Poison Master from the Chuyun Empire's Poison Sect

"Stupid snake, ever heard of the Ice Heart Pill? Eight Extremities Collapse!"

Even though Xiao Yan was covered in dirt and dust, the smug smile on his face was something even the mud could not hide.

This punch gathered all his strength. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan closed the distance. No matter how hard the Black Steel Giant Serpent's scales were, they could not protect its unscaled belly, nor could it dodge Xiao Yan's meticulously planned strike in an instant.

With a long roar, Xiao Yan's arm blasted out in a lethal punch, and the force of Eight Extremities Collapse met it with fearless momentum.

There was a thunderous boom as the blow landed solidly. In the end, the massive Black Steel Giant Serpent was sent flying high into the air by Xiao Yan's punch, the eight layers of hidden force striking a total of eight times before it finally fell back down.

With a bang, the Black Steel Giant Serpent slammed heavily into the ground. Blood gushed from its eyes and mouth, all the bones in its body shattered by Xiao Yan's Eight Extremities Collapse, and its internal organs were smashed into pulp by the hidden force.

After thrashing a few times, it died unwillingly.

Xiao Yan sat down on the Black Steel Giant Serpent's body, took a rag from his Storage Ring, wiped the mud off himself, and changed into a fresh set of clothes.

"Tier 2 Magical Beasts really are hard to deal with. I actually had to use the Ice Heart Pill."

It was not like anyone said pills were forbidden, right?

The Ice Heart Pill was a Tier 2 Pill, and its effect was extremely bizarre. Once the Ice Heart Pill entered the body, it immediately produced a cold current that chilled one to the bone. Not only did it let the mind feel this icy sensation and calm down, more importantly, the cold current produced by the Ice Heart Pill could rapidly lower the temperature of the flesh, blood, and Meridians in the body.

This was the backup pill Xiao Yan had prepared for absorbing Heavenly Flames.

To absorb Heavenly Flames, one could not simply open their mouth and swallow them. Otherwise, before the Heavenly Flames were swallowed, the person would be burned to death first.

From the notes left by the owner of the Storage Ring on absorbing the Bone Chiling Flame, Xiao Yan discovered that absorbing Heavenly Flames required three items to be prepared in advance. This could increase the success rate of absorption.

The first was the Fifth Grade Pill, the Blood Lotus Pill. It could continuously produce blood scabs to protect the body, allowing Xiao Yan to approach the Heavenly Flames. The second was Soul Collection. Xiao Yan was very lucky in this regard; there was one piece inside that mysterious Storage Ring. The third was the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

If the Blood Lotus Pill protected the outside of the body, then the Ice Spirit Cold Spring guarded the inside of the body. It could protect you while refining Heavenly Flames, preventing you from being burned into nothingness by their destructive temperature.

Unfortunately for Xiao Yan, at least the Blood Lotus Pill still had a pill formula, and if there was truly no other choice, he could ask someone to refine it. But he had never even heard of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, so he refined the lower-grade substitute, the Ice Heart Pill, himself.

If he really could not find the Ice Spirit Cold Spring and happened to encounter Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan would use a large number of Ice Heart Pills as a replacement.

He had not expected the Ice Heart Pill to produce such a miraculous effect today. It lowered the temperature inside his body, preventing the Black Steel Giant Serpent's heat perception from detecting that Xiao Yan was hiding underground, allowing his Sneak Attack to succeed.

Xiao Yan did not immediately head to the next challenge. Instead, he sat on the ground and began skinning and deboning the Black Steel Giant Serpent.

"Oh yeah! There really is a Magic Core. A Tier 2 Magical Beast's Magic Core. I made a profit this time."

Xiao Yan wiped the Magic Core and tossed it into his Storage Ring. This was how he obtained the pill ingredients he used for practice. He was not in Wutan City now, so he could not waste a single coin.

After swallowing a Tier 2 Qi Recovery Pill and applying a little wound medicine, he slowly circulated the Flame Mantra. Xiao Yan had used Eight Extremities Collapse twice. Even though Eight Extremities Collapse did not consume much Dou Qi, his body was extremely exhausted.

