction in his eyes. His research into using Soul Power to simulate the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and create illusions for people had finally shown some results. Unfortunately, it was still a chicken rib. It only had some effect when the gap in Soul Power was very large, and at present, it was basically useless against the enemy in battles of the same level. Compared to that, his research into methods for dealing with illusion techniques could be said to have yielded quite a lot.

During this past month or so, Lin Yuan had not cultivated Dou Qi. Instead, he had been summarizing his experience from the many great battles in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, settling his somewhat restless state of mind, guiding Qing Lin's cultivation, improving the Dou Techniques he had created himself, and researching the applications of Soul Power, illusion techniques, and resisting illusion techniques. Although his cultivation had not progressed much, he had gained quite a bit in other areas.

"Time, oh time. What I lack most is time."

Sensing the change in aura ahead, Lin Yuan looked toward Qing Lin and nodded slightly. "Looks like she's about to break through."

On the rush cushion, as Dou Qi continuously poured in, the mysterious green energy within Qing Lin's body was also ceaselessly stimulated, nourishing Qing Lin's body together with it. As the last strand of Dou Qi flowed into Qing Lin's body, her face emitted a jade-like radiance, and her aura completely stabilized.

Ninth Stage Dou Qi. Done.

"Young Master, Young Master, I broke through to Ninth Stage Dou Qi." Opening her eyes, Qing Lin jogged to Lin Yuan's side and said excitedly.

"Mm. Our Qing'er really is outstanding. You'll be able to become a Dou Zhe very soon." Lin Yuan rubbed Qing Lin's little head with his hand, and in his heart, his evaluation of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils rose another level.

For ordinary people, breaking through the eighth and ninth stages of Dou Qi required years as the unit of measurement, yet Qing Lin had used less than a month for each stage. Moreover, her foundation was extremely solid. After the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils awakened, that energy continuously generating itself within her body had been ceaselessly nourishing Qing Lin's body, laying an extremely solid foundation for her.

"Hehe!"

"Today's cultivation ends here. In a while, I'll take you to a good place in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The scenery there is very beautiful, and your older sister Xiao Yi Xian is there too. Today I'll cook and make you two something delicious."

"Really? That's great! I can see older sister Xiao Yi Xian again."

Qing Lin was somewhat happy. A month ago, when Xiao Yi Xian had come to their home as a guest, the two of them had gotten to know each other. Later, they had met a few more times, and the two hit it off at once. Xiao Yi Xian felt great affection for the gentle, delicate-looking Qing Lin, and had even taught her quite a few tips about clothing and appearance. Qing Lin, meanwhile, somewhat admired Xiao Yi Xian, this beautiful, friendly, intelligent, mature older sister. In her eyes, Xiao Yi Xian was practically the embodiment of the perfect woman.

"Oh, right. This is for you. It's a return gift for this robe. I like the robe Qing'er made very much." Lin Yuan took out a carefully chosen bracelet and handed it to Qing Lin. Its workmanship was extremely exquisite, and there was a small bell on it that would give off a pleasant sound when shaken.

Qing Lin accepted the bracelet and looked at the well-fitting green robe on Lin Yuan's body. She could not help revealing a silly smile. This robe was something she had sewn for Lin Yuan with her own hands during the spare time between cultivation.

"Thank you, Young Master." It was unclear whether she was talking about the bracelet, or the robe.

"Let's go." Saying this, Lin Yuan stepped off in the direction of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"But, Young Master, isn't this place very far from the Magical Beast Mountain Range? Aren't we flying straight there?" Qing Lin was somewhat doubtful.

Lin Yuan looked into the distance and sighed softly. "Let's take a walk first. We'll go over a little later and give your older sister Xiao Yi Xian some time. Today must be very hard for her!"

Deep within a basin in the Magical Beast Mountain Range was a valley completely cut off from the outside. Thick fog concealed it from the sky, making it extremely hidden. For the outside world to enter this place, they could only rely on flight.

Within the valley, the energy was rich, and all kinds of precious medicinal herbs grew there. Waves of medicinal fragrance drifted through the air, making it seem like a paradise beyond the world.

At this moment, Xiao Yi Xian was sitting on a patch of grass in the valley, the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture spread across her knees. In her hand, she held a small jade bottle filled with purplish-red liquid, and her gaze was hazy as she looked at the jade bottle in her hand. This was a bottle of poison refined according to the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture. It was the key that could allow her to activate her Woeful Poison Body.

At this moment, her body's instincts were calling for her to drink the liquid before her, yet her heart was still struggling somewhat. Once she drank this bottle of liquid, it would be a road with no way back.

Xiao Yi Xian recalled the things that had happened during this period of time. The trivial matters of daily life, Mr. Yao's fawning and intentions toward her, the covetousness of the young regiment leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, and so on. The self that had once been able to patiently and smoothly handle these matters was gradually losing patience.

Ever since she learned that she possessed the Woeful Poison Body, her mentality had changed without her realizing it. Even when she forcibly lived according to her original rhythm, her heart had constantly been questioning whether she was wasting her life. Especially when she learned that Qing Lin, who in her eyes was gentle and delicate, also possessed a Special Constitution and was advancing rapidly on the path of cultivation, this inner questioning became even more severe.

The change half a month ago had made her understand just how fragile ordinary days without power were. If not for Lin Yuan's intervention, she did not even know what situation she would be in now.

She gradually came to recognize one thing: with her beauty, yet unwilling to become a vase for others to toy with, she was destined to have no fate with ordinary days. The current her, deep in her heart, yearned for the bearing of a true expert that Lin Yuan had once displayed before her.

Ever since learning that she was the Woeful Poison Body, whether due to the effect of her body or her mind, when Xiao Yi Xian now saw poison, she would feel that it was one tempting delicacy after another.

"So this is what Lin Yuan meant by, 'With a sharp blade in hand, the urge to kill arises on its own'? From the moment I learned that I possessed the Woeful Poison Body, I had already stepped onto a road with no return."

"Since I can no longer turn back, then I'll face it boldly. Compared to the seniors recorded in the Poison Scripture, at least I still have a friend, don't I?"

"Just as Lin Yuan said, this continent has countless strange people and extraordinary matters. A way to resolve the Woeful Poison Body may not necessarily be nonexistent."

Countless complex emotions ultimately turned into resolve. Xiao Yi Xian hardened her heart, opened the mouth of the bottle, and drained the purplish-red liquid inside in one gulp. As the poison's medicinal properties slowly took effect, Xiao Yi Xian then fainted, collapsing onto the ground. A strange power slowly awakened within Xiao Yi Xian's body, and the seven-colored hidden line on her lower abdomen also emitted light, beginning to grow slowly.

The Woeful Poison Body had awakened.

Thank you, everyone, for your support. Tomorrow, my book will be going up for a round of recommendations. Please don't stockpile chapters; read along more. This is related to the later promotion of recommendation slots, and it is an extremely critical period for this book's results. Please, everyone, help me out.

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