Hearing Zhong Dingchun’s words, Wei Ranxue questioned heatedly, “What can we do then? Are we to watch as they kill one another?”
She was still intending to study terpsichorean arts from Zhang Xuan. If something were to happen to him, who would she learn from?
“Calm down. It’s impossible to interfere in the Life-and-Death Physician Duel, but if we see either of them in mortal danger, we can advise that they give up. As long as they admit defeat, I believe that given our standing, they shouldn’t go so far as to kill the other party despite our mediation!” Zhao Bingxu said.
After a moment of hesitation, Wei Ranxue was unable to come up with a better solution either, so she could only nod in agreement. “… I guess this is all we can do for now!”
While the few of them were communicating telepathically amongst themselves using their Saint Intent, a huge commotion had broken out amidst the crowd as well.
Those who were standing around the platform were nearly all physicians, and upon hearing that it would be a Duel of Poison Curing, they glanced at one another with astounded expressions on their faces.
This was no longer a means to resolve their conflict; it was a battle to the death!
In this duel, it was highly likely that one of them would lose their life.
For a student to actually go so far against a vice school head… Just what was he up to?
“Teacher…” Luo Qiqi, who had arrived just a moment ago, heard the news, and her face immediately paled in fright.
“A Duel of Poison Curing?” Standing beside her, Hu Yaoyao’s eyebrows also shot up. It was difficult to tell what she was thinking, but her fists were tightly clenched by her sides.
“Take out your poison, we will swap with one another. The time limit is an hour, and whoever succeeds in curing the poison first wins. If either of us dies… he can only blame himself for being indolent in his studies!” You Xu roared with laughter.
Based on the other party’s accomplishments, it was unlikely that he would be a match for him in a battle in the Way of Medicine. However, in the field of poison curing… there was not a person in the Master Teacher Academy who was a match for him!
“Fine by me!” Zhang Xuan replied with a cold smile.
“Let’s begin then!” You Xu flicked his wrist and took out a murky-green jade bottle. “This is my poison!”
With a flick of his finger, the bottle flew in Zhang Xuan’s direction.
Zhang Xuan raised his hands and caught it casually.
Even without opening the bottle, he could feel an astounding power rippling within it, threatening to burst forth at any moment.
Intrigued, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and assessed it.
In an instant, he saw a black aura shrouding the bottle. Even if a Saint realm 1-dan expert were to consume it, their physiological structure would likely be destroyed in an instant, resulting in immediate death.
Uncorking the lid slightly, a pungent smell immediately surged from the bottle. Even the smell itself carried a poison that could result in the immediate death of an ordinary human.
“What… kind of poison is that?” Beneath the stage, Zhong Dingchun’s face warped in astonishment.
As the head of the Physician School, a 6-star pinnacle physician, he could sense the fearsome aura within the jade bottle. Even if it was him who came into contact with it, the chances were that he wouldn’t walk out from the encounter alive.
“This poison is extremely formidable?” School Head Mo asked worriedly.
“Formidable? Putting aside an hour, I don’t think that I would be able to find a cure to it even if you were to give me a day!” Zhong Dingchun shook his head grimly.
“Even you are unable to find a cure to it? Then…” School Head Mo widened his eyes in shock.
After a moment of hesitation, Zhong Dingchun replied, “We can only have faith in Zhang shi’s capability… His proficiency in the Way of Medicine is far above mine, so it might be that he is able to achieve what I can’t!”
After learning of Zhang Xuan’s astounding deeds, Zhong Dingchun knew that the other party’s medical skills were way above his, so it would be hard for him to make a judgement at the moment. Since that was the case, he decided to wait and see first.
“It seems you are prepared.”
Corking the bottle, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to You Xu.
It was no wonder the other party proposed a Duel of Poison Curing. The poison he had at hand was indeed fearsome.
“This is a poison that I obtained coincidentally, and it is effective even against Saint realm experts. Where is your poison?” You Xu sneered coldly in response.
“My poison?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
Even though he was a poison master, he had never concocted a poison before, needless to say, one that would be capable of killing a Saint realm expert.
There wasn’t any poison he could take out from his storage ring at that very instant.
“What? You don’t have any? Going by the rules, that would mean a loss on your part…” You Xu said coldly.