Xiao Yan was not in a hurry. Haste made waste, so he chose to recover his condition first. Fortunately, as a Tier 2 alchemist, he had quite a stock of pills in his Storage Ring.

"Whew. As expected, battle is the fastest way to improve through training. My Dou Qi increased a little."

People naturally wolfed down food most eagerly when they were hungriest. Cultivation was the same.

Xiao Yan stood up and stretched. Using what he had on hand, he directly stewed the Black Steel Giant Serpent's meat into soup, and only after eating and drinking his fill did he head toward the passage entrance.

Although this passage had always been open here, Xiao Yan's powerful Soul Power told him that its destination had actually been changing the whole time.

"I wonder what the next opponent will be."

Even Xiao Yan himself did not notice that the corner of his mouth carried a faint, expectant smile. From being extremely cautious when he first entered, he had gradually begun to look forward to it a little. He was looking forward to fighting opponents equal to him in strength! After Xiao Yan entered the passage entrance, a sudden sense of danger came over him. With a whoosh, not long after Xiao Yan had entered, a burst of poisonous powder suddenly shot toward him.

Xiao Yan often went in and out of Magical Beast territories in Wutan City, and had even experienced Life and Death situations. He had long since become accustomed to sudden incidents like this, and he was fearless.

Dou Qi circulated throughout his body as he rolled to the side, dodging this Sneak Attack.

"Hm? You actually dodged my poison arrow?" A puzzled voice rang out. Xiao Yan looked up and saw a pale-faced man looking at him with a hint of surprise and doubt.

It was very clear that he had never expected Xiao Yan to dodge his Sneak Attack.

"You're a poison master!? You're from the Chuyun Empire?"

Generally speaking, although alchemists could also refine poison, like Hun Xuzi had back then, that was because Hun Xuzi's grade was extremely high. Normal low-level alchemists did not refine poisons, and did not even have Poison Formulas.

The only ones who frequently used poison were poison masters.

The profession of poison master did not have a very good reputation on the Dou Qi Continent. Many people were somewhat afraid of dealing with poison masters, because their undetectable poisoning methods could leave any opponent, and even friends, unable to eat or sleep in peace.

And the Chuyun Empire neighboring the Jia Ma Empire was a country where poison masters were dominant. It could even be said that the Chuyun Empire was a gathering place for poison masters.

Every time war broke out between the two countries, many soldiers of the Jia Ma Empire died at the hands of poison masters' deadly poisons.

"You've got pretty sharp eyes. My name is Zhang Chuanwu, from the Poison Sect. Now that you know my name, you can die in peace." Zhang Chuanwu was full of confidence and smiled coldly.

Hearing Zhang Chuanwu introduce himself, Xiao Yan still looked completely composed. He glanced at Zhang Chuanwu and said unhurriedly, "Xiao Yan, from Wutan City of the Jia Ma Empire. I'm a Tier 2 alchemist."

!!!! Hearing the word alchemist, Zhang Chuanwu's eyes looked as if he wanted to eat someone alive, filled with venomous resentment.

Xiao Yan had naturally said that on purpose. Ninety percent of poison masters became poison masters because they could not become alchemists.

On the Dou Qi Continent, alchemist was a profession everyone wanted to become. Because of its special requirements, most people could only give up. Those who could not become alchemists but had talent in medicine usually chose to become physicians, saving the dying and healing the wounded.

And some people who turned jealousy into hatred chose to become poison masters, concocting poisons that were the opposite.

Xiao Yan was an alchemist. To Zhang Chuanwu, who had once wanted to become an alchemist but failed, it was as if someone had stolen the woman he loved and was now acting lovey-dovey with her right in front of him.

"Hehehe. Good, very good. I'll let you taste what it feels like to have your limbs lose all sensation, with only your head still clear, while someone slices the flesh from your body one cut at a time!"

Xiao Yan spread his hands with a helpless expression and said calmly, "Isn't that just anesthetic surgery? But it seems like you don't have an anesthesiologist license."

Thanks to Lingmo Linmo, Fen Luo Xi Chen, Mubao's Mu Mu Sang, Huainian Ah Rensheng*2, Tan Penggu*2, Pengcheng Wanli K*2, Mujiuke, and Zhuoye Liuhua for the monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support on the first day at the Beginning of the Month!