Absorbing the Poison

Supervisor Wang turned and left. A huge pile of poisonous substances remained on the ground, giving off a pungent, foul stench.

These were all highly toxic items Supervisor Wang had deliberately left for Li Ping'an!

Li Ping'an looked at the poisons before him, his eyes brimming with delight!

These were cultivation resources! Just when he was dozing off, someone had brought him a pillow!

At that moment, Li Ping'an's breathing gradually quickened.

Yesterday, in order to break through to the sixth stage of Body Tempering, he had exhausted all the spiritual energy within Duan Tian Hammer.

Only yesterday, he had been worrying over how to replenish his spiritual energy. He had not expected Supervisor Wang to deliver such a lavish gift first thing in the morning.

With this batch of highly toxic materials, Duan Tian Hammer could refine them in an instant.

Once they were refined, his strength would naturally undergo an earth-shaking transformation.

Then, all these problems could be solved with ease, and his spiritual energy would increase considerably as well.

Li Ping'an suddenly frowned.

A concern gradually arose in his heart. If he had not awakened Duan Tian Hammer today, would these things have taken his life?

Supervisor Wang truly did not act like a human being! His methods were so vile, so utterly disgusting.

At that thought, the joy vanished from his face, replaced by a chill.

He and Zhang Lu clearly bore no grudge against each other, yet because of a single remark, the other man pressed him step by step, determined to kill him!

Wasn't that heart far too narrow?

Now, he could only seize every moment to grow stronger.

Only by becoming stronger could he protect himself!

Otherwise, he would be fish on the chopping block, left for others to slice apart at will!

Li Ping'an took a deep breath and steadied his mind.

He looked around. Once he confirmed that no one was nearby, he raised a hand, and an ancient-looking hammer appeared in his palm.

The Heaven-Forging Hammer!

With a light sweep of his hand, the Heaven-Forging Hammer immediately let out a resonant hum.

A tyrannical force spread forth, enveloping the poisonous substances on the ground!

In an instant, the deadly materials scattered across the ground seemed like iron filings drawn to a magnet, all wildly flying toward the Heaven-Forging Hammer.

No matter how lethal the poison, beneath the overwhelming force of the Heaven-Forging Hammer, all of it was crushed and purified away!

Then it all turned into strands of incomparably pure spiritual energy, flowing through the hammer and into Li Ping'an's body.

Ah!

Comfortable!

Feeling the sudden influx of pure power within him,

Li Ping'an tipped back his head and let out a satisfied sigh.

The poisonous materials in this crate

were countless times more potent than the waste pills Li Ping'an had cleaned up before!

As expected of something Supervisor Wang had painstakingly prepared for him!

How badly did that man want him dead?

What a pity that they had all become Li Ping'an's cultivation resources instead!

Just like this—the more poisonous, the better!

The fiercer, the better!

Li Ping'an muttered,

Only then could he obtain more power!

At that moment, spiritual energy washed through every inch of Li Ping'an's body, leaving him incomparably comfortable.

His blood and vitality surged,

and even his hunched back seemed to straighten a little.

No one knew how much time had passed.

The sun had just begun to rise, and faint light spilled down.

The disciples of the Waste Hall woke from their sleep and prepared to begin the day's labor. Yet when they pushed open their doors, every one of them froze where they stood.

They saw Old Li in the courtyard, forcefully breathing in and out toward a pile of foul-smelling, highly toxic substances,

and from the look of it, he seemed to be enjoying himself!

Was this really normal?

Not only was he unafraid, he was even enjoying it?

The disciples stared at Li Ping'an in utter shock, unable to react for a moment.

Li Ping'an deliberately broke into a violent coughing fit, his face looking terrible.

"Cough, cough... Cough cough cough!"

"It's nothing, don't make such a fuss. It's only a pile of waste residue. I'm dealing with it right now."

"What?"

Everyone present was immediately bewildered.

So many poisonous materials were being handled by Old Li alone?

When the disciples saw the poisons on the ground, their faces turned ugly, and nausea rose in their hearts.

"What the hell is all this?"

"I can barely stand it! Is this something a person can handle?"

He Lü looked at Li Ping'an worriedly and patted his shoulder.

"Brother Li, that Supervisor Wang clearly wants you dead!"

"Why don't you run? At most, you'll suffer a few punishments, but at least you'll keep your life. If this continues, even your little life won't be safe."

The other disciples below also nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing as they looked at Li Ping'an with concern.

In their eyes, if Li Ping'an remained in the Waste Hall, he would undoubtedly die.

Everyone spoke at once,

but Li Ping'an remained unmoved. A warm smile appeared on his aged face instead.

During his more than sixty years in the Heaven-Piercing Sword Sect,

what scenes had he not witnessed?

What human nature had he not seen?

To those lofty inner disciples, there had only ever been resources, spirit stones, and immortality.

There had only ever been ruthless means and profit above all else.

Only these menial disciples at the very bottom of the sect still retained their humanity!

"Everyone, there's no need to worry about me!"

After everyone had finished speaking, Li Ping'an finally shook his head, his tone incomparably resolute.

"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. Go attend to your own work. I'll find a way to deal with these things."

The others tried to persuade him again, but Li Ping'an only kept shaking his head.

He smiled bitterly inwardly. These people were genuinely thinking of him, but how could they know that these poisons were actually immensely useful to him?

Knowing they could not persuade him further, everyone could only shake their heads, sigh, and leave.

Only after everyone had gone did Li Ping'an continue absorbing them.

At that moment, his cultivation was steadily rising under the impetus of spiritual energy,

and he had already reached the peak of the sixth stage of Body Tempering, only one step away from the seventh stage.

Feeling the strength within him, several times more formidable than yesterday's, Li Ping'an was overjoyed.

This was good enough. He only needed to improve a little every day.

At that moment, Li Ping'an felt as though his body was filled with immense, surging power.

The spiritual energy absorbed by the Heaven-Forging Hammer washed over his flesh and blood. Driven by that energy, he felt incomparably strong, as though he could punch a bull to death.

He waved his fist, and Li Ping'an suddenly remembered the set of boxing techniques he had practiced yesterday.

I wonder what will be different if I practice that set of boxing techniques again today?

As my strength grows, will this boxing technique improve as well?

With that thought, Li Ping'an began practicing that ancient fist technique directly in the courtyard.

Compared to yesterday, Li Ping'an seemed to have gained new insights into the technique today. As he assumed his stance in the courtyard, every move and form carried the bearing of a grandmaster.

"Hey!"

Li Ping'an threw a punch. The wind whistled sharply, fierce and powerful.

Glancing at a dilapidated bluestone pillar in the courtyard, Li Ping'an immediately stepped forward and slammed his fist into it.