Chapter 46
Xiao Yifeng's heart trembled, and beads of sweat began to form at his temples without his realizing it.
"Qingxuan Elder, can Xiao Yifeng really do this?" Wu Duantian, who didn't know much about alchemy, watched as Xiao Yifeng sniffed and pinched the pills, looking quite serious about it.
"Don't worry," Qingxuan Daoist said, his eyes half-closed, snorting through his nose. "My disciple possesses a congenital Yimu spiritual root. Testing Xiao Yifeng in this way is utterly pointless!"
Wu Duantian nodded, though he couldn't quite remember the details. After all, when Xiao Yifeng first joined the sect, he was supposed to come to him, but halfway through, he was intercepted by Qingxuan Daoist.
This incident had kept him awake for two nights in a row, fuming.
Lu Changtian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Qingxuan Daoist's words.
A foundation-building cultivator's ability to detoxify was practically nonexistent. If Xiao Yifeng consumed all nine of those poisonous pills, even if he didn't end up crippled on the spot, he would still be severely weakened if he didn't take care of his body afterward.
"This old monster really has a wicked mind!"
Lu Changtian sneered as he looked at the void behind Li Qingran. "With someone so malicious at her side, even if Li Qingran achieves something in the future, she'll probably be no different from a demonic cultivator."
Mu Baishuang, hiding behind Lu Changtian, rolled her eyes but said nothing. She probably had never seen what a real demonic cultivator looked like, right? Demonic cultivators didn't bother with reasoning. If they disliked someone, they would kill them outright. Even if they had to reason, in this situation, all ten pills would be extremely toxic!
Time ticked by.
Xiao Yifeng was no longer satisfied with just sniffing the pills.
He began to lick each one, scraping off a bit of powder with a small knife or cutting a corner to observe the cross-section. After a flurry of activity, his face grew paler, and his gaze became increasingly dazed.
【Time for a stick of incense has passed. Have you made your choice?】
A voice suddenly echoed, startling Xiao Yifeng into a shiver.
He froze for a moment, swallowing hard, his gaze finally settling on one of the pills, determination flickering in his eyes.
"I've made my choice—it's this one!"
...
...
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Chapter 47: Why Not Give It a Try
Chen Huai'an scoffed when he saw the pill Xiao Yifeng had chosen.
He actually had an option for an instant swap, costing six coins each time. If Xiao Yifeng truly had the luck of the heavens and picked the one without poison, he could still pay to swap it for one that was toxic.
But it seemed he wouldn't need to spend any money after all.
Xiao Yifeng wasn't exactly a lucky person; the first pill he picked was indeed poisonous.
He pressed the communication talisman. "Since you've chosen, just eat it! What are you waiting for?"
【Since fate has been decided, just take it and see.】
"Xiao Yifeng, what are you hesitating for?" Qingxuan Daoist shot a sideways glance at his second disciple, eager to see Xiao Yifeng slap the mysterious figure in the face. As for the look of constipation on Xiao Yifeng's face, he assumed it was just because he was too close to that mysterious person, making him nervous.
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Yifeng prayed to all the celestial beings he could think of, closed his eyes, and swallowed the pill whole.
The medicinal power erupted rapidly; Xiao Yifeng let out a muffled groan, clutching his chest in pain as his face turned a deep shade of purple.
His eyes turned bloodshot, breathing heavily like an ox—this was the hallmark of a toxic reaction.
And it was definitely a potent toxin.
To avoid damaging his meridians, he immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, regulating his internal spiritual energy, using Yimu spiritual energy to gradually dissolve the poison within. Other cultivators with different roots would have to rely on pills or seek help from elders to detoxify.
"This..." Wu Duantian glanced at Qingxuan Daoist beside him and noticed the elder's face had darkened again, turning a shade of green that matched his hat. The hand hidden in his sleeve was trembling, clearly furious.
【You still have two chances left!】
The voice from the void behind Li Qingran was calm as water.
The onlooking disciples and elders of Qingyun Sect understood that Xiao Yifeng had failed his first identification.
