The Master of Ten Thousand Poisons, Body Flawless

The next day.

The county was in an uproar.

Overnight, the Chai Gang had been wiped out, and the direct descendants of the newly risen Li Family had all been slaughtered as well; it was practically an extermination.

The sky had yet to brighten.

The Patrol Office of the County Office was already conducting searches within the Inner City.

Unexpectedly, the two Three Refinements experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau who belonged to the Li Family were not investigating the killer in their fury; instead, they had turned on each other over the family's assets, tearing off the mask of civility entirely.

East Wing of the Qin Mansion.

Qin Jiu listened to the report from his subordinate, lost in thought.

"Furthermore, it is said that the leader of the Fisher Gang took the remaining members and hurriedly left the county before dawn."

"Every faction in the city is now fearing for their own safety."

"The Han Family just sent someone over. They wish to invite you to the Han residence, seemingly to propose an alliance with the Qin Family. Besides us, they have also invited the Canghai Martial Arts Hall, the deputy leader of the Canal Gang, and people from the Long Wind Escort Agency. What do you think..."

"Let Xuanzhou go."

Qin Jiu pondered for a moment before telling the servant to notify Qin Xuanzhou.

He had no intention of going to the Han residence himself.

For one, he knew exactly what had happened last night. The factions that would have brought trouble to the Qin Family in the Inner City had been temporarily cleared away. As for the Canal Gang and the Canghai Martial Arts Hall, their involvement was likely tied to the schemes of the person behind the Demon, which had spilled over to affect the Qin Family; he still needed to observe them further.

Secondly, the Qin Family's top priority was to prepare to leave this place.

To stay far away from disputes and strife.

As long as he kept a firm grasp on the news, he could manage the affairs within the city.

"The timing of the Qin Family's departure, however, depends on the outcome of the County Magistrate's actions."

"As for me, I must strive to reach the Three Refinements, or even Internal Strengthening, before leaving Songshan County. Only by becoming strong myself can I ensure our safety. After all, if I could wipe out the Chai Gang and the Li Family today, another powerhouse could just as easily come to wipe out the Qin Family tomorrow."

"From now on, leave all trivial matters to others."

"Also, the Qin Family's secret breeding formulas are a liability if kept; I must find an opportunity to give a few of them away..."

Qin Jiu's gaze was profound.

Deep in thought.

He walked out of the East Wing and headed straight for the Hundred Beasts Garden.

"Master."

A sturdy-looking servant saw Qin Jiu enter and hurried over to salute him.

This man was named Xu Zheng.

In the past, he had been slapped by Qin Xiong for exposing him.

Qin Jiu had a decent impression of him. Observing him now, he couldn't help but look surprised and said, "You've successfully broken through? Since you've become a First Refining martial artist, why haven't you reported to the guard unit?"

"This subordinate owes everything to the grace of Commander Xuanzhou."

"I only managed to break through to the First Refining stage after being appointed as the manager of the beast garden and receiving an increase in my salary."

Xu Zheng said with a simple, honest smile, "Besides, I was selected to work in the Hundred Beasts Garden after being a servant at the Drunken Immortal Residence. It has been nearly ten years now, and I have long grown accustomed to dealing with all kinds of wild beasts. If I were to leave this place, I would feel quite uncomfortable."

"Is that so."

Qin Jiu nodded slightly, walking as he spoke, "Then tell me about the current situation in the Hundred Beasts Garden."

"Yes."

"Although this garden no longer supplies the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, the county is currently under lockdown. The prices of all coarse grains, fodder, and even meat are skyrocketing. The spirit beasts we raise have quite an appetite, and with these factors combined, I fear our supplies will run out within a month."

Xu Zheng's face was filled with worry as he added, "As for the grass pills that cause the beasts to undergo metamorphosis, the Inner Mansion stopped sending them half a month ago, claiming that the Medicine Hall has sealed off certain precious herbs, leaving them without the main ingredients for refinement."

"I am aware of this."

Qin Jiu nodded and said, "Just keep the Hundred Beasts Garden running as it is for now."

