Poison Dissolving Art

Yan Chihuo asked, "A Dharma Tool requires twenty-four layers of Restrictions. What about Spirit Tools, Magic Treasures, Spirit Treasures, and even Xuantian Spirit Treasures?"

Ping Qi replied, "Once there are forty-eight layers of Restrictions, a Dharma Tool advances to a Spirit Tool. When the Restrictions reach the full number of Earthly Baleful stars—that is, seventy-two layers—the Spirit Tool undergoes tribulation and becomes a Magic Treasure. At this level, the Restrictions are called Treasure Restrictions, and their number follows the number of Heavenly Spirits. Nine Treasure Restrictions make a Spirit Treasure, and eighteen make a Transforming Spirit Treasure. As for an Xuantian Spirit Treasure, its Treasure Restrictions reach the full number of Heavenly Spirits: thirty-six."

Yan Chihuo was about to ask more, but Ping Qi said, "Enough. These things can't all be explained at once. Once we're back at the Cloud Soaring Sect, you'll learn them all in time."

Ping Qi added, "You still have poison in your system. Let me help you." As he spoke, he sent a stream of vital energy into Yan Chihuo's body. Yan Chihuo sensed that it shared his own origins, though it was far more abundant and pure. He realized Ping Qi also practiced the Spirit Jade Vajra Art.

After a while, Yan Chihuo felt his body grow lighter, and his vital energy flowed without obstruction. Just as he was feeling pleased, Ping Qi frowned and said, "The Demon Immortal Fruit's poison is truly formidable. I can only suppress it, not drive it from your body. Once we're back at the Cloud Soaring Sect, we'll see if anyone can cure it."

He told Yan Chihuo, "You haven't learned any spells, and you don't have a Talisman Artifact. Traveling this way will be slow. That's fine; I'll teach you how to cultivate spells along the way."

The two left Tiger Roar Manor and reached a town, where they bought two fine horses and continued on their way. On the road, Ping Qi first taught him three spells. One was called Falling Rock, an earth-element offensive spell.

According to Ping Qi, the spell counted as a minor success when it could summon millstone-sized rocks to fall anywhere within a radius of three zhang. That was a low-tier spell. When it could summon such rocks within a radius of twenty zhang, it became a mid-tier spell. When its attack range extended to a hundred zhang, it was a high-tier spell. One step further, it became a Minor Divine Ability called Mountain Moving, which could shift mountains.

The second spell was called Stone Armor Art, a low-tier spell. When cast, it covered the body in stone armor or scales. At the mid-tier, it was called Jade Skin Art, making the skin as hard as jade. At the high-tier, it was called Steady as a Rock. At the Minor Divine Ability level, it was called Immovable as a Mountain.

The third spell was called Earth Shrinking Step, also a low-tier spell. At its peak, it allowed the user to move instantly over a distance of more than a hundred zhang. At the mid-tier, it was called Wall Passing Art, allowing the user to travel through earth-element objects; even some Restrictions couldn't stop it. At the high-tier, it was called Earth-Traversing Golden Light, allowing the user to cover thousands of li in a day. At the Minor Divine Ability level, it was called Earth Escape.

Ping Qi said that with Yan Chihuo's current cultivation, it was impossible for him to cast these three spells. For now, he should simply memorize the incantations. Once he had a Talisman Artifact, he could cast them ahead of time during a fight.

Yan Chihuo asked, "With a Talisman Artifact, I can only cast low-tier spells. What would I need to cast mid-tier spells, high-tier spells, and Minor Divine Abilities?"

Ping Qi replied, "That depends on a cultivator's level. You're only at the body-tempering level, so you can use a Talisman Artifact and recite an incantation to cast low-tier spells. If your cultivation is advanced enough, you can cast low-tier spells instantly, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one such person in ten. And although Earth Shrinking Step is a low-tier spell, many people can't master it while body-tempering. They can only cast it after advancing to the Qi Gathering Stage, which is where your master is now."

He continued, "Only after reaching the Qi Gathering Stage can you use a Dharma Tool and recite an incantation to cast mid-tier spells. Low-tier spells can generally be cast instantly. The same goes for each successive stage: at the Dao Foundation level, you can use a Spirit Tool to cast high-tier spells, and once you reach the tribulation stage, you can use a Magic Treasure to cast Minor Divine Abilities."

At that, Yan Chihuo suddenly thought of the Snake Scale. He took it out and said to Ping Qi, "Master, I once used this to cast a spell, but it consumed too much magic power."

Ping Qi took it and looked it over. "You still have this? It's the natal scale of a snake demon that had gained intelligence. But the snake demon never received proper instruction; it only formed a few spell patterns by randomly condensing magic power through instinct. It's no small feat that you managed to cast a spell with it. But this Snake Scale isn't connected to you by blood, and you didn't have an incantation to go with it. Naturally, it took too long to activate and consumed too much magic power."

Yan Chihuo brightened. "Now that I know the incantation, can I shorten the casting time and reduce the magic power it consumes?"

"Of course," Ping Qi said. "But it's still far inferior to a proper Talisman Artifact. Once we're back at the sect, you can pick a top-grade one. In the meantime, use this Snake Scale to practice."

Yan Chihuo was about to speak when a sudden restlessness welled up inside him. His head swam, and he nearly fainted. Ping Qi startled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yan Chihuo steadied himself and said, "It seems the poison is acting up."

Ping Qi frowned. "The Demon Immortal Fruit's poison really is tenacious." As he spoke, he sent another stream of magic power into Yan Chihuo's body. After a while, Yan Chihuo felt a little better. Ping Qi said, "This poison of yours is a real problem. Each time it flares up, it seems more potent than before. At this rate, you may die from the poison before we even reach the sect."

Yan Chihuo asked, "Master, do you have any way to help?"

"I once came across a cultivation art for practicing poison techniques, though I don't know what it's called. It can temporarily suppress your poison, but it's also too dangerous. You'll have to keep accumulating poison and suppressing the poison inside you. That way, the toxins in your body will build up more and more, which may not be a good thing."

Yan Chihuo said, "Master, teach me the art first. If the poison keeps building up, I'll still die from it. Practicing this art now might at least let me live a little longer."

"Very well." Ping Qi then taught Yan Chihuo the art. It was over a thousand words long and explained how to refine the toxins inside the body and gather them in the dantian. After being processed this way, the poison would no longer flare up in the body and could instead be used to harm enemies. However, the practitioner needed to absorb various kinds of poison from time to time. This would both increase the poison's potency and strengthen its attacks, while also suppressing the toxins already in the body.

He mulled it over several times, and once he felt he had fully grasped it, he began practicing as instructed. At first, the poison circulated through his body, making him dizzy, nauseous, and on the verge of vomiting. But before long, he felt the toxins slowly entering his dantian and gathering together. At once, his spirits lifted, and he felt wonderfully refreshed.

He said to Ping Qi, "Master, this art really works. But it has no name. Please give it one."

Ping Qi pondered for a moment and said, "Since this art is meant to help you dissolve the poison, let's call it the Poison Dissolving Art."