Neutralizing the Snake Venom

The scorching current inside Fang Chen was gradually refined away, and the wound on his calf began to hurt again.

"It hurts!"

Fang Chen grimaced in pain. He had never expected to be unlucky enough to get bitten by a Venomous Serpent. He had clearly swept the area with his Spiritual Sense just now and detected no powerful life force. This snake was no ordinary creature.

He immediately took out the medicine Li Yanshan had given him, poured out a little, and applied it to the wound.

A trace of coolness spread from the wound, easing some of the intense pain. But he saw thin black lines spreading across his calf from the bite of the Venomous Serpent.

"Uncle Li's medicine isn't doing much!"

Fang Chen's face darkened. The Spiritual Power the Floating Immortal Sword had poured into him was exhausted again, and the pain in the wound intensified.

"Right, the Floating Immortal Sword's energy can ease the pain. Could it neutralize the venom too?"

Fang Chen immediately stood, walked over to the Venomous Serpent still writhing on the ground, and brought his sword down again.

Slash...

The Venomous Serpent was cut in two once more. A scorching current surged from the Floating Immortal Sword into Fang Chen. Though weaker than before, it made the pain in his leg disappear.

Fang Chen kept swinging, chopping the great snake into sections.

The snake was over ten feet long, but in fewer than ten breaths, Fang Chen had chopped it into more than a dozen pieces.

After more than a dozen strikes, Fang Chen felt the Spiritual Power flowing into him from the Floating Immortal Sword run dry.

By then, the scorching current from the Floating Immortal Sword had restored the wound on his calf to normal. Before, it had been swollen, black, and aching.

Now the swelling had gone down, and the two punctures left by the Venomous Serpent's fangs had scabbed over.

Fang Chen touched the wound on his calf. It did not hurt at all. He pressed down hard, and it still did not hurt.

"It's healed?"

Fang Chen's eyes brightened, and excitement stirred in him. He had never expected the Spiritual Power flowing into him from the Floating Immortal Sword to neutralize snake venom. The sword was more powerful than he had imagined.

He stared at the Floating Immortal Sword and murmured, "What else can this sword do?"

Gurgle...

Fang Chen's stomach growled, and a fierce hunger struck him. He had eaten Spirit Rice with Chinese Sausage for lunch, but hacking his way up from halfway up the mountain had taken a great deal out of him. The Floating Immortal Sword was incredible, but the energy he absorbed from it could not satisfy his hunger.

He was about to take out a Spirit Wheat Flatbread when he saw the great snake he had chopped into more than a dozen sections on the ground. He tucked the flatbread away again.

"The snake's so big. It should taste great roasted, right?"

With that thought, Fang Chen went to the Stone House and dragged out several wooden beams. They were rotten and no longer of any use, so he decided to burn them to roast the snake. He now knew the Floating Immortal Sword could not absorb Spiritual Power from rocks at night, so he did not plan to stay long on the summit or repair the Stone House.

He split the beams with the Floating Immortal Sword, carving two sticks while he worked to skewer the snake meat.

Once the firewood was ready, he lit it with his flint and began preparing the meat.

Half an hour later, darkness had fallen completely. Fierce winds howled across the summit as Fang Chen sat beside the fire eating snake meat.

"Smells amazing. Even better than Uncle Li's Cured Meat. Shame I don't have any seasoning—it'd taste even better!"

Fang Chen muttered as he ate the roast snake.

He had cooked all the meat, but ate only half. The snake was simply too big, weighing at least seven pounds.

Fang Chen patted his stomach and took a drink from his water flask. Then he climbed onto the Giant Stone and lay down to gaze at the stars. There was no moon tonight, and the stars shone with exceptional brilliance. Looking into that vast sea of stars, he wanted to soar into the sky and see what lay in its depths. He had heard that Saints and Great Emperors could cross the starry heavens, though he did not know whether it was true.

Much as he yearned to become a Saint or Great Emperor, Fang Chen knew they were powerful figures who stood at the pinnacle of this world. Not everyone could reach such heights.

Even with the Floating Immortal Sword, he did not dare imagine he could reach that level.

All he wanted was to live freely, with enough food to eat and clothes to wear. His family had been poor since he was little, and hunger had followed him for as long as he could remember. As a child, his dream had been to eat and drink his fill at every meal.

After coming to the Glazed Sword Sect, he had endured constant bullying and oppression on Dragon Tiger Mountain. He still could not eat his fill, and he often got beaten.

Now Fang Chen was close to realizing that dream.

In the past, Fang Chen had never planned his life because he had no power to shape it. Now, as his abilities grew, he finally had the chance.

Though he had grown much stronger, he was not free yet. He still owed the sect a great deal of money, and Zhang Tieniu's elder brother, Zhang Tielin, had his eye on him. If he wanted to go out and earn money, he would have to deal with Zhang Tielin.

His first priority was to grow stronger and get over the hurdle before him.

After lying on the Giant Stone for a while, Fang Chen felt cold as the frost and dew grew heavier. He climbed down. He did not intend to spend the night on the summit: the wind was too strong, and the Stone House was in ruins. Most importantly, there were Venomous Serpents here. If one bit him again while he slept, he would be in real trouble.

He shouldered his bundle and hurried down the mountain using the Misty Turtle Step.

With the Misty Turtle Step to help him and the trees cleared from the mountain path, Fang Chen soon reached his dwelling. He went to the stream behind the courtyard and bathed. After chopping trees all afternoon, he reeked of sour sweat.

Once he had bathed, he returned to his room, spread out his mat and quilt, and went straight to bed.

The next morning, Fang Chen woke just as the sky began to brighten, before the sun had risen. The first thing he did was go to the courtyard entrance, summon the Floating Immortal Sword, and swing it at a rock.

Clang!

Fang Chen's eyes brightened, and a smile touched his lips. "Good. The Floating Immortal Sword is back to normal!"

As he lay in bed last night, he had worried something might have gone wrong with the Floating Immortal Sword, leaving him unable to absorb Spiritual Power even during the day. It seemed he had worried for nothing.

He did not keep chopping rocks. Instead, he put away the Floating Immortal Sword, washed up, and lit a fire in the kitchen. He reheated the snake meat he had brought down from the summit the night before, ate his fill, tucked a Spirit Wheat Flatbread into his clothes, and headed up the mountain with a water flask on his back.