Who would practice fists when they had weapons?

"Yes, it's Heavenly Dragon Toxin—in other words, centipede venom."

Zhao Er had taken in every reaction his elder brother had just shown.

His Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue had actually carried very little toxin. After all, it had only been a test.

But the results had left Zhao Er extremely satisfied.

For one thing, there was his elder brother's reaction after being poisoned. They were both Blood Condensation Realm martial artists, yet the toxin Zhao Er had injected into him had taken effect so quickly, and its effects had seemed quite alarming.

For another, there was the time and effort his elder brother had needed to purge it. They were at the same cultivation level, and Zhao Er had injected only a small amount, yet his elder brother had taken quite a while to remove it. That showed just how tenacious the toxin was.

"Hiss... I doubt this is just ordinary centipede venom. Even now, my qi and blood aren't circulating smoothly around this spot..."

Zhao Da rubbed the swollen red patch on his chest. Although he had purged the toxin, that had merely stopped it from spreading further. The burning sensation and pain remained. If it had been ordinary centipede venom, circulating his qi and blood would have dispersed it outright.

"Forget it. With a trick like that, you don't need me worrying about you. Come on, this is a happy occasion. Let's have a drink."

Zhao Da had not actually expected Zhao Er to answer his earlier question.

In fact, after experiencing the toxin's potency, he had known that Zhao Er could never have developed such a trick through the Five Poisons Art alone.

And Zhao Er's cultivation had progressed astonishingly fast. At first, he had merely assumed Zhao Er had taken some shortcut, and worried that it might have hidden dangers.

But now, he no longer worried.

As for what secrets lay behind it, or whether Zhao Er had some method unknown to ordinary people, he had no desire to investigate. Zhao Er was his younger brother, after all. If Zhao Er was powerful, he could only be happy for him.

He had originally thought he had held the upper hand in their sparring match, which was why he had prepared to give Zhao Er some pointers. Now, however, it seemed he had been at a disadvantage from the very start.

After all, if the palm strike Zhao Er had landed on him had also carried toxin, both his attacks and his defense afterward would likely have been hampered.

"Yes, yes... Your breakthrough is wonderful news, little brother. We ought to celebrate properly. You two sit down. I'll fetch some wine."

A smile blossomed on Ning Mu's face as she ushered the brothers inside, then headed out herself.

"Little brother, that trick of yours really is impressive. This toxin is hard to deal with. It still hurts quite badly."

Once inside, Zhao Da rubbed his chest and voiced his praise with a smile.

"The toxin is troublesome, but you saw it yourself just now, big brother. The Five Poisons Fist I'm practicing only has those three moves. I'm still short on ways to fight an opponent."

Zhao Er had tested his toxin's potency, but he was not complacent. He had also just witnessed the strengths of the martial arts his elder brother Zhao Da practiced.

He had managed to hit Zhao Da during their sparring match partly because he had caught him off guard, and partly because Zhao Da's combat experience was relatively limited. That was what had allowed him to land the blow so easily.

Against a seasoned opponent, whether he could even land a hit remained uncertain.

"The Five Poisons Fist... is indeed a little basic. What do you have in mind, little brother?"

Zhao Da nodded, acknowledging Zhao Er's point, but rather than offer advice, he wanted to hear Zhao Er's own thoughts.

"The wine's here! Drink while you talk. I've already asked the servants to prepare some dishes to go with it."

Just then, Ning Mu came in carrying a tray. She poured wine for both brothers, then, instead of leaving, sat down beside Zhao Da.

"Thank you, sister-in-law. Big brother, I'm thinking of learning a movement technique and another fist technique, especially a movement technique."

Zhao Er accepted the wine cup before explaining his thoughts.

Their brief fight had made his strengths and weaknesses clear to him. Since the Five Poisons Fist was somewhat lacking against other martial artists, he would learn another fist technique to make up for it.

He also wanted to exploit his toxin's advantages to the fullest. How would he do that? Naturally, by keeping his opponent tied up in a prolonged fight.

He would learn a movement technique to first put himself beyond defeat, then look for an opening to inject his toxin into his enemy. Finally, he would quietly wait for it to take effect and make his enemy expose a weakness. That was his ideal way to fight.

That was why he had placed movement techniques at the top of his priorities.

"Yes, learning a movement technique would be good. Practicing a body-tempering method would also be a very good solution. As for fist techniques..."

Zhao Da understood Zhao Er's intentions as soon as he heard them. He had, after all, experienced the potency of Zhao Er's Heavenly Dragon Toxin firsthand.

Forcing the toxin out in the middle of a fight would not be easy. Yet if it was ignored, it would continue spreading and seriously affect the fight.

However, he had a different opinion on Zhao Er's desire to practice fist techniques.

"You probably haven't met many martial artists, little brother, so there are some things you don't understand."

"When martial artists first begin cultivating, they do temper their bodies by using fist techniques to refine their force. But that only applies during the Blood Condensation Realm. Once they're past that, they basically stop using their fists and feet against enemies."

"After all, no matter how powerful your fists and feet are, can they surpass weapons? Let alone weapons forged from exotic metals."

Zhao Da had already made his meaning quite clear. All that remained was to say outright that fist techniques were inadequate.

"Uh..."

After hearing that, Zhao Er immediately came to his senses. He realized his thinking had been too narrow.

Much of his knowledge of martial arts came from the traditional martial arts he had known in his previous life.

But those had developed because weapons were restricted, and ordinary people were forbidden to carry them. That was why all kinds of fist techniques had ultimately been devised.

This world, however, had no such restrictions. Naturally, no one would leave a weapon unused and insist on pitting their fists against weapons head-on.

Despite having reached the Blood Condensation Realm and gained greater toughness according to his panel, Zhao Er still did not dare clash head-on with weapons.

"So there's nothing wrong with learning a movement technique. As for fist techniques, it's best to treat them as a supplementary means."

Seeing Zhao Er sink into thought, Zhao Da finally stated his conclusion.

"Yes, I understand!"

After listening to Zhao Da, Zhao Er nodded firmly. He had truly taken the advice to heart.

His toxin was certainly powerful, and catching someone off guard could produce unexpected results. But that only worked when he caught them off guard.

If he became known for his toxin in the future and his enemies took precautions, this trick would be completely neutralized.

Rather than let that happen, he would be better off concealing his toxin entirely, steadily accumulating its potency and reserving it as his final trump card. In everyday situations, he only needed to behave like an ordinary martial artist.

As for concentrating the force of his punches... if he was using a weapon, why would he still need to worry about that?

"If you want to practice with weapons, little brother, you should visit the government office's Martial Pavilion first. They don't just sell manuals there. They also have people who specialize in assessing innate aptitude. You can choose a suitable manual based on your results."

At that moment, Ning Mu, who had been sitting silently beside them, spoke up.