Blue Tyrant Academy (1)
"Sure! As long as I can play, I'm fine with anywhere!" Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh in agreement.
Yu Xiaogang frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded slowly.
As long as it allows the children to stand on the stage of the competition, some compromises are acceptable.
Tang San secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It's good that he doesn't have to go to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but he also knows that Heaven Dou City is only so big, and some encounters are inevitable.
The top floor of the library at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy rarely sees sunlight throughout the year.
The tall pear wood bookshelves reached all the way to the ceiling, densely packed with yellowed ancient books. Some covers were worn and frayed, and the spines of some thread-bound books were coming undone. A faint smell of musty paper and ink lingered in the air.
A ray of sunlight slanted in through the latticed window high up, casting dappled shadows on the pile of books on the long table amidst swirling dust motes dancing in the beam.
Lin Chen and Xiao Wu have been soaking here for three whole days.
The long table was covered with books on poisons, strange tales, ancient geography, and Immortal Herb medicine. I flipped through them from the common section to the rare book section, even looking through the dusty corner books.
"There's so little information available about the Moon-Eroding Nether Poison..."
Xiao Wu lay on the table, clutching a dog-eared copy of "The Records of Ancient Rare Poisons," her cheeks puffed out. "I've flipped through dozens of books, and they only mention it in two sentences, saying something like 'an ancient, wondrous poison that erodes the soul and destroys the moon, with no antidote,' without even describing the symptoms or how it comes about. What's the difference between that and not saying anything at all?"
She pouted and pushed the old book aside. The pages flipped through with a rustling sound, the ink on the title page was blurred, it was obviously an old book from who-knows-how-many years ago.
Lin Chen didn't speak, his fingertips lightly tracing the pages of a book in front of him called "An Investigation into the Origins of Archaic Poisons".
The book contains only a few scattered sentences about the Moon-Eroding Nether Poison, mentioning that it "originates from the netherworld and is born alongside the lotus," and nothing more. It's as if this poison is so dangerous and bizarre that even the person who recorded it was unwilling to write more about it.
In contrast, records about the Blood Moon Devil Lotus can be found in scattered fragments.
He pieced together the records from several ancient books and slowly began to speak, "The Blood Moon Devil Lotus grows deep within the Nether Blood Pool in the most yin place, rooted in the cold, bloody mud at the bottom of the pool. It takes a thousand years to bud, a thousand years to bloom, and only after the flower withers does it produce a cluster of lotus seeds."
"The book says that consuming the seeds of the Blood Moon Devil Lotus allows one to draw upon the Power of the Nether, generating Nether Attribute within one's own Soul Power. This Soul Power is unpredictable, adept at concealment and penetration, and can even erode the Martial Soul and meridians of others. A thousand years ago, a master consumed the lotus seeds and became incredibly powerful, but later suddenly disappeared without a trace."
"The Power of the Nether?" Xiao Wu tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. "That sounds amazing. Then why are there so few records about it?"
"Because the side effects aren't mentioned." Lin Chen shook his head, his fingertip pointing to the words "No Record" on the page. "All the ancient texts only mention the benefits, not the costs. How to refine it, what the backlash might be, whether there are any aftereffects—it's all blank."
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Based on the few fragments of information about the Moon-Eroding Nether Poison, a guess gradually took shape in my mind.
"I think I understand what's going on."
Xiao Wu quickly sat up straight. "What do you understand?"
"The seeds of the Blood Moon Devil Lotus are themselves an extremely potent poison," Lin Chen said slowly. "The so-called 'drawing in the Power of the Nether ' is actually about consuming the lotus seeds and then using your own Soul Power to refine the poison. If you survive it, the poison will integrate into your bloodline and become your own, giving you Soul Power with Nether Attribute. If you can't survive it, you will naturally die from the poison."
He lightly tapped the four characters "Moon-Eroding Nether Poison" with his fingertips. "And this lotus seed poison that has seeped into the blood is the Moon-Eroding Nether Poison. It is both poison and a carrier of power. That's why ancient books say it 'grows alongside the lotus.'"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Then... then isn't that gambling with your life? You win and gain great power, you lose and die? Did the masters of a thousand years ago manage to survive that?"
"It should be." Lin Chen nodded.
He leaned back in his chair, gazing at the shadow at the top of the bookshelf, his mind racing.
What exactly is this "opportunity" that Master spoke of?
Is it that there's Blood Moon Devil Lotus deep within the Nether Blood Pool, and I need to retrieve it? Or is someone afflicted with the Moon-Eroding Nether Poison, and I need to find a cure?
If it's the former, then this opportunity carries extremely high risks.
The Blood Moon Devil Lotus grows in dangerous places, and the lotus seeds themselves are extremely poisonous; the slightest mistake could lead to utter destruction.
However, if one could refine it and obtain the Nether Attribute Soul Power, combined with the Void Divine Eye of the Space System and the attributeless inclusiveness of the Chaos Pearl, one's methods would become far more numerous.
If it's the latter... then someone who could make Dugu Bo take this so seriously is probably no ordinary person.
"My master told me to do some research first, which means I need to assess the risks myself," Lin Chen murmured.
He has his reasons for not speaking. Whether it's a blessing or a curse depends entirely on his own choice.
"Brother Lin Chen, should we still go?" Xiao Wu worriedly, her fingertips clutching the hem of her clothes. "It sounds so dangerous. Maybe we should just give up this opportunity?"
"It's still uncertain. Let's find out first. We don't know where the Nether Blood Pool is, what dangers it poses, or whether the Moon-Eroding Nether Poison can be cured." Lin Chen closed the book and looked out the window.
The sky had darkened, and the last rays of the setting sun had sunk behind the eaves. The library grew increasingly dark, with only the Soul Guidance Lamp in the distant corridor casting faint shadows of the window frames on the ground.
"Let's head back for today." Lin Chen stood up and put the spread-out books back in their places. "We'll look up the rest of the information tomorrow. Everything will be clear once Master arrives."
Xiao Wu nodded, then stood up and dusted off her skirt.
The two packed up their books and walked out of the library side by side.
As dusk settled, it cast long shadows of the two of them.
As Lin Chen walked up the steps, he had a vague premonition. Whether it was the Blood Moon Devil Lotus or the Moon-Eroding Nether Poison, this opportunity was probably not so simple.
Shrek Academy and his group traveled at a leisurely pace towards Heaven Dou City. After a seven-day journey, amidst the dust of spring, they finally stepped through the main gate of Heaven Dou City.
The towering, gray-blue city walls, dozens of feet high, fluttered with banners atop the battlements, exuding the majestic grandeur of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The city gates were wide open, carriages and horses were like dragons, pedestrians were shoulder to shoulder, and shops lined the streets. The sounds of hawking, carriages and horses, and laughter mingled together, making it more than ten times more prosperous Suotuo City.
The group was weary from their journey; Dai Mubai's white robes were covered in dust, and the gold trim had darkened. Oscar and Ma Hongjun also looked tired from their travels, but their eyes held a hint of curiosity about this great city.
The sound of tables being slapped echoed from a teahouse on the street, mingling with the lively conversations of the patrons, and drifted on the wind into everyone's ears.