Battle Through the Heavens: Beginning the Road to Rise from Canaan Academy — Section 21

Qin Chen was the first to leap into the underground hole. After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Yixian followed close behind.

Even as he walked through the passageway, Qin Chen did not let down his guard. Only after using a corpse to confirm that there was no danger did he dare proceed.

"Why weren't you this cautious just now?" Xiao Yixian asked softly, her tone slightly teasing.

Qin Chen chuckled and replied without looking back, "The situation is different now. These materials can block soul perception, so it's only natural to be careful."

They had yet to encounter any traps. It had to be said that the owner of this cave had far better character than the Creation Saint.

That damned Creation Saint—he was already dead, yet he still refused to let others rest in peace. He had set up so many deadly traps in his ruins that even his own skeleton could rise up and kill people.

Just look at the Pure Lotus Demon Saint and the Yellow Springs Demon Saint. Even if others failed to obtain their inheritances, they would not casually put them to death. No wonder the Creation Saint remained merely a low-level Dou Saint until the day he died!

That was beside the point...

The underground passage was not long. At its end lay a cramped secret chamber. In the center stood a stone platform, atop which rested a pale purple ring. A faint purple gleam flickered across it, unmistakably revealing the traits of a high-grade storage ring.

Beside the storage ring lay a palm-sized green stone.

"Gastrodia Jade Essence!" Qin Chen blurted out the instant he saw it.

He strode forward and carefully held the Gastrodia Jade Essence in his palm. Feeling its cool, smooth touch, Qin Chen let out a soft breath.

The stone was covered in strange patterns and slightly translucent. Within it, one could vaguely see thick liquid slowly flowing.

In the original story, Xiao Yan had relied on it, together with two other heavenly treasures, to turn the tide at the Pill Gathering, defeat Mu Gu in one stroke, and win the championship.

Though Xiao Yixian did not recognize the stone, Qin Chen's expression told her it was no ordinary item. She could not help asking curiously, "What is Gastrodia Jade Essence?"

"Oh, it's an extremely precious medicinal ingredient. If it is blended with Earth Core Soul Marrow and Spirit Pill Paste, it can greatly enhance one's soul strength."

After confirming that it was indeed Gastrodia Jade Essence, Qin Chen smiled. "I'm an alchemist. Increasing my soul strength is extremely important to me. This goes to me—no objections, right?"

"You're an alchemist?"

Xiao Yixian was truly shocked this time. She knew Qin Chen was quite powerful, but she had never imagined he possessed such an identity as well.

"What? Don't I look like one? Not only am I an alchemist, I'm already a sixth-tier one."

Qin Chen shrugged and joked half-seriously, "Did you think high-level alchemists had to be a bunch of old men? Or that they all had to be unbearably arrogant?"

"Pah!"

A faint blush rose on Xiao Yixian's cheeks. She gave a light spit and said reproachfully, "I never thought that. I'm just a little surprised. Since you want it, take it."

Even so, Xiao Yixian still found it hard to believe. Someone around her own age was already a sixth-tier alchemist—such talent was simply terrifying!

Thinking of how her own attributes prevented her from becoming an alchemist, a trace of sadness passed through Xiao Yixian's heart.

As for the storage ring on the platform, the two of them found many precious items after opening it.

However, they were of little use to Qin Chen now. The high-grade storage ring itself was far more practical.

After taking the pill formulas and casually selecting a few Earth-tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, Qin Chen stuffed everything else into Xiao Yixian's hands.

Although many of those items were not particularly useful to Xiao Yixian either, they would make things much easier when she established the Poison Sect. After all, a newly founded sect needed resources to attract powerful people.

And if necessary, they could always be traded away.

Woeful Poison Body

Qin Chen found no corpse in the secret chamber. Perhaps the cave's owner had met with an accident after leaving and never managed to return.

Qin Chen guessed that the owner had likely faced some sort of crisis back then, so he had temporarily stored his life's savings here, intending to return and retrieve them once the trouble had passed.

