Five Poisons Fist Levels Up

The "Five Poisons Returning to Origin Body" did not really count as a flaw. After all, when fighting an enemy, he did not need poison in every punch and kick. It only needed to decide victory or defeat at the crucial moment.

But Zhao Er did not want to give up on his fist technique either. As things stood, there was still a gap between his raw strength and orthodox martial arts, but a fist technique could make up for it.

So after swallowing the poison, Zhao Er did not stop to rest. He began practicing the only fist technique he currently knew.

The moves in Five Poisons Fist that could truly be used to attack were Scorpion Tail Sweep, Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue, and Spider Entangling Hands. Zhao Er had already mastered all three, but their power ultimately depended on Toad Force.

Zhao Er stood in the open space in the side room, carefully sensing the changes within his body every time he threw a punch or a kick.

After reaching the Blood Condensation Realm, he could direct his Blood-Energy Force at will, but using and understanding force required coordination between more parts of his body.

The essence of Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue lay in the words "flicking tongue," with its power ultimately concentrated in the palm or even the fingertips.

Yet the true core of this move lay in the seamless coordination of the waist, spine, shoulder, and elbow.

Scorpion Tail Sweep was the same. The final attack seemed to land at the tip of the foot, but what determined its power was the coordination of the spine, waist, hips, and legs.

The body was like a great dragon. Every transfer of force flowed through an unbroken chain, building layer upon layer.

Zhao Er quietly pondered how to channel Toad Force, throwing punches and kicks over and over.

Then, at a certain instant, one of Zhao Er's punches seemed to open a clear path through every sinew and bone in his body. A surge of force rose from beneath his feet.

As Zhao Er twisted his hips, that force abruptly gathered, then traveled upward along his spine.

Instinctively, Zhao Er drove his shoulder forward with the flow of force.

At the same time, his palm struck toward the sandbag like Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Er's palm darted out and back, becoming a blur in the air. There was no whistle of displaced air. Without a sound, his palm had already withdrawn.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh..."

The sandbag did not sway, but three holes silently appeared in it, and three streams of fine sand trickled out.

This move... the force flowed without the slightest obstruction, twisting into a single strand in an instant, then building layer upon layer to concentrate it even further. The result was an increase in speed of more than thirty percent, and its destructive power more than doubled!

Watching the fine sand continue to spill from the bag, Zhao Er kept comparing the move in his mind with the Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue he had used before.

The difference was considerable. Previously, Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue only allowed him to strike once in an instant. If he forced a second strike, his speed would drop drastically, and the loss would outweigh the gain.

Yet just now, he had struck three times in an instant. Combined with the increased penetration and concentration of force, the move had undergone a qualitative transformation. With the poison in his blood-energy force added to it, it could serve as a killing move.

"Five Poisons Fist finally broke through. So this is Toad Force? It's just what I need to make up for my shortcomings!"

Zhao Er had long worried that his punches lacked the penetration and destructive power of orthodox martial arts.

Before, he had poison to make up for that, but once he could no longer use poison freely, he had grown somewhat anxious.

But that punch had given him inspiration. He cultivated faster than other people. If his cultivation method had flaws in certain areas, he could make up for them elsewhere.

Take the Toad Force he had just comprehended, for example. Driving his moves with Toad Force, combined with the physical enhancement from his blood-energy force, had made that last strike every bit as powerful as the Wang Family steward's, and even faster.

"Event completed..."

"..."

[Cultivation: Martial Artist, First Realm—Blood Condensation]

[Cultivation method: Five Poisons Returning to Origin Body (blue) lv.2 (34/500)]

[Moves: Five Poisons Fist (white) lv.2 (4/500)]

[Poison Resistance (passive): lv.2 (2/500)]

[Available skill points: 2]

"My greatest advantage isn't just cultivating faster than ordinary people. I can also fuse cultivation methods."

Looking at the status panel, Zhao Er smiled. Flaws were nothing to fear. What was truly frightening was seeing those flaws and being powerless to do anything about them.

The next day, the sky was still clear for miles, without the slightest sign of rain.

Zhao Er shouldered a large burlap sack and headed toward the county town.

Since entering the Blood Condensation Realm, Zhao Er's physical capabilities had improved across the board. His speed, strength, and endurance were all far beyond what they had been before. This time, he managed to cover a journey that had once taken nearly two hours in just over an hour.

He entered the town, which was as bustling as ever, with streams of people weaving through the streets.

This time, Zhao Er did not linger to wander around. He headed straight for Hundred Herbs Hall, where Zhao Cai worked.

Hundred Herbs Hall was not as quiet as it had been on his previous visits. When Zhao Er arrived, several people were inside selling medicinal herbs.

"Young Zhao Er, you're here!"

Zhao Cai had been sitting behind the counter, watching an assistant take in medicinal herbs. When he saw Zhao Er enter—and especially when he spotted the large burlap sack on his back—his face immediately filled with smiles as he greeted him.

"Shopkeeper Zhao, carry on with your work. I can wait!"

Zhao Er glanced over the other people in the room and spoke with a smile. He understood perfectly well that wealth should not be flaunted, so he did not want to take out the velvet antlers in front of so many people.

"Oh, don't be so formal, young man. Come, let's go to the back courtyard. You haven't seen Tiger in quite a while either. I'll take you over... Little Li, watch the front and make sure our customers are well looked after."

Zhao Cai had a sharp eye. Seeing Zhao Er's manner, his smile broadened further. He hurried out from behind the counter and, after finding an excuse, led Zhao Er toward the back courtyard.

"Looks like you had quite a haul this time, young man!"

Zhao Cai led the way, his nose twitching. Once they reached the back courtyard, he did not call for Tiger, but spoke first instead.

"I had some luck yesterday and brought down a stag. I got a pair of antlers, and I'm sorry for the trouble, but I'd like you to appraise them."

That was precisely why Zhao Er had come, so naturally, he did not conceal anything. Once they were in the back courtyard, he set down the large burlap sack.

First, he took out the dried centipedes on top. Only then did he pull out a pair of antlers and hold them out to Zhao Cai.

"You really are blessed with good luck, young man!"

At the sight of the antlers—especially once he saw that they were a matched pair of two-pronged antlers—Zhao Cai's eyes lit up. He forgot all about the dried centipedes and reached out to take them.

"A pity they aren't first-growth velvet antlers..."

After taking the antlers, Zhao Cai pinched along their length to assess their quality.

Zhao Er stood to one side and merely smiled without replying. He did not actually know much about velvet antlers, but he did understand the basics.

First-growth velvet antlers referred to a stag's newly grown antlers when they had only a single fork. At that stage, the velvet antlers were of the highest quality, the finest tonic for strengthening primal yang and replenishing blood and energy, and naturally the most valuable.

Two-pronged antlers were what formed when that first growth continued until it forked again. Although their medicinal potency was lower than that of the first growth, they were also thicker and fuller, and still quite valuable.