Poison Dissolving Art

Yan Chihuo asked, "Dharma Tools require twenty-four layers of restrictions to be inscribed, but what about Spirit Tools, Magic Treasures, Spirit Treasures, and even Heaven-Origin Spirit Treasures?"

Ping Qi replied, "Once forty-eight layers of restrictions are reached, a Dharma Tool advances into a Spirit Tool. When the restrictions reach the Earthly Fiend count—that is, seventy-two layers—the Spirit Tool undergoes a tribulation and becomes a Magic Treasure. At the Magic Treasure level, the restrictions are called Treasure Seals, and their quantity follows the Heavenly Cycle count. Nine layers of Treasure Seals make a Spirit Treasure, eighteen layers make a Form-Shifting Spirit Treasure, and for a Heaven-Origin Spirit Treasure, the Treasure Seals reach the full Heavenly Cycle count of thirty-six."

Yan Chihuo was about to continue his questioning, but Ping Qi interrupted, "Enough, these matters cannot be explained in a single sitting. Once we return to the Cloud Soaring Sect, you will come to know them all in time."

Ping Qi added, "I see that the residual poison in you is not yet cleared; let me assist you." Having said this, he injected a stream of true qi into Yan Chihuo's body. Yan Chihuo realized that this true qi was of the same origin as his own, only far more robust and refined, and he understood that Ping Qi also cultivated the Spirit Jade Vajra Art.

After a long while, Yan Chihuo felt his body lighten, and his true qi circulated without any obstruction. Just as he was feeling pleased, Ping Qi frowned and said, "The poison of the Demon Immortal Fruit is truly formidable. I can only suppress it; I cannot expel it from your body. When we return to the Cloud Soaring Sect, we shall see if anyone there can neutralize this toxin."

He said to Yan Chihuo, "You have never learned spells, nor do you possess any Talisman Artifacts, so traveling like this is inevitably slow. Very well, I shall guide you in cultivating spells along the way."

The two left Tiger Roar Manor and arrived at a town, where they purchased two fine horses to continue their journey. On the road, Ping Qi first taught him three types of spells; the first was called Falling Rock, an earth-attribute offensive spell.

According to Ping Qi, this spell is considered a low-tier spell when one can make a stone the size of a millstone fall within a radius of three zhang, which is known as minor success. When one can manifest a millstone-sized rock within a radius of twenty zhang, it becomes a mid-tier spell, and when the attack range expands to a hundred zhang, it is a high-tier spell. If one advances further, it becomes a minor divine ability called Mountain Moving, which possesses the power to shift mountains.

The second spell is called Stone Armor Art, a low-tier spell; when cast, it covers the body in a layer of stone armor or scales. When it reaches the mid-tier, it is called Jade Skin Art, where the skin becomes as hard as jade. At the high-tier, it is called Steady as a Rock, and at the minor divine ability realm, it is called Immovable as a Mountain.

The third spell is called Earth Shrinking Step, also a low-tier spell; when mastered to the extreme, one can move instantaneously within a hundred zhang. At the mid-tier, it is called Wall Passing Art, allowing one to move through earth-attribute objects, even bypassing certain restrictions. At the high-tier, it is called Earth-Traversing Golden Light, allowing one to travel thousands of miles in a day, and at the minor divine ability realm, it is called Earth Escape.

According to Ping Qi, with Yan Chihuo's current cultivation, it was impossible to manifest these three spells; he was only to memorize the incantations first so that later, once he possessed Talisman Artifacts, he could cast them a step ahead during combat.

Yan Chihuo asked, "I can only cast low-tier spells once I have Talisman Artifacts, but what if I wish to cast mid-tier, high-tier, or minor divine abilities?"

Ping Qi replied, "That depends on the cultivator's cultivation level. You are currently at the Body Tempering stage; you can only use Talisman Artifacts and recite incantations to cast low-tier spells. If your cultivation reaches a certain level, you might be able to cast low-tier spells instantaneously, but such people are one in ten. Moreover, although Earth Shrinking Step is a low-tier spell, many cannot master it at all during the Body Tempering stage; only after advancing to the Qi Gathering Stage—the level your master is at—can it be cast."

He continued, "Only after reaching the Qi Gathering Stage can one use Dharma Tools in conjunction with incantations to cast mid-tier spells, though low-tier spells can basically be cast instantaneously. By that logic, once you reach the Dao Foundation level, you can use Spirit Tools to cast high-tier spells, and when your cultivation reaches the Tribulation stage, you can use Magic Treasures to cast minor divine abilities."

Hearing this, Yan Chihuo suddenly remembered the snake scale and took it out, saying to Ping Qi, "Master, I have used this to cast spells before, but it consumes too much magic power."

Ping Qi took it, glanced at it, and said, "You still have this? This is the life-bound scale of a snake demon that has attained sentience. It is just that this snake demon never received proper instruction and only haphazardly condensed some dharma patterns through instinct. It is no small feat that you were able to cast spells through it. However, this snake scale shares no blood connection with you, and you lack the corresponding incantations, so it is normal for the activation time to be long and the magic power consumption to be high."

Yan Chihuo was delighted and said, "Now that I have the incantations, can I shorten the activation time and reduce the consumption of magic power?"

Ping Qi replied, "That is natural, though it is still far inferior to a true Talisman Artifact. Once we return to the sect, you shall select a superior Talisman Artifact. In the meantime, you may use this snake scale to practice."

Just as Yan Chihuo was about to speak, he suddenly felt a wave of agitation in his heart and a dizzy spell, nearly causing him to faint. Ping Qi was startled and asked, "What is wrong?"

Yan Chihuo steadied himself and said, "It seems the poison is about to flare up."

Ping Qi frowned and said, "The poison of this Demon Immortal Fruit is truly troublesome." Having said this, he injected another stream of magic power into Yan Chihuo's body. After a while, Yan Chihuo felt slightly better. Ping Qi said, "This poison of yours is indeed troublesome. This flare-up seems even more intense than the last. If this continues, I fear you will die from the poison before we even reach the sect."

Yan Chihuo asked, "Master, do you have any methods?"

Ping Qi replied, "I once inadvertently obtained a cultivation technique for poison arts. I do not know its name, but it can temporarily suppress your toxicity. However, this method is extremely dangerous; it requires you to constantly accumulate toxins to suppress the poison within your body. In doing so, the toxins in your body will continue to grow, which may not necessarily be a good thing."

Yan Chihuo said, "Master, please teach me this technique first. If the toxins continue to grow, I will die from the poison anyway. By cultivating this technique, I can at least live for a few more days."

Ping Qi said, "Very well." And so, he imparted the technique to Yan Chihuo. This technique consisted of over a thousand words, teaching one how to refine the toxins within the body and condense them into the dantian. After such processing, the poison would not flare up within the body and could instead be used to harm enemies. However, it required the practitioner to absorb various virulent poisons at regular intervals; on one hand, this increased the toxicity to enhance the power of attacks, and on the other, it suppressed the toxins already within the body.

After pondering it repeatedly and feeling he had fully grasped it, he began to cultivate accordingly. At first, as the toxins circulated through his body, he felt dizzy, nauseated, and wretched, but before long, he felt the toxins within his body slowly entering his dantian and condensing together. Suddenly, he felt invigorated and incredibly comfortable.

He said to Ping Qi, "Master, this method is indeed effective, but this technique has no name. I ask that you bestow one upon it."

Ping Qi pondered for a moment and said, "Since this technique is intended to help you neutralize the toxicity, let us call it the Poison Dissolving Art for now."