Abnormality

Although Yan Chihuo felt that the name Poison Dissolving Art was somewhat undeserved, he had no objections. His Poison Dissolving Art improved rapidly along the way. On the fifth day, he casually slapped a large green boulder with his palm, and it immediately turned black. A breeze blew past, and it crumbled into sand, scattering through the air.

Ping Qi was also startled when he saw this. "Your progress with the Poison Dissolving Art has far exceeded my expectations. I'm afraid even a low-grade Talisman Artifact would struggle to withstand it."

At that, Yan Chihuo took Gao Kun's Wooden Sword in his hand and activated the Poison Dissolving Art. A faint black qi rose from his hand, and before long it spread across the entire sword. The Wooden Sword turned pitch-black, then crumbled to ashes in moments.

Ping Qi furrowed his brow. "The reason the Poison Dissolving Art has such power is probably that the Demon Immortal Fruit's toxicity is simply too potent. That's not necessarily a good thing for you. You need large amounts of poison to suppress the toxins in your body, but if you absorb too much, your life may be in danger. If you absorb too little, it'll be difficult to suppress the Demon Immortal Fruit's poison. How to detoxify you is a problem. I'll be frank with you: although the Cloud Soaring Sect is a cultivation sect, the chances that we can rid you of the poison in your body are extremely slim."

A trace of worry crossed Yan Chihuo's face, but he soon shrugged it off. "I already got this life back once. Every extra day I live is a day I've earned."

Ping Qi said, "You're so young, yet you've already learned to take things in stride. Still, I have thought of a way. It won't completely rid you of the poison, but it should at least delay its effects."

Yan Chihuo asked, "What is it?"

Ping Qi said, "It sounds simple, but it's actually very difficult to do. You need to improve your cultivation as quickly as possible, and always stay one step ahead in your progress. That will make it easier to suppress the toxins."

Yan Chihuo was speechless. How could cultivation improve that quickly? Ping Qi had cultivated for so long before reaching the Qi Gathering Stage. How could Yan Chihuo possibly stay one step ahead at every turn? Still, improving his cultivation faster would help suppress the toxicity. If it let him live a few days longer, he might have a chance to find a way to detoxify himself.

The reason he took things in stride was connected to his past. He had worked as an assassin since he was six. Every time he went to kill someone, he could be killed himself, so he had gradually stopped caring much about life and death.

The two traveled for more than ten days. Sometimes they rested at an inn; sometimes they found a ruined temple or even a cave in the wilderness. Yan Chihuo had spent many years roaming the martial world and didn't mind such hardships. What surprised him was that Ping Qi, a cultivator, seemed just as unbothered.

One day, Ping Qi and Yan Chihuo rested at an inn. After dinner, Ping Qi returned to his room to meditate and cultivate. For the past ten days, Ping Qi had been guiding him in cultivating the Spirit Jade Vajra Art. Compared with his former solitary attempts, the difference was like heaven and earth. Although Ping Qi said the spiritual energy here was too thin and cultivation would be slow, Yan Chihuo still wasn't willing to give up.

Just then, all kinds of sounds reached his ears: leaves falling outside the window, insects chirping in the courtyard. Then, suddenly, he heard a sound he had never heard before.

The sound came from inside the room. Following it, he went to a corner, bent down, and lifted a brick. He found several ants beneath it; the sound had come from there. Yan Chihuo was astonished. He could actually hear ants calling! It was said that when martial artists trained their skills to the utmost, their senses became extraordinarily sharp, and they could hear a falling flower or leaf from a hundred paces away. But that was just a legend. At least as far as Yan Chihuo knew, even Ping Fei's inner strength had never reached that level.

He practiced Daoist magic too, and his hearing and vision were sharp, but his cultivation hadn't improved recently. How had his hearing become so powerful? He couldn't make sense of it, and even forgot about cultivating. He stood and looked out the window, only to find that the trees and walls outside were crystal clear, no different from how they appeared in the daytime.

His eyesight had never been this good. He looked toward a room to the southeast. Its lights were already out, so naturally he couldn't see anything. If only I could see inside. He instinctively circulated his magic power and felt a faint warmth rise within him, then surge toward his eyes. A red glimmer flashed across them, and the scene before him suddenly brightened. He could see the room perfectly clearly; even the wall couldn't block his gaze.

Inside, he saw a fat man pinning a woman beneath him. She had a voluptuous figure and a pretty face. Yan Chihuo was startled. The warmth vanished in an instant, and he could no longer see what was happening in the room.

He circulated his magic power again and looked toward the room. The scene appeared before him once more. But after half an incense stick's time, although he still had plenty of magic power, the warmth faded, and he could no longer see inside.

The insects' chirping was crystal clear. He had never heard of such strange happenings. He had wanted to ask Ping Qi about it, but for some reason, he felt he shouldn't tell others all his secrets. Ping Fei had treated him well, and Yan Chihuo had served him for ten years, yet Ping Fei had abandoned him to test the poison of the so-called Demon Immortal Fruit. It showed how cold-hearted these people could be. Ping Qi treated him well, but they hadn't known each other long, and Yan Chihuo couldn't quite trust him.

As for this new abnormality, it could only benefit him. There was no harm in keeping it from Ping Qi. With that thought, he resumed meditating and cultivating.

Early the next morning, he and Ping Qi left the inn. They traveled until dusk, then stopped in an uninhabited place. Ping Qi said, "The Cloud Soaring Sect is right here. We won't need the horses anymore."

Yan Chihuo looked around. There was nothing here, and he wondered silently. He had been to this place before, yet had never seen any cultivation sect.

Ping Qi said, "This area is already part of the Cloud Soaring Sect's territory. Anyone who isn't a cultivator would never find it. Although you practiced Daoist magic before, you know nothing about the cultivation world, so naturally you didn't know this place was here."

Yan Chihuo was even more puzzled. Ping Qi sent out a streak of light, and a transparent ripple spread through the air. He pulled Yan Chihuo along and shouted, "Go!" The two leaped into the ripples.

Once Yan Chihuo entered the ripples, the scenery before his eyes changed. A boundless river wound around a towering mountain that soared into the clouds, flowing from east to west. It was the first time Yan Chihuo had seen anything like it. Even he, usually so composed, was left staring in shock.

Ping Qi formed a hand seal. A moment later, the waves in the middle of the river churned, and a Giant soft-shelled turtle appeared. Its shell was smooth, and it was as large as a house.