The rules of the duel had been stated clearly, both parties had to offer a poison of their own to the other party. If Zhang Xuan was unable to take anything out, it would mean an automatic victory for You Xu.
It was not without reason that You Xu had chosen this format of duel. He didn’t think that there was anyone in Hongyuan Empire who was capable of taking out a poison more potent than the one in his jade bottle.
“Of course I do, hold on for a moment!” Waving his hands casually, Zhang Xuan fell into a short moment of contemplation before turning his sights to School Head Mo.
“School Head Mo, by any chance, do you have some ‘Spirit Solution of Vigor’?
“Spirit Solution of Vigor?”
School Head Mo was stunned for a moment before a peculiar expression slowly crept across his face. “Do you mean… the urine of saint beasts?”
“Indeed. If you do have some, can you give some to me?” Zhang Xuan asked.
The Spirit Solution of Vigor was the academic terminology for the urine of saint beasts, and it was commonly used amongst physicians so as to make it sound less dirty.
While the Spirit Solution of Vigor was only normal excretion for saint beasts, it was an object of fear for low-tier spirit beasts.
Beasts usually used their urine to demarcate their sphere of influence, and saint beasts were no exception to the rule.
As such, most beast tamers tended to carry some with them so as to deter the assault of spirit beasts.
You want some? School Head Mo frowned in confusion. He glanced at Zhong Dingchun, hoping that he might have some clue what Zhang Xuan was up to, but the latter looked equally perplexed as well.
The other party has taken out such a formidable poison, and instead of finding a poison to go against him, you are asking for the urine of saint beasts instead?
Even though the Spirit Solution of Vigor is effective at keeping spirit beasts at bay, surely you aren’t thinking that it’ll work on Saint realm cultivators too?
“Of course!” But despite School Head Mo’s bewilderment, he felt that Zhang shi wouldn’t be asking him for it without any reason. Thus, flicking his wrist, he took out a chi1 long gourd and threw it to the platform.
Catching the gourd, Zhang Xuan swirled it slightly, and an astringent odor immediately diffused from it. Satisfied, Zhang Xuan nodded and turned to You Xu. “Alright, this is my poison!”
“…”
In that instant, You Xu’s face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, and he nearly choked to death.
The heck!
I took out a lethal poison, and yet you presented me with a gourd of beast urine… What do you mean by that?
To call it your poison on top of that… Do I look blind to you?!
Everyone here saw with their own eyes that School Head Mo just passed it to you, and you haven’t even uncapped it yet… The hell is this a poison!
You are just intentionally trying to humiliate me, aren’t you?
Zhang Xuan, screw your grandmother…
Even if you want to humiliate me, you shouldn’t have done this. This is cheating!
Not only was You Xu frenzied, the crowd who was watching the show from below also abruptly fell deathly silent upon seeing that scene. Their eyes bulged from their sockets, as if they had seen a ghost.
This is a Duel of Poison Curing, a duel that can very well determine one’s life and death.
The poison that Vice School Head You took out carries a frightening aura, and just the smell makes one feel as if death is encroaching upon oneself. It is one thing for you not to take out a poison to match him, but… a gourd of urine?
More importantly… if you had taken it out discreetly, we wouldn’t have thought much of it. But you asked School Head Mo for it in public and passed it to Vice School Head You Xu right after you received it …
Could you have been any less discreet than that?
On the other hand, Zhong Dingchun also widened his eyes, and he nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.
As a 6-star pinnacle physician, he naturally knew that the urine of saint beasts carried no poison whatsoever.
School Head Zhong turned to School Head Mo and asked, “School Head Mo, could it be that… there is something special about your Spirit Solution of Vigor?”
“There isn’t. I just procured it from my saint beast not too long ago…” School Head Mo was also a little dazed by the abrupt twist of events before him. He couldn’t comprehend what the young man on the stage was up to.
“What’s wrong? I have already prepared my poison. If you dare not drink it, it’ll be your loss…” Zhang Xuan said as he continued holding the gourd up to You Xu, who was still reluctant to take it.
“You…” You Xu’s breathing hastened, and in that instant, he was truly tempted to rush forward and crush the neck of the young man standing before him.
