After explaining for a very long time and emphasizing time and time again that the Mausoleum of Principals was completely unharmed, the duo was still looking at him with a look of doubt. Eventually, Zhang Xuan could only shake his head in frustration and give up on the matter.
It would suffice for him to know that he hadn’t done anything wrong. For someone as upright and flawless as him, the world would eventually return him justice.
“Principal Zhang, in the five days you have been gone for, the personnel from the Combat Master Hall arrived, and Zheng Yang and Wei Ruyan cleared their trial…” Putting aside the matter regarding the Mausoleum of Principals, School Head Mo quickly filled Zhang Xuan in on the matters that had happened over the past few days.
At the end of which, Zhang Xuan gestured with a slight nod.
As his direct disciple, it was within his expectations that Zheng Yang would be able to clear the trial. However, he hadn’t really expected Wei Ruyan to be able to clear it as well. From the looks of it, it seemed like there was really nothing impressive about the combat masters!
After asking about several problems concerning the academy and proposing various measures to deal with them, Zhang Xuan finally returned to his residence under the lead of the two school heads.
As the principal, it would be a breach of etiquette if he didn’t pay the guests from the Combat Master Hall and the three Master Teacher Academies a visit at least once in the duration of their stay.
Thus, he had the servants prepare a bath for him so that he could wash and tidy himself up to greet the combat masters. However, before he could do so, his butler, Sun Qiang, abruptly rushed into the residence with hurried footsteps.
“Young Master!” Sun Qiang quickly ran up to Zhang Xuan upon seeing him.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan asked.
Having followed him for some time, Sun Qiang was well aware that he hated trouble. As such, Sun Qiang would usually deal with most matters himself, not troubling him except for matters that were particularly important. Thus, for Sun Qiang to suddenly rush over with such an anxious look on his face, it could only mean that something severe had happened.
“Young Mistress Ruyan, she… has fainted again!” Sun Qiang quickly reported.
“Ruyan fainted?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
That shouldn’t be!
After being nurtured by the Bodhi Saint Tree, Wei Ruyan’s soul should have been no different from that of an ordinary person, significantly stronger and more resilient even.
Her body had also been nourished by the Grade-7 Grand Intermittence Pill, restoring it back to full health. On top of that, she had also cultivated a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art. For one who had the strength to defeat even the combat masters easily, why would she faint so abruptly?
“I am not too sure about the reason behind it either. That day, when we returned to our manor after defeating the combat masters, she said that she felt unwell, and shortly after, she fell ill,” Sun Qiang replied.
“Lead me there!” Knowing that it would be impossible for him to determine the cause of Wei Ruyan’s illness just by listening to Sun Qiang’s words, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist to bid School Head Mo and the others farewell before heading hurriedly back to his manor.
Entering Wei Ruyan’s room, Zhang Xuan saw that she was lying on the bed with a tight frown on her forehead, unconscious. Wang Ying was seated by the side of her bed, taking care of her diligently.
There were various plants in the courtyard outside the room, but at this moment, they were all dry and withered, as if heralding the arrival of winter.
“What is going on?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
“Teacher, you are finally back…” Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Wang Ying hurriedly stood up.
Raising his hand to gesture that it wasn’t the time for questions, Zhang Xuan hurriedly walked up to Wei Ruyan and placed his fingers on her pulse.
A moment later, Zhang Xuan’s face turned grim, and he lifted his gaze and asked, “I need a detailed recount about the fight Ruyan had with the combat masters that day!”
“Yes! That day, Junior Ruyan went onto the stage to battle, and through exerting her zhenqi, she poisoned all nine of the combat masters in the trial…” Wang Ying went through everything that happened that day without hiding anything.
While School Head Mo and the others knew that Wei Ruyan had defeated the combat masters through using poison, they weren’t aware of her Innate Poison Body. As such, their explanation had lacked crucial details.
On the other hand, Wang Ying was able to explain everything that had happened clearly, reconstructing the scene from back then perfectly.
After finishing the recount, Wang Ying looked at Zhang Xuan anxiously and asked, “Teacher, how is she?”
With a deep frown, Zhang Xuan replied, “It isn’t anything severe. It seems like the might she exerted through the Innate Poison Body then exceeded her current limits, resulting in her loss of consciousness.”
Wei Ruyan possessed not only the Innate Poison Body but also the Poison Soul Constitution. It was so rare that one wouldn’t find another like her throughout the entire Master Teacher Continent in the next several dozen millenniums!
As long as she cultivated, the lethal poison contained within her zhenqi would be her strongest weapon against any foe!
Under normal circumstances, once she awakened her unique constitution, her cultivation and fighting prowess would raise swiftly, easily surpassing all of her peers.
However, there was a flaw to it. Every time she utilized the poison aura within her body, it would grow a little. The more she used it, the more poison aura she would accumulate.
If she couldn’t find a good method to deal with it, it could lead to a dangerous amount of poison aura accumulating in her body, causing her to lose control of her power. If so, she could very well suffer a backlash and lose consciousness.
This was the current situation she was in. Despite her lacking strength, she had forcefully challenged the Dragon Gate Formation and exerted a strength beyond her physical limits. As a result, she had lost control over the poison aura within her body, causing a backlash from her Innate Poison Body.