Xiao Yifeng temporarily suppressed the poison, opened his eyes, and his face was grim. After a moment's hesitation, he cupped his hands toward Li Qingran and asked, "Dare I ask if there truly is one normal pill among these ten?"
【What? You think this esteemed one is trying to trap you?!】
A cold snort echoed, and a wave of pressure descended, a fierce wind sweeping through and shattering the steps around Xiao Yifeng into dust.
A voice filled with murderous intent rang out from the void:
【Just for that statement, I could kill you without needing a reason!】
"I was wrong! Please, senior, calm your anger!" Xiao Yifeng quickly lowered his head, trembling with fear.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Qingxuan Daoist.
But he saw his master with his eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the chaos.
Sect Master Wu Duantian watched Li Qingran with a smile, his gaze akin to that of a father assessing his daughter.
No one could help him; neither his master nor the sect master wanted to offend that mysterious cultivator.
Now, he could only rely on himself.
Xiao Yifeng took a deep breath, steeling himself to choose the second pill.
He swallowed it, and the fire poison erupted once more.
【You have one chance left.】
After suppressing the fire poison, Xiao Yifeng extended his hand, veins bulging, trembling as he reached for the eight remaining pills.
Before this, he had never imagined that the pain of fire poison would be so excruciating.
His entire body felt as if a brush filled with steel needles was scraping against his meridians and bones repeatedly.
This pain didn't last continuously; it came in waves, like a snake slithering throughout his body, leaving no room for adaptation, only unrest... and this was still because he had a Yimu spiritual root, which naturally possessed the ability to detoxify and suppress toxins.
But Li Qingran did not.
So, this was how Li Qingran had suffered in torment after being expelled from Chixiao Peak for three months...
This mysterious cultivator's alchemical skills were truly remarkable.
Even if he had cheated by cutting a bit off to taste, he still couldn't discern which pill was free of poison.
In that case, he might as well pick one at random.
Xiao Yifeng closed his eyes, no longer struggling, and randomly grabbed a pill.
"Tsk, this kid's luck is pretty good; he managed to pick one with an eight percent chance." Chen Huai'an helplessly spent six coins, and at the moment the payment was processed, the pill in Xiao Yifeng's hand was swapped out.
The black cat beside him watched Chen Huai'an with a strange expression.
【What’s this kid mumbling to himself while staring at that black box? Is he losing his mind...?】
【Could it be that this black box is some kind of mind-controlling magical artifact? Interesting, interesting! I just wonder if the evil behind this black box is worse than this beast... hehehe!】
The black cat seemed to have thought of something amusing, its tail held high.
Xiao Yifeng swallowed his last chance, and the fire poison erupted once again.
The fire poison from the first two times had accumulated to its peak, and this third time was like a spark igniting a fuse, the previous two instances of fire poison combining with the third, exploding in full force.
"Ugh..."
Xiao Yifeng's face turned ashen, then flushed a deep red, and he staggered back several steps on the steps, ultimately collapsing to his knees, tilting his head back to spit out a mouthful of black blood. Strangely, that black blood vaporized into mist, filling the air with a foul stench of mixed medicinal residue and vile blood, causing the nearby disciples to immediately cover their mouths and noses.
In the center of the square, that figure clutched his chest, struggling to hold on for a moment before finally collapsing to the ground, twitching a few times before going still.
【Qingxuan Daoist, your disciple doesn't seem to be as talented as he thinks he is...】
A light scoff echoed in the void.
【There are still seven pills left; will you feed him, or shall I do it myself?】
Chen Huai'an felt no sympathy for Xiao Yifeng.
Li Qingran had endured the fire poison for three months.
Her meridians had already turned black and rotten from the poison, and compared to that, the pain Xiao Yifeng was experiencing now was nothing.
"Esteemed one, this disciple has already been punished; his condition from the fire poison is quite severe. Perhaps he shouldn't consume the remaining seven pills..." Wu Duantian sensed that Qingxuan Daoist was on the verge of exploding and quickly stepped in to mediate.
【Did I give you permission to speak? Sit down!】
"Don't you dare bully him!" Qingxuan Daoist could no longer contain himself and stood up.
His sword, however, was pointed at Li Qingran.
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