Dual cultivation?!!

The drawbacks were naturally just as obvious. That approach required a high-grade poison-attribute magic core, supplemented with precious medicinal ingredients for gradual treatment, before the residual poison in her body could finally be removed.

For an ordinary poison master, perhaps a fifth- or even sixth-grade magic core would be enough to completely resolve the problem of their internal poison running out of control.

But given the potency of the Woeful Poison Body and its potential for future growth, it would probably take at least a seventh-grade magic core to solve the problem.

At the very least, that would guarantee that the poison body would never run out of control before she reached Dou Zun.

Xiao Yi Xian listened with her mind reeling, her chest rising and falling slightly, her eyes filled with shock.

Xiao Yuan's words filled her mind—seventh-grade magic cores, no backlash even at Peak Dou Zun.

For a young girl who had yet to become even a Dou Zhe, all of this was still far too distant.

"Mm..."

Noticing that Xiao Yi Xian had gone slightly dazed, Xiao Yuan reached out and gently tapped her head twice before continuing.

"The second path has the greatest potential and the highest ceiling, but it's also the hardest to pull off..."

Xiao Yuan paused here and glanced up at Xiao Yi Xian. When she gave no response, he continued.

"That would be subduing the Netherworld Poison Flame, ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

"Heavenly flames are wondrous flames born of heaven and earth. Their fierce heat is the natural enemy of almost every poison.

"But the Netherworld Poison Flame is different. It's the only 'poison-attribute heavenly flame' in the world.

"It doesn't counter poison. Instead, it favors poison and nourishes it."

Xiao Yuan's voice slowly echoed through the quiet stone chamber.

"All the poisons in the world would turn to ash in other heavenly flames, but the Netherworld Poison Flame can devour deadly poison, using it as fuel to burn ever more fiercely.

"Your Woeful Poison Body constantly generates an origin of deadly poison. The two share a common origin—they're a match made in heaven.

"Once you successfully subdue the Netherworld Poison Flame, you can use it to temper your flesh and meridians, refining the chaotic, violent poison scattered throughout your body into pure poison-flame Dou Qi.

"The poison flame nourishes the poison body, while the poison body supplies an endless stream of poison to feed the flame in return. They sustain one another in a continuous cycle.

"At that point, the poison flame will firmly suppress the danger of your poison body running wild. You'll be able to control all the deadly poison within you at will, sending poison flames sweeping forth with a lift of your hand. Its power will far surpass the Poison Pill Method alone."

He tilted his head slightly, watching the flicker in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes. His tone softened a little as he added something tremendously tempting:

"And... you might even be able to use this poison flame to try becoming an Alchemist."

"An—an Alchemist?!"

That unexpected remark instantly left Xiao Yi Xian utterly stunned.

She abruptly raised her head, her clear, almond-shaped eyes widening, disbelief filling their depths.

On the Dou Qi Continent, Alchemists were such exalted, transcendent figures.

Admired by countless people and fought over by sects, they could command heroes with a mere wave of their hands.

Her greatest wish in life was to become a high-grade Alchemist. Yet fate had toyed with her, and for years, even taking her first steps into cultivation had been incredibly difficult.

But with a single remark, Xiao Yuan had opened a door she had never dared imagine even in her dreams.

Xiao Yi Xian's breathing quickened slightly. Her slender fingertips unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, and a burning light unlike anything before kindled in her eyes. Anxious yet yearning, she murmured softly:

"I... I can become an Alchemist too?"

Xiao Yuan nodded at her question. "In theory, yes. It's just that... the Netherworld Poison Flame is extremely unusual. It hides in places of extreme yin and poison, its whereabouts elusive and difficult to trace. Finding it would be incredibly hard."

At his words, the burning light that had just kindled in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes began to dim, little by little.

Her long lashes drooped gently, and a faint layer of disappointment veiled her once-bright almond eyes, like a candle flame suddenly snuffed out by the wind.

Yes.

A seventh-grade magic core was far beyond her reach, and there was not even a trace of the Netherworld Poison Flame.

For her, who currently had nothing and had yet to even enter the Dou Zhe realm, those two seemingly radiant paths were ultimately no more than flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in water—visible, but forever beyond her grasp.

The hope that had just risen was swallowed by helplessness in an instant.

She pressed her lips together slightly, her voice as faint as a breeze and filled with dejection she could not hide. "So... I can't use either of those methods right now, can I?"

Watching the girl wilt with disappointment in an instant, Xiao Yuan's heart softened. He stopped keeping her in suspense and slowly revealed the final path to survival.

"Don't lose heart. The first two methods do require fortunate encounters and substantial resources. They aren't suitable for you right now.

"But the third path I mentioned requires no rare treasures or heaven-defying opportunities. We can carry it out right away."

Xiao Yi Xian's downcast eyes suddenly stirred. She instinctively looked up at Xiao Yuan, a faint thread of hope resurfacing in her gaze.

With a calm, composed expression, Xiao Yuan slowly explained:

"This final method relies on the unique cultivation art I practice.

"Its most heaven-defying trait is its ability to devour energy voraciously. Dou Qi, lightning, ice, raging fire—even the deadliest poisons in the world can be perfectly absorbed and broken down by my cultivation art.

"The greatest danger of your Woeful Poison Body has never been that you were born poisonous. It's that poison forms day and night, cannot be metabolized, and keeps accumulating in your meridians and flesh. The more it builds up, the more violent it becomes, until it finally runs completely wild.

"In the past, you could only forcefully suppress it, treating the symptoms rather than the root.

"But from now on, I can regularly channel Dou Qi into your body and circulate it through your meridians, precisely devouring, separating, and clearing away the excess residual poison accumulated inside you.

"As long as I'm careful enough, I can theoretically resolve your poison-body problem completely."

He watched Xiao Yi Xian stare blankly, his voice gentle and certain:

"Before we actually carry out either of the first two plans, this can serve as a fallback to ensure your poison body stays under control."

After a brief pause, Xiao Yuan propped his chin on one hand and said with some uncertainty:

"In a sense, what we're doing could count as dual cultivation."

Xiao Yi Xian had still been seriously considering the advantages and disadvantages of the third method, her thoughts wholly absorbed in the matter of her poison body. At those words, she abruptly froze.

Her almond-shaped eyes, which had held a measure of hope just moments earlier, widened at once. A faint blush swept across her cheeks and spread all the way to her ears.

She instinctively shrank back half a step, hurriedly clutching the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture to her chest with both hands. Even her fingertips felt slightly hot.

"D-dual cultivation?!!" A note of panic entered Xiao Yi Xian's voice. Her lashes fluttered rapidly, and her heart pounded.

"But... isn't dual cultivation a method where male and female cultivators mingle their Dou Qi and cultivate together? What we're doing..."

The descriptions of dual cultivation occasionally mentioned in storybooks flashed unbidden through her mind. Her cheeks grew hotter, and her gaze darted away, unwilling to meet Xiao Yuan's eyes. She stammered softly, "You're only helping me clear the residual poison from my body. How could that..."