Yin Fiend Power

At times, he slammed a Wild Bull Charge toward the wooden posts; at other times, his right leg swept across, surrounded by an overbearing momentum that was considerably more solid than before. Over the past few days of constantly battling and slaying fierce beasts in the mountains and forests, his momentum hadn't grown by much, but it had become far more solidified. After more than two shichen—nearly three—Lin Zheyu stopped, panting heavily. 【Heaven Rewards Diligence】 Name: Lin Zheyu Origin Power: 1 Skills: Wild Bull Fist (Perfection) Golden Goose Skill (Layer Five, 14%) Turtle Breathing Art (Layer Three, 2%) Six Harmonies Saber (Minor Mastery, 4%) Poison King Body (Layer One, 0%) "I can finally test whether my earlier hypothesis works. If it does, advancing the Poison King Body won't be much of an issue." Lin Zheyu looked at the Origin Power in his consciousness and murmured to himself. He rested for a while to recover a bit of stamina. From inside the house, he brought out a package of medicinal ingredients for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction, all of which had been ground into powder. Taking a wooden basin, he poured the powdered ingredients into it, added water, and gently stirred until evenly mixed. Once finished, he poured out the medicinal broth from the decoction pot—it contained the potency of three doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction. Lin Zheyu intended to test whether, when the medicinal ingredients were ground into powder and water was used as a medium, the mysterious energy could channel the medicinal potency through direct contact with his arm. However, to prevent excessive qi and blood depletion in case the experiment failed, he had also prepared three doses of the boiled decoction. Together with the powdered herbs in the wooden basin, that made four doses in total. If it failed, he would still have the medicinal power of the three doses as an energy supplement, so his qi and blood would not be drained too severely. He plunged his right hand into the basin, feeling the cool water against his skin. 'Use 1 unit of Origin Power to improve the Golden Goose Skill!' Sending forth the thought, Lin Zheyu's consciousness entered the familiar space of consciousness, where he began practicing the Golden Goose Skill with wild abandon. At the same time, the mysterious energy welled up within his body. A portion surged into his stomach, extracting the medicinal potency of the decoction he had drunk, while another portion flowed down his arm into the basin of water. Under the mysterious energy's guidance, the medicinal power within the powdered herbs in the basin surged along his arm and into Lin Zheyu's body. Nourished by the mysterious energy and the potency of the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction, his body—previously drained of physical strength and somewhat prostrated—recovered swiftly. An endless stream of qi and blood was extracted, and under the action of the mysterious energy, began to compress and purify. After a few breaths. Lin Zheyu emerged from the consciousness space. After a momentary daze, a sharp gleam blossomed in his eyes. "It really works!" Lin Zheyu was ecstatic. The qi and blood in his body had not fully returned to its peak, just like during the last upgrade. Four doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction were no longer enough to fully supply the energy consumed when leveling up with Origin Power. Still, the shortfall was not substantial; using five doses would be somewhat wasteful. "The effect is the same as boiling it into a broth and drinking it down—there's no loss of potency." Lin Zheyu sensed his physical condition and murmured inwardly. His guess was indeed viable; it was not true that the medicinal potency could only be directly drawn by the mysterious energy once ingested into the belly. Through his arm, using water as a medium, the mysterious energy could also harness the medicinal potency in the herbs. Even without grinding them into powder, it would probably work fine. Lin Zheyu had only ground them into powder to be prudent and avoid failure. "This makes things so much easier. I won't have to spend so much time boiling decoctions every day. When I head to Baishi Mountain in a few days, I can also level up my strength with peace of mind." Lin Zheyu thought to himself. In a few days, he was going to Baishi Mountain to be stationed there for a month. There were numerous martial experts at Baishi Mountain, even Qi and Blood Realm masters overseeing the place. If he brewed so many doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction all at once there, the scent would drift in the wind, easily exposing something unusual. After all, what Bone Tempering cultivator would dare consume such a potent tonic as the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction, let alone four doses at a time? 