Yang Chan's Means of Staying Alive (Seeking Follow-Up Reads, Monthly Tickets, and Recommendations)

A Ten Refinements Sword Artifact far surpassed ordinary weapons. Used well, it could kill an External Refinement expert. The better the weapon, the greater the threat it posed.

Being able to kill represented the capability of a Ten Refinements Sword Artifact, but whether it could actually kill depended on the methods of the one wielding the sword.

A child holding a sharp sword could kill an adult, but only if the adult could not dodge. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to injure them.

Such was the gap between nurturing Jing Power and External Refinement: Bronze Skin.

It was not that they could not be killed, but that there was a disparity in strength. Thus, someone nurturing Jing Power needed many conditions in order to kill an External Refinement: Bronze Skin expert.

Of course, experts nurturing Jing Power likewise held an enormous advantage when facing ordinary people.

After Yang Chan raised the Demon Subduing Sword Technique from the introductory level to Second Order: Entering the Hall, he had no Potential Points left to continue improving it. He had used up all the Potential Points he had accumulated over the past few days.

For now, Second Order: Entering the Hall was sufficient for the Demon Subduing Sword Technique. Raising it to Third Order: Mastery required far more Potential Points, and he did not have enough at present.

Moreover, between the Ox Demon Strength Fist and the Demon Subduing Sword Technique, Yang Chan still leaned toward improving the Ox Demon Strength Fist. Improving it would make him stronger, and if his External Refinement: Bronze Skin advanced to its third stage, Ancient Bronze, his strength would undergo another qualitative leap.

In this regard, the Demon Subduing Sword Technique could not compare at all.

Improving the Demon Subduing Sword Technique mainly enhanced his sword moves, allowing him to wield it more smoothly. At the same time, his mind gained sword-move-related techniques, applications, and the ability to use them in actual combat.

If he encountered danger while descending the mountain, the Second Order Demon Subduing Sword Technique would be enough to handle it. If it still was not enough, then his strength was certainly insufficient.

Although Yang Chan had improved his Demon Subduing Sword Technique, he did not reveal it. While training in the Hall of Bestowing Merit, he displayed only introductory-level swordsmanship. At a time like this, it was better to hide his abilities if he could.

The more trump cards he had, the greater his chances of staying alive.

If someone wanted to deal with him, they could also misjudge his strength, giving him at least a chance to kill them in return.

If possible, Yang Chan truly did not want to descend the mountain. He did not know which of the Three Great Sects Zhao Ziqing had been an undercover agent for, but Zhao Ziqing's capture was inevitably connected to Yang Chan.

If someone among the three wanted to avenge Zhao Ziqing, they would surely come looking for trouble with him. If he remained within the Qingyuan Sect, he naturally would not fear them, but now that he had no choice but to descend the mountain, Yang Chan had to consider this possibility.

He had only one life, so naturally, everything had to prioritize his safety.

Thinking of this, Yang Chan warmly greeted Xu Gaocen once more. If he had known earlier, he should have chosen a steadier Pharmacist instead, and he would not have fallen into such a dangerous situation.

After comprehending Jing Power, escaping the crisis of being purged from the Qingyuan Sect, and striving to become a Pharmacist, trouble still kept coming—and all of it originated from Xu Gaocen.

Whether it was Li Junhao, Shu Yu, or Zhao Ziqing, the source of the trouble had been Xu Gaocen. Yet after becoming Xu Gaocen's Alchemist Assistant, Yang Chan had received very little help from him and learned little useful knowledge. He had relied more on his own abilities and Potential Points.

It could be said that even without Xu Gaocen, he would still be a Pharmacist now.

On the contrary, if he had not become Xu Gaocen's Alchemist Assistant, these troubles would not have followed him. Nor would he now be forced to descend the mountain; he could have remained in the Qingyuan Sect.