After silently analyzing the matter, Qin Chen looked at the girl beside him. "Xiao Yixian, what are you planning to do next?"

Xiao Yixian's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Why are you asking?"

"Do you want to come train in the Magical Beast Mountain Range with me?"

Qin Chen smiled lightly. "Green Mountain Town isn't suitable for you anymore."

"Uh..."

After a moment of silence, Xiao Yixian shook her head. Her red lips parted as she said, "Thank you for the offer, but I don't have such plans for now."

She had known Qin Chen for only a few hours. Compared to the danger lurking throughout the Magical Beast Mountain Range, she still preferred the peaceful life in Green Mountain Town.

"Ah..."

Qin Chen let out a deep sigh. After silently cursing himself, he slowly said, "Can you give me the Seven-Colored Poison Manual?"

Though Xiao Yixian did not understand why, she still took out the seven-colored scroll from her storage ring and handed it to Qin Chen.

"Take a look."

Qin Chen flipped the seven-colored scroll to its final section before returning it to Xiao Yixian.

Xiao Yixian took the scroll and looked at the contents written in the poison manual with confusion.

"Woeful Poison Body: a strange poison constitution that can rapidly increase one's strength by devouring poisons. The method of identifying a Woeful Poison Body is a thin, hidden seven-colored line on the lower abdomen. The seven-colored line will grow as the concentration of poison energy contained within the body rises. When it reaches the heart, the Woeful Poison Body will be at its strongest. At the same time, it will suffer the agony of ten thousand poisons devouring the body."

As the words on the scroll entered her eyes one after another, Xiao Yixian's face instantly turned deathly pale. Two trails of tears silently slid down her cheeks, and even the hands clutching the scroll trembled faintly.

That hidden seven-colored line, the agony of ten thousand poisons devouring the body... Every word was like an icy dagger stabbing fiercely into her heart, leaving her almost unable to breathe.

She had always believed that she merely possessed an unusual constitution and had greater resistance to poisons than ordinary people. She had never imagined it would be this terrifying.

She had once inadvertently discovered the hidden seven-colored line on her lower abdomen. At the time, she had only found it strange and had not thought much of it. Only now did she learn that it was the mark of a Woeful Poison Body.

At that thought, Xiao Yixian's eyes filled with fear and despair. The peaceful life she had always longed for seemed to have been utterly shattered at this moment.

"Hehe..."

In the end, Xiao Yixian let out a dry laugh, her voice filled with indescribable bitterness and self-mockery.

Looking at the despondent girl before him, Qin Chen did not immediately try to comfort her. He knew that any words at this moment would be pale and powerless. Xiao Yixian could only slowly come to terms with this cruel truth herself.

"So you already knew that I have a Woeful Poison Body."

Xiao Yixian raised her head, her voice hoarse. "What are you planning to do with me now? Kill me to rid the people of a disaster?"

"Kill you?"

Qin Chen burst out laughing. "Why would I kill you?"

Seeing his carefree grin, Xiao Yixian's tears paused. "My constitution could bring disaster to countless people. Aren't you afraid?"

By the end, a trace of hope she had not even noticed herself rose from the depths of her heart.

"Afraid?" The smile on Qin Chen's face widened. "If I were truly afraid, would I have held you in my arms?"

"You!" A flush instantly spread across Xiao Yixian's cheeks, and much of the sorrow in her heart faded.

Qin Chen smiled shamelessly and continued, "As for the so-called calamity you mentioned... hehe, if I had a Woeful Poison Body, I'd be thrilled beyond measure."

"Hm?"

Xiao Yixian tilted her head, her clear eyes full of confusion. She was beginning to wonder whether this man was deceiving her.

Meeting Xiao Yixian's gaze, Qin Chen explained, "Though the Woeful Poison Body is dangerous, it is itself the source of all poisons. It can contain every poison in the world. If this power is properly controlled, not only will it not become a calamity, it will instead become an incomparably powerful aid."

