In the system's Study Space.
Tang Jiaren carefully examined all the medicinal herbs Qin Qi had collected and bought.
"Not bad. The quality's pretty average, but they'll do for getting started."
Tang Jiaren nodded. People in the Tang Sect were skilled at Poison Refining, and they were just as well-versed in pharmacology.
At seventy-three, Tang Jiaren could tell the quality of medicinal herbs at a glance.
"Granduncle, then let's get started."
Qin Qi was itching to give it a try. He could finally learn his first technique, and he could barely contain his excitement.
"Don't rush. These herbs still need to be processed, and there aren't any suitable tools in this space."
"You'll need to find a stone mortar for grinding the herbs, and something like a pot for boiling them."
Tang Jiaren watched Qin Qi's excitement and smiled. Then he spoke unhurriedly.
"Okay, I'll go find them."
Qin Qi hurried out of the Study Space. Once it had been opened, he could leave whenever he wanted.
Reentering it wouldn't use up another visit; it would use whatever time he had left from the previous one.
Qin Qi returned to the real world. He didn't have any money to buy things now, but that was fine. The poor had their own ways of getting by.
He found two suitable stones, one concave and one convex, and washed them clean. That was his stone mortar.
For a pot, he found something that could hold water, then picked up some firewood. That was his cooking pot.
He put everything into the Study Space, then followed after it.
"Granduncle, these things aren't very good, but I really can't find anything better right now. Let's make do."
Qin Qi spoke up.
"Sure. I'll guide you from the side. You do the grinding."
Tang Jiaren was still smiling. Anyone who had lived through those years of scarcity had seen it all.
He'd even eaten tree bark during a famine. Qin Qi's problem was nothing.
"I'm doing it? Can I really manage?"
Qin Qi looked at the herbs and froze for a moment. He'd thought Granduncle would process them for him.
"You can. I think you can. All right, enough talk. Get started."
Tang Jiaren replied.
"Fine. I'll give it a try."
Under Tang Jiaren's instruction, Qin Qi slowly began grinding the herbs. Each kind took a long time.
First, he smashed them with a stone, then ground them coarsely. After that, he sifted through them bit by bit.
Once that was done, he ground them finely, repeating the process over and over. It took half a day to finish.
"Phew. It feels like my hands aren't even mine anymore."
Qin Qi looked at his hands. They were trembling, and he gave a bitter smile.
The excitement he'd felt earlier had completely worn off. He didn't even have the energy to feel thrilled anymore.
"Leave the decoction to me. You sit nearby and meditate, and practice the Five Treasures Body Protection Method."
Tang Jiaren saw that Qin Qi had calmed down and nodded. Poison Refining was most dangerous when your emotions were unsettled.
Even the slightest haste could lead to injury, so the first step in Poison Refining was to steady your mind.
"Mm."
Qin Qi nodded and sat down to meditate. He began circulating the Five Treasures Body Protection Method through his body.
Spleen Earth Qi and Liver Wood Qi formed a protective membrane inside him, while Heart Fire, Kidney Water, and Lung Metal Qi gathered and circulated within it.
An hour later, Qin Qi's body had reached its best condition, and Tang Jiaren had finished preparing the external medicine.
"Come on. Drink this, then circulate the Heart Fire, Kidney Water, and Lung Metal Qi in your body the way I taught you."
Tang Jiaren handed Qin Qi a bowl containing the concentrated external medicine. His expression turned serious as he spoke.
"Mm."
Qin Qi nodded, took it, and drank it all in several gulps. Then his face twisted in discomfort.
"Ugh, it tastes awful! I'm going to throw up!"
Qin Qi's expression contorted. He'd drunk Chinese medicine before, but never anything this disgusting.
"Don't get distracted. Start refining the poison."
Tang Jiaren said.
Qin Qi immediately gathered his focus again. As the external medicine entered his body, Kidney Water, Lung Metal, and Heart Fire Qi converged around it at once.
As the three Qi merged with the external medicine, Spleen Earth and Liver Wood Qi kept circulating around the outside.
They formed an airtight shield, tightly sealing the toxins inside.
Time passed second by second. The three Qi fully merged with the external medicine, and the three Qi themselves joined as one!
Green Qi began to rise from Qin Qi's body. This was the Tang Sect's Qi Poison!
"This kid's got great talent. He's just as good as I was when I was young."
Tang Jiaren nodded at the sight and smiled with satisfaction. At this point, the Qi Poison had been successfully refined.
[ Ding, teacher 'Tang Jiaren' has reached 30% approval of the host. ] [ Ding, congratulations, host. You have learned Qi Poison. Reward: 1 achievement point and 100 credits. ]
Hearing the notification in his mind, Qin Qi slowly opened his eyes and looked down at himself.
"So this is Qi Poison."
Qin Qi felt the green Qi Poison enveloping his body. He sensed that he could control it and shape it however he wanted.
Once the thought occurred to him, he tried it. He gathered all the Qi in his body into his hand.
The Qi Poison collected in his palm, turning into something like a ball of water.
"This is Qi Poison. The basic method is to cover your body with it. Anyone who touches you will be poisoned."
"But if you're glowing green from head to toe, no one's going to be stupid enough to touch you."
"In that case, you can gather the Qi Poison together and throw it at them. Anyone it touches will be poisoned."
As Tang Jiaren spoke, he formed a ball of Qi Poison in his hand too. When he'd finished, he tossed it away.
"You don't have to use your hands. You can spit it out, kick it out—any part of your body will work."
Tang Jiaren demonstrated more ways to use it. Qi came from within you, and Qi Poison could likewise be released from anywhere.
"Anywhere?"
Qin Qi silently looked down. Anywhere really meant anywhere? Even that place?!
Qi Poison was terrifying!
"But those two methods are the most basic. As your Qi Poison improves, you can also develop the Poison Barrier and Qi Poison: Bamboo Green Snake."
As Tang Jiaren spoke, the green Qi Poison covering his body turned purple. "Come on, hit me and see."
"Then I won't hold back."
After Qin Qi spoke, he punched. The next moment, his fist struck the purple Qi Poison.
For an instant, Qin Qi felt like he'd hit a steel plate. At the same time, his hand was poisoned.
"This is the Poison Barrier?"
Qin Qi waved his hand, and the poison vanished. He couldn't actually be hurt in the Study Space, much less die.
"That's right. When Qi Poison becomes a Poison Barrier, it loses some flexibility, but its defensive power increases."
"Practiced well enough, the Poison Barrier can rival Mount Longhu's Golden Light Spell."
"And the Tang Sect's Poison Barrier still retains its toxic properties. When other people hit us, they're the ones who get poisoned."
Tang Jiaren explained.
"Rival Mount Longhu's Golden Light Spell..."
Qin Qi's expression turned a little strange. He didn't think that was much of a compliment.
Anyone who'd read the manhua knew that Mount Longhu's Golden Light Spell was as fragile as paper—Zhang Zhiwei aside.