When he calculated it all, Xu Gaocen was unexpectedly the source of the trouble. Thinking of this, Yang Chan felt even more deeply that choices in life truly mattered.

"Alas! Since I have no choice but to descend the mountain, I should make more preparations!"

With that thought, Yang Chan sighed.

The matter of descending the mountain was not delayed. Yang Chan felt that he had barely enjoyed a few peaceful days before he had to leave the Qingyuan Sect.

Before leaving, Yang Chan thought it over and decided to spend most of the money on him in Qingyu Street, buying some simple-to-use concealed weapons, poisons, and other items. It would be one thing if he did not need such means of staying alive, but having more was always better.

Previously, there had not been so many concealed weapons, poisons, and similar items. Only after the Qingyuan Sect went to war with the Three Great Sects did such goods begin to multiply.

Before making his purchases, Yang Chan consulted Du Xiaolin. The man ran a stall on Qingyu Street and had access to more information. He also knew which concealed weapons and poisons were more suitable to carry and use.

Under Du Xiaolin's enthusiastic assistance, Yang Chan bought a Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrow and a flying claw.

The Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrow was concealed within the sleeve, making it highly discreet. It could hold six small arrows at once: one arrow in the center and five surrounding it in the shape of a plum blossom. They could be fired consecutively.

They were all Ten Refinements items, exceptionally sharp.

At critical moments, they could be used to kill an enemy in return.

As for the flying claw, it was made of steel and shaped like a hand. It had five steel claws, each divided into three joints that could extend and retract. The tip of the foremost joint was sharp, like a chicken's claw.

The flying claw contained mechanisms that controlled each claw. Whether used to seize a person or to scale walls and traverse rooftops, it was greatly useful.

If he encountered a powerful foe, he could use the flying claw to aid his escape.

After buying those two concealed weapons, Yang Chan did not purchase any more. Both were highly effective, but they were not cheap either. If Yang Chan had not received many rewards, along with his monthly stipend and an advance payment for descending the mountain, he might not even have been able to afford them. They cost him nearly half his silver.

Seeing Yang Chan buy concealed weapons, Du Xiaolin gave him a copy of Shadowless Formless. It sounded formidable, but in truth, it was a collection of insights on using concealed weapons—how to deploy them without drawing attention.

It also recorded several practical cases for explanation, making it worth reading.

Yang Chan also bought several poisonous medicinal herbs on Qingyu Street, intending to prepare poison himself.

After becoming a Pharmacist, he naturally knew how to prepare poisons as well.

There had been no need for it previously within the Qingyuan Sect, but now that he was leaving the sect, he naturally had to make some preparations.

He now had concealed weapons in hand, and these poisons could naturally be applied to them.

Martial arts experts had extraordinarily tough skin, flesh, tendons, and bones. Ordinary swords and blades could hardly injure them, but poison was different. It targeted the internal organs. Unless one was an Internal Refinement Grandmaster, after being poisoned, if they did not detoxify themselves in time, they would still meet their end in the northwest.

"Five Poisons Powder, I hope your effects are more formidable than your name!"

Yang Chan had already gathered five poisons in his hand: Golden Leaf Chrysanthemum, Black Heart Lotus, Miasma Poison Peach Blossom, Cold Pond Purple Wisteria, and Jade Silkworm Gu. He then used auxiliary herbs to interfere with their medicinal properties, making it difficult to balance the toxins within.

Ordinary antidotes were completely useless against Five Poisons Powder.

It was a potent poison that sealed the throat upon contact with blood. The green gleam on the poison alone was enough to make one shudder, instinctively making the body feel ill at ease.

With so many preparations, Yang Chan could be said to possess some means of staying alive.

Even when facing an External Refinement expert, he would not be entirely without the power to resist.

He also refined two bottles of antidote. One was a common antidote with broad effects, while the other had been specially formulated to prevent himself from being poisoned.

Although he did not have the habit of licking concealed weapons after applying poison to them, he still had to guard against accidents.