"But... but the poison manual says that the Woeful Poison Body cannot be controlled at all." Xiao Yixian bit her red lip tightly.

Qin Chen waved his hand dismissively and said with a sneer, "What the poison manual records is merely the compiler's own opinion. This so-called inability to control it is nothing more than proof of his shallow knowledge."

"Is there really a way to control the Woeful Poison Body?" Xiao Yixian's voice trembled, as though a drowning person had grasped a sliver of hope.

"Of course."

After a pause, Qin Chen slowly said, "As far as I know, there are two ways to control the Woeful Poison Body. One is the Poison Pill Method, and the other is the Netherworld Poison Flame."

Hearing this, Xiao Yixian quickly searched through her memories for information about those two methods.

Yet even after combing through everything she knew, she could not find the slightest trace of either. She asked in confusion, "What are the Poison Pill Method and the Netherworld Poison Flame?"

"The Poison Pill Method can gather all the toxins accumulated within your body and condense them into a poison pill, thereby controlling the Woeful Poison Body."

"Although I do not have that secret method in hand right now, I know where it is. I'll find a way to obtain it for you."

After pondering for a while, Qin Chen said somewhat uncertainly, "As for the second method, it is only my speculation. The essence of a Woeful Poison Body's outbreak is that its host absorbs too many toxins, causing the strength of the body to fall behind and become unable to withstand the toxins' erosion and backlash."

"The Netherworld Poison Flame, meanwhile, is a Heavenly Flame that feeds on toxins. If it can be used to absorb the excess toxins within your body, it should be able to control your Woeful Poison Body."

The materials required for the Poison Pill Method were far too astonishing for the current Xiao Yixian, so Qin Chen did not tell her the details.

"The Poison Pill Method, the Netherworld Poison Flame..."

Xiao Yixian softly repeated the two names, her eyes full of confusion.

She had never heard of either method. She did not know whether the Poison Pill Method was truly viable, much less how she could find such an illusory Heavenly Flame.

Qin Chen noticed Xiao Yixian's worries. He patted her fragrant shoulder and comforted her, "Don't be so pessimistic. I'll help you. Even if you don't believe in yourself, you should believe in me, right?"

"Why are you so good to me? I'm only a poison master everyone despises."

Recalling everything that had happened since they met, Xiao Yixian's clear eyes were filled with confusion. The young man's kindness left her at a loss. This was completely unlike what a stranger they had only recently met should do.

Qin Chen had no intention of hiding it. Instead, he smiled frankly. "Just as I said earlier, I crave a supreme power like the Woeful Poison Body. Since I cannot have it, I can only settle for the next best thing and seek the person who possesses it."

Then Qin Chen leaned close to Xiao Yixian's ear and breathed out a warm puff of air. "I wonder if that reason is enough, my dear little beauty..."

Building Their Relationship

"You!"

Warm breath brushed across her ear. Xiao Yixian instinctively took half a step back, a flicker of panic flashing through her beautiful eyes before she glared reproachfully at Qin Chen. "Hmph! Shameless rogue!"

"What do you think now? Will you maintain the status quo, or awaken the Woeful Poison Body?" Qin Chen asked.

"Ah..." Xiao Yixian shook her head. "I don't know. My mind is a mess right now."

"Then think it over carefully during this time."

"Mm."

Three days later, outside Green Mountain Town.

A handsome young man slowly made his way forward. He was drenched in sweat, and a black, heavy ruler utterly disproportionate to his build was strapped to his back. With every step he took, yellow dust scattered across the ground.

"Damn it, this thing is way too heavy." Xiao Yan panted as he complained.

The black ruler Yao Lao had given him was not only heavy in itself, but also suppressed the flow of Dou Qi within his body. Carrying it while walking down the road was simply torment.

"Bitter training must look like bitter training. If you cannot even endure this little hardship, how can you become strong?"