He had thought that this would be an easy duel for him. No matter how potent the other party’s poison was, there was no way the other party would win. Yet, who could have known that the fellow wouldn’t play by the rules, presenting him with a gourd of urine instead… If he were to drink it, even if he won this duel, he would never be able to hold his head high before anyone anymore!
Drinking urine to achieve a victory… Screw that!
But if he didn’t drink it, that would mean that he was backing out from the duel, and going by the rules of the Life-and-Death Physician Duel, Zhang Xuan would be able to do anything to him…
He was a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, the vice head of the Physician School… How did he end up getting cornered like that?
Seeing the other party’s agitated breathing and hateful gaze, Zhang Xuan sneered coldly. “Stop wasting time. If you aren’t going to drink it, just surrender. You are the one who decided on the content of the duel, not me!”
In truth, he hadn’t intended to humiliate You Xu either.
He had no poison on him, and so far, the only books he had read on poison were those from the Red Lotus Ridge Poison Hall. As such, his current proficiency as a poison master was still only at 2-star. With his current capability, it was impossible for him to concoct a poison capable of killing a Saint realm expert.
Besides, even if he could, he didn’t have the ingredients on him to do so at this very instant!
Without any poison formula or medicinal ingredients for him to work with, how in the world was he going to concoct a poison?
Left with no choice, Zhang Xuan could only bank on his Heaven’s Path zhenqi.
After learning the Heaven’s Path Poison Art, he was able to turn his zhenqi into either a medicine or a lethal poison at a whim.
If he wanted to win against You Xu in the Duel of Poison Curing, he would have to use this.
However, it would be difficult to hide the Heaven’s Path zhenqi from You Xu, a Saint realm expert, and considering the unbelievable purity of it, the revelation of its existence could potentially bring Zhang Xuan great trouble. Thus, he had to use something with an overpowering odor to conceal it.
While strong alcohol did work against Luo Qiqi and the others, it was doubtful whether it would be effective on a Saint realm expert or not.
On the other hand, the Spirit Solution of Vigor carried an astringent odor. On top of that, drinking such a thing in public, the other party would surely try to gulp it down as fast as he could so as to get it over with as soon as possible. With that, the Heaven’s Path zhenqi would be able to swiftly fuse together with the other party’s own zhenqi before he could detect anything.
Once this was done, putting aside a 6-star physician, even if a 9-star physician was there that day, they would be helpless before this situation.
The Heaven’s Path zhenqi was not a lethal poison but incredibly pure zhenqi. As such, unlike typical poison, the body wouldn’t inhibit its movements at all, allowing it to easily seep into the vitals of a cultivator. Even if the cultivator were to notice its existence, it would be impossible for them to expel it from their body.
In the truest sense, it could be considered an incurable disease.
“This is a Duel of Poison Curing, and yet, you offered me a gourd of saint beast urine instead. This is an infringement of the rules!” You Xu gnashed his teeth together in savagery.
“As a physician, you should know that saint beast urine is a type of medicinal ingredient as well, otherwise it wouldn’t be known as the Spirit Solution of Vigor among physicians either. It is used to treat ‘Berserk Syndrome’, ‘Ice-Fire Zhenqi Clots’, ‘Beast Scabs’, and several hundred different types of illnesses.
“Since it’s a medicinal ingredient, naturally it can be used as a poison as well. Your poison is concocted out of many medicinal ingredients, so why can’t mine be the same? Since I am willing to consume yours, you shouldn’t have any problem with mine as well. If you refuse to drink it, I will have to ask you to just admit defeat!” Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.
Despite the astringent odor of the Spirit Solution of Vigor which left one on the verge of fainting with just a sniff, it did possess medicinal properties as well.
And anything that possessed medicinal properties could be utilized as poison. This was common knowledge among physicians.
Since the Spirit Solution of Vigor could be classified as a poison as well, this wasn’t an infringement of the rules.
Seeing that there was no way around it, You Xu gritted his teeth furiously and spat, “You want me to admit defeat? Dream on! Fine, I will drink it. However, we shall start at the same time!”
“Start at the same time? There is no need for that!”
Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan poured the poison in the jade bottle into his mouth before turning his gaze back to You Xu with an inviting gesture.
“Cheers, feel free!”