【Heaven Rewards Diligence】 Name: Lin Zheyu Origin Power: 0 Skills: Wild Bull Fist (Perfection) Golden Goose Skill (Layer Five, 27%) Turtle Breathing Art (Layer Three, 2%) Six Harmonies Saber (Minor Mastery, 4%) Poison King Body (Layer One, 0%) Lin Zheyu looked at the stats in his consciousness. There was still quite a distance before the Golden Goose Skill reached perfection at Layer Five and completed a full Qi and Blood Qualitative Change. "Next time, I'll see what layer 1 unit of Origin Power can raise the Poison King Body to, and whether—as I theorized—using Origin Power to elevate it avoids consuming innate foundation and lifespan," Lin Zheyu mused. Three or four units of Origin Power would not yield a noticeable increase to his current strength. However, if three or four units could raise his poison resistance so he wouldn't have to hold back when fighting others, the boost to his combat prowess would definitely surpass spending it on the Golden Goose Skill. He didn't need to raise it too high, just to the perfection of Layer Three. Layer Three of the Poison King Body granted immunity to most common poisons; even if he were struck by a fierce, virulent toxin, his formidable poison resistance would drastically reduce its effects. "According to the Poison Canon, the first stage is best spent adapting for over seven years, the second stage eight years, and the third stage ten years." "To cultivate the Poison King Body to the third stage, one needs to spend at least twenty-five years." "However, the actual time spent quenching with poison is very short. After each poison-tempering session, one must rest for over seven days to give the body enough time to recover, preventing excessive drain on the innate foundation and toxic accumulation." "If one were to test and temper with poison every day without resting, it could be reduced to under four years." "Theoretically, in the consciousness space, my energy is infinite, with no need for rest or recovery. Perhaps it could be shortened even further." "Maybe two or three units of Origin Power will be enough to raise the Poison King Body to Layer Three Perfection!" Lin Zheyu calculated the possibilities and felt it was highly feasible. *** After lunch, because he had to attend a dinner appointment at the Chen Manor in the afternoon, Lin Zheyu arrived early at Old Master Chen's house. However, Old Master Chen was not at home. After waiting for over half an hour, Lin Zheyu finally saw Old Master Chen leisurely walking toward him from the distance, carrying a wooden bucket and holding a fishing rod. Chen Peijun looked at Lin Zheyu by the entrance in surprise and said, "Didn't we agree on the afternoon? Why did you come so early, kid?" "I have something to attend to later, so I came earlier," Lin Zheyu said. Taking the wooden bucket from Chen Peijun's right hand, he followed Old Master Chen into the courtyard. Old Master Chen had had a good catch today—there were a full eight fish in the bucket, all large ones weighing over seven or eight jin each. "Is it urgent? If not, wait until I've had lunch," Chen Peijun glanced at him and asked. "Not urgent. I can give you a hand," Lin Zheyu said with a smile. The invitation to the Chen Manor wasn't until the You hour, so there was still plenty of time. "Good." "No one's eaten at my place in a long time. I'll roast a few extra so you can taste my roast fish craftsmanship," Old Master Chen chuckled. He brought out a kitchen cleaver from the kitchen and stunned the fish with the flat of the blade. Killing the fish, scaling, and gutting the gills—all done in one smooth motion. Martial artists possessed hearty appetites; Old Master Chen slaughtered all eight fish in one go. He marinated the fish in salt, ginger, scallions, cooking wine, and other seasonings for an hour, wrapped them in caul fat, stuffed their bellies with finely chopped fresh pork, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms, and then roasted them over charcoal. Before long, the fragrant aroma of roast fish wafted through the air. Even though Lin Zheyu had eaten not long ago, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva. "Hiss—phew—" Eating the freshly roasted fish, the flavor was superb. The meat was succulent and rich, carrying the smoky fragrance of charcoal with every bite, easily matching the culinary skill of a top restaurant chef. "Senior, your craft is extraordinary!" Lin Zheyu praised. "I've been roasting them for over ten years; the skill just came with time," Old Master Chen said with a smile. After finishing the meal, Old Master Chen asked, "Speak. What problems have you run into?" "It's like this. Recently, Junior obtained some poisons, but I can't identify what kind they are, so I wanted you to take a look." Lin Zheyu took out various poison powders, pills, and several jade bottles from his bundle. "You got these from killing someone and taking their goods, didn't you?" Old Master Chen cast a side glance at him. "I picked them up. All found on the road," Lin Zheyu lied through his teeth. Chen Peijun rolled his eyes, ignoring the lie, and began examining the poison powders and pills. "This one is Purple Begonia, a knock-out drug. Inhaling just a little blurs consciousness and induces a coma. It isn't very useful against martial artists, as it's easily noticed and slow to take effect." "This one is Soul Urging Powder, an extremely lethal poison. Upon poisoning, breathing turns rapid, and within seven steps, blood pours from the seven orifices, killing the victim. Even a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist couldn't withstand it if they inhaled too much." "This is Golden Lotus Incense, used as bait to lure Red Lotus Spiders..." "..." "Kid, just whom did you rob to have so much premium goods?" "These poisons aren't easy to buy. Most originate from the Zhao clan; without solid connections, you wouldn't be able to