He had come here for a reason.

He intended to cull the spirit beasts.

Therefore, he was not very concerned about what Xu Zheng said; whether there would even be any spirit beasts left here in a month was debatable. After all, besides searching for suitable talents, he also needed to use these spirit beasts to refine Blood Sha, and the consumption would be significant.

For the next half hour.

He followed Xu Zheng through the various sections of the Hundred Beasts Garden.

After familiarizing himself with the characteristics of the various spirit beasts.

He began to contemplate the matter of talents.

"In martial arts, natural endowment is paramount. The latent improvement brought by the Snake Waist Python Tendon is almost visible to the naked eye. For now, I should start by improving my talent in bone structure. As for other categories, if I encounter any of superior grade, I can prioritize imprinting those as well."

With this thought in mind.

Qin Jiu immediately had Xu Zheng bring over a spirit beast that resembled a tiger-wolf.

They dragged the beast over.

"Boss, do you intend to wield the blade yourself?"

Before the stone trough used for slaughtering spirit beasts.

Seeing Qin Jiu pick up the boning knife from the stone table, Xu Zheng's expression changed instantly as he said, "Such crude work should be left to us servants; your status is far too noble..."

"That's enough."

Qin Jiu cut him off, frowning as he said, "From now on, all spirit beasts here are to be slaughtered by me. Without my command, none of you are to overstep this rule. Violators will be severely punished."

"Also, go to the Inner Mansion and call those cooks over."

"Remember to have them bring their stoves and cookware."

"Yes."

Xu Zheng dared not say another word.

He immediately hurried out of the Hundred Beasts Garden.

"You lot, hold it down."

At this moment.

Qin Jiu gave an order to the other servants, and then the sharp boning knife in his hand plunged straight into the spirit beast's neck.

"Roar!"

The beast's cry sounded like a tiger's roar.

The creature, nearly the size of a calf, struggled frantically.

But it wasn't long before it gradually lost all signs of life.

At the same time.

The Red Seal within Qin Jiu's mind.

An ink-wash illustration emerged from it.

[Blood Tooth Pao (Rank 1)]

[Talent: Tiger-Wolf Momentum (Green)]

[Description: The beast possesses blood-courage; its presence is intimidating.]

[Talent Status: Can be imprinted]

[Imprinting Requirement: Three taels of tiger bone]

Green grade? Tiger-Wolf Momentum... judging by the description, this should be a talent related to aura.

Qin Jiu frowned inwardly.

For all talents recorded by the Red Seal, the grade represents the talent's potential. Currently, he knew of the blue Snake Waist Python Tendon, the purple Withered Wood Meets Spring, and the gold Ghost Illumination. He was unsure what grades existed above those, but green was a grade lower than blue.

And below green.

There was still white.

Although he currently had five empty talent slots, he would not consider anything below purple unless the talent had some special quality.

Qin Jiu shook his head slightly.

He then ordered the servants to process the spirit beast.

As for himself, he swallowed medicinal pills to refine his blood-qi while circulating the breathing technique of the Taiyin Hard Qigong to perform Bone Forging.

In the days that followed.

The spirit beast medicinal meals were prepared immediately after slaughter.

Qin Jiu threw himself heart and soul into refining his blood-qi.

Because the nourishment provided by the spirit beast meat was truly immense, even without using the Blood Sha, the blood essence absorbed during the slaughter was already becoming difficult to handle. He had no choice but to push the Blood Sha to its limit to refine it.

The result of doing so.

Was that the massive amount of Yin Sha power within his body.

Became increasingly pure.

On this day.

Qin Jiu had a servant bring over a spirit beast, slaughtered it casually, and glanced at the Red Seal as usual.

His eyes lit up instantly.

[Mystic Jade Ice Toad (Rank 1)]

[Talent: Flawless (Gold)]

[Description: Those who master a hundred poisons are immune to them; those who master ten thousand poisons possess a Flawless body.]

[Talent Status: Can be imprinted]

[Imprinting Requirement: Ten taels of ice crystal]