Poison Spirit Art

Chapter 43: Poison Spirit Art

After obtaining the cultivation manual, Luo Mu did not linger at the night market. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he hurried back to his shop. At this moment, Luo Mu had no mood for treasure hunting; his entire focus was fixed upon that jade slip.

Back at the shop, Luo Mu locked the door tightly and went to the second floor. He released his spirit insects to stand guard, preventing that female ghost from appearing again, before finally taking out the jade slip he had acquired that night.

"Poison Spirit Art," a cultivation manual centered on poison. It primarily detailed techniques for using poison, how to kill invisibly, and how to take a life without the victim ever knowing—it was extremely sinister and vicious. To practice this art, one had to carry poison at all times, not only to supply the needs of cultivation but also as an essential tool for combat; it was absolutely indispensable.

This manual used highly toxic substances to slowly convert the spiritual power within a cultivator's dantian into Poison Spirit Power, thereby turning the practitioner into a poison cultivator brimming with lethal toxins.

The manual was divided into seven levels. With each level gained, the toxicity increased by thirty percent, and the power grew exponentially. However, to advance in the art, one required the assistance of a vast amount of toxic materials to progress at the fastest speed. Starting from the third level, special supernatural abilities would emerge.

At the third level, one could release the Poison Spirit Power from within the body to form a protective barrier, enhancing the practitioner's defense. The fourth level allowed for the application of poison from a distance, leaving no trace and making it impossible for opponents to guard against. Upon reaching the fifth level, one could project the Poison Spirit Power from the dantian and condense it into strange, varied forms, increasing the toxicity and greatly boosting lethality. The sixth level allowed for the condensation of a Poison Spirit within the dantian. The seventh level, the Great Perfection of the Poison Spirit Art, enabled the Poison Spirit condensed in the dantian to mature and be released, becoming a powerful assistant to the cultivator.

To practice this art, one must possess a large quantity of poison as a cultivation resource. Otherwise, progress would be impossible.

The jade slip Luo Mu had obtained contained the complete "Poison Spirit Art." Based on his own circumstances, it was perfect for Luo Mu to use as his primary cultivation manual.

This was why Luo Mu felt so excited after obtaining it.

However, judging by the jade slip, this "Poison Spirit Art" was likely not a unique copy but a reproduction, which meant there were surely many others like it, and Luo Mu was certainly not the only poison cultivator. No one knew how vast the cultivation world was, but within the territory of the Wanfa Sect, poison cultivators were extremely rare; even if they existed, they were merely dabblers.

As for whether poison cultivators existed elsewhere, the answer was certainly yes; otherwise, how could this manual have come into existence? Luo Mu did not know how the stall owner had obtained the jade slip, but he could guess why the owner hadn't sold it and why he had referred to the "Poison Spirit Art" as an auxiliary technique.

The Wanfa Sect was built upon the foundation of spellcraft, and the low-level cultivators within its territory, influenced by the sect for years, subconsciously favored spells as well. Anything other than spellcraft was generally regarded as auxiliary. Using poison was even more despised, viewed as a low-class, underhanded tactic unworthy of the grand stage.

Even if someone occasionally used poison, they did so with extreme caution, terrified that others might find out and turn them into a laughingstock. Using poison against demonic beasts was understandable, but using it in conflicts with other cultivators was considered shameful.

Therefore, if poison was used in a fight between cultivators, no survivors would be left behind, lest the news spread and ruin their reputation.

If high-level cultivators cared about their reputations, low-level ones cared even more. Once a reputation was ruined, half of one's path to immortality was effectively destroyed.

As low-level cultivators who had just stepped into the world of cultivation, who didn't want to go further on the path? Who didn't want to live longer after increasing their cultivation realm? Thus, when choosing a manual, they would certainly not choose this "unrefined" poison art. For the low-level cultivators within the Wanfa Sect's territory, joining the Wanfa Sect was the only true path.

The stall owner had possessed the Poison Spirit Art for a long time, and it was precisely for these reasons that he could not sell it. Due to his own level of strength, the cultivators he encountered were all like him—low-level. Who among those just starting their journey would choose such a "dead-end" poison art to cultivate? It would be like digging their own grave.

Not to mention the stall owner, even the former Luo Mu would not have chosen the path of a poison cultivator; he had thought exactly like those low-level cultivators. But fate was such that since he had stepped onto this path, Luo Mu would walk it well and carve out a world of his own.

The Poison Spirit Art, which was actually a primary cultivation manual, was seen by the stall owner as merely an auxiliary technique—one that few were willing to practice, useful only for the occasional underhanded trick. That was why, when selling it to Luo Mu, the owner had called it an auxiliary manual rather than a primary one.

In truth, after a cursory look at the entire manual, Luo Mu felt that the Poison Spirit Art was excellent. The fact that the owner couldn't sell it, aside from his own timidity in peddling it, was also because he hadn't met a cultivator who truly needed it.

Many cultivators, in order to increase their strength, would not care what others thought or said, nor would they care how foul their reputation became; as long as they could improve their strength, that was enough. Once one was powerful enough, who would dare to openly criticize them?

Luo Mu was exactly this type of person. Naturally, when faced with a manual so perfectly suited to him, he didn't hesitate to decide to buy it, no matter how many spirit stones it cost. If the stall owner had tried to extort him, Luo Mu wouldn't have minded eliminating him right there in the city and taking the manual by force.

Of course, buying the manual for a single spirit stone was something Luo Mu hadn't expected. However, for him, it was the best possible outcome.

At this moment, Luo Mu's divine sense sank into the jade slip, reading the manual word by word and fully grasping its meaning. As for whether the Poison Spirit Art was a primary or auxiliary manual, it was no longer a concern for him. Because Luo Mu had confirmed time and again that this manual was incredibly suited to him, and that was enough; there was no need to think about anything else.

In fact, the Poison Spirit Art was originally one of the top-tier primary cultivation manuals for poison cultivators. It was unknown how it had fallen into the hands of that stall owner, only to end up with Luo Mu—it felt as if there were some hidden destiny at work.

To ordinary poison cultivators, the Poison Spirit Art was a top-tier manual, but to Luo Mu, it was something that could not be defined by mere "top-tier" status.

Ordinary poison cultivators who wanted to practice the Poison Spirit Art needed vast amounts of poison to convert the spiritual power in their dantian into Poison Spirit Power. After the conversion was successful, the practitioner still had to absorb heaven and earth spiritual energy and then convert it into the required Poison Spirit Power through toxic substances. This cycle was extremely troublesome, and the time required was a terrifying amount.

Luo Mu, however, could skip this unnecessary time. Since he could not gather spiritual energy on his own, after consuming poison, his dantian could spontaneously generate Poison Spirit Power—endless and exceptionally thick. When practicing the Poison Spirit Art, he would surely achieve twice the result with half the effort.

To put it bluntly, this Poison Spirit Art seemed tailor-made for Luo Mu.

Slowly opening his eyes, a sharp glint flashed through them. Luo Mu took a deep breath, his face filled with an irrepressible joy!

Having confirmed the "Poison Spirit Art" several times, Luo Mu could now be certain that this manual was indeed perfectly suited for his cultivation. Having solved a major problem in his heart, he let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed that before long, the toxins accumulated in his body would finally be resolved.