buy them," Chen Peijun asked curiously. "Ahem, I killed a member of the Zhao clan," Lin Zheyu said. "Not bad! Moving so fast!" Chen Peijun showed an expression of surprise, somewhat caught off guard. He hadn't actually pinned much hope on Lin Zheyu. Over so many years, he had hired many people for assassinations, none of whom had succeeded. This young fellow before him, while exceptionally gifted, probably wouldn't manage it either. Back when he decided to instruct him, Physician Wu and Liang Song were only part of the reason; the main reason was that he had listened to Lin Zheyu's storytelling for so long and found him agreeable. Yet who would have thought that in just a few days, this kid would give him such a pleasant surprise. "Naturally. Since I promised Senior, I must do my utmost," Lin Zheyu said, thumping his chest without blushing or breathing heavily. "Very good. Keep up the good work in the future." "Important items on Zhao clan members usually have markers. Did you dispose of them properly?" Chen Peijun asked. "Yes, I dealt with them," Lin Zheyu said. "That's right. When dealing with the Zhao clan, you must be cautious. Otherwise, they might trace you down for revenge," Chen Peijun said, continuing to identify the remaining poisons and pills. There were many poisons, quite a few of them lethal. Three of them possessed powerful lethality even against the Qi and Blood Realm. Once poisoned, the toxins would spread with the circulation of qi and blood; the fiercer the combat, the faster one died. Fortunately, Lin Zheyu had been cautious back then. Otherwise, even after killing that old man, a single lapse in care would have left him severely poisoned. "Thank you, Senior." "Here's another bottle of poison powder. Please have a look at this one too." Lin Zheyu put away the labeled powders and pills, then took out the jade bottle containing the yin fiend poison. Chen Peijun took the jade bottle, pulled the stopper, gently sniffed it, and his gaze narrowed slightly. "Corpse poison!" "This is a rare item. Even in thousand-year-old tombs, the chances of it appearing are slim. Where did you get corpse poison?" Chen Peijun asked gravely. "Corpse poison?" "Isn't this yin fiend poison?" Lin Zheyu asked in surprise, having assumed it was yin fiend poison all along. Corpse poison and yin fiend poison were two different things. Although corpse poison was also extremely toxic and belonged to the finest tier of poisons, it was more than a cut below yin fiend poison. "If this were yin fiend poison, you'd have died out there long ago," Chen Peijun said, shaking his head. "Junior found this in Beast Roar Mountain. Living corpses have appeared there, and I found this at the spot where the living corpse emerged," Lin Zheyu explained. "Living corpses... I didn't expect them to appear again." "Whenever chaotic times arise, monsters and abominations follow. Rebel armies spring up everywhere, the common folk suffer, and even these living corpses come out to cause chaos," Chen Peijun sighed. In his entire life, he had never seen a living corpse, only hearing about them from elderly family elders. "Senior, if this is corpse poison, then what is yin fiend poison? Have you ever seen it?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously. "I haven't." "When I was a boy, I heard elders in the manor mention that yin fiend poison is a form of energy, similar to the qi and blood energy of Qi and Blood Realm martial artists. It is an energy within living corpses." "More accurately, it is yin fiend power; only because it carries virulent toxicity is it called yin fiend poison." "This kind of energy is bizarre and active. Once it enters the body, it erodes the flesh almost as if it possessed consciousness." "This corpse poison was produced after being corrupted by yin fiend power." Chen Peijun added, "Beyond that, I know nothing more. That's all that was recorded in the ancestral records." "Thank you for enlightening me, Senior." Lin Zheyu expressed his gratitude and put away the bottle containing corpse poison. The Poison Canon contained records of corpse poison and its uses; it served as the primary ingredient for several virulent poisons. One of them was called the Corpse Insect Pill. Similar to the Three Corpse Brain Pill from his previous life, it could be used to control subordinates. At regular intervals, the poison would flare up, causing agonizing cardiac cramps and a sensation across the body like tens of thousands of insects gnawing away—an unbearable, torturous itch. 'The pill Xing Penghai took out back then was probably similar to the Corpse Insect Pill, wasn't it?' Lin Zheyu thought to himself. In truth, this method of controlling people also had flaws. Once one identified the poison and found the cure, one could break free of the control. For instance, to completely neutralize the Corpse Insect Pill, one needed to locate a plant called azure serene grass and combine it with several other medicinal herbs to refine a detoxification pill, which had to be taken for seven consecutive days to fully purge the poison. However, both corpse poison and azure serene grass were exceptionally difficult to find. "Apart from this, do you have any other questions?" Chen Peijun asked, taking a sip of tea. "Yes, I do." Lin Zheyu drew out the Poison Canon, inside which lay a sheet of paper noting the questions he had encountered over the past few days.