Having only woken up two months ago, the only cultivation technique she had cultivated was a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art. She had zero knowledge about the cultivation techniques of poison masters, so she had no way of clearing away the overwhelming quantity of poison aura accumulated in her. Naturally, this led to her discomfort and eventual loss of consciousness.
“It is fortunate that she has very strong self-control. Otherwise, the entire Hongyuan City might be harmed due to the sheer prowess of her Innate Poison Body…” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Just the fact that the powerful combat masters were unable to withstand her poison zhenqi went to show how potent her poison was. Had it not been for her determined will, suppressing the poison aura firmly even after losing consciousness, the poison aura could potentially have spread through the entire city via the wind and harmed countless innocent lives.
It was also due to the difficulty in controlling the Innate Poison Body that the world had named it the ‘Constitution of Disaster’, leaving many fearful to approach.
For one, despite trying her best to suppress her poison aura, the plants in the courtyard still withered during the corrosion of the poison due to their proximity to her, resulting in the sight Zhang Xuan saw before entering the room.
It was fortunate that Wei Ruyan had cultivated the simplified version of the Heaven’s Path Divine Art, allowing her to conceal the unique properties of her Innate Poison Body perfectly. Otherwise, it could possibly have brought countless ‘agents of righteousness’ to their doorstep, and that would have been troublesome to deal with.
“Teacher, what do we do now?” Hearing the explanation, Wang Ying’s face paled.
After witnessing the sheer prowess of Wei Ruyan’s unique constitution, she had envied the other party for a very long time. However, upon seeing this, she realized that, rather than a blessing, it was a curse.
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before replying, “I will try to neutralize the poison aura within her body to alleviate the pressure on her body for the time being. However, to resolve the problem for good, I think that we might have to make a journey to the Poison Hall.”
Despite Zhang Xuan’s exceptional mastery in the Way of Medicine, it was still beyond his means to deduce a feasible method for Wei Ruyan to resolve the problem regarding her poison aura once and for all. The only people who could do so were probably the experts in the field of poison—the Poison Hall.
They had the most perfect heritage in the field of poison, as well as records regarding the Innate Poison Body. Perhaps, they might have a way for one to utilize the prowess of the Innate Poison Body without accumulating poison aura as well.
“Poison Hall?” Wang Ying was taken aback for a moment before eventually nodding in realization.
This seemed to be the only solution they had.
Zhang Xuan placed his hand on Wei Ruyan’s pulse and slowly infused his Heaven’s Path zhenqi in the latter’s body. Time passed, but the frown on Zhang Xuan’s forehead only seemed to deepen further.
He had thought that he could easily resolve the problem regarding the accumulation of poison aura through neutralizing it with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, but his thoughts had been too naive.
The poison aura accumulated in Wei Ruyan’s body was fused together with her Innate Poison Body and Poison Soul Constitution. If he were to attempt to neutralize the poison aura forcefully, it might potentially cause significant harm to Wei Ruyan’s body and soul, or in the worst-case scenario, result in her demise!
Another possible solution Zhang Xuan had thought of was to draw her poison aura out with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi. The chances of a fatality were lower in that case, but it would deal significant damage to her body as well.
In other words, regardless of whether he chose to neutralize the poison aura or draw it out, it wouldn’t be good for the unconscious Wei Ruyan.
It seems like I can only hurry to the Poison Hall!
Zhang Xuan tried to deduce other plausible solutions, but none of them were feasible. Frustrated, he rubbed his glabella forcefully.
Despite the many means he had, his understanding of poison was still only at 2-star. On top of that, this was the first time he had encountered the Innate Poison Body.
If there was no viable treatment method at the moment, he would have to head to the Poison Hall to collect books and accrue more knowledge to work with.
It just so happens that I was intending to make a trip to the Poison Hall myself soon. I should bring the matter forward then.
Previously, in the Mausoleum of Principals, the old principal had left a message advising Zhang Xuan to pay a visit to the Hongyuan Empire Poison Hall, so he had been intending to pay it a visit when he had time to root out the underlying dangers threatening the academy. However, given that Wei Ruyan was in a perilous condition, he would have to bring this plan ahead.
“Sun Qiang, here is a thousand high-tier spirit stones. I need you to obtain as much information about the Poison Hall in Hongyuan Empire as you can, as fast as possible!” Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a pile of high-tier spirit stones and passed them over.
Even though the old principal had said that the Poison Hall was likely in the vicinity of Jingyuan City, it would still be safer to verify the information first.
Otherwise, he might end up making a wasted trip.
“Young Master, there is no need to spend spirit stones on this matter. I can just ask the Shen Clan about this. They manage quite a large medicinal herb business, so it is very likely that they may have some news regarding the Poison Hall in Hongyuan Empire,” Sun Qiang replied.
As one of the Four Great Clans of Hongyuan City, the Shen Clan had business dealings all over the empire. One of their largest businesses was the sales of medicinal herbs. If the Poison Hall wished to concoct poison, they would surely need some connections with medicinal herb dealers to procure the medicinal herbs they required. Perhaps, the Shen Clan might just have a relationship of some kind with the Poison Hall in Hongyuan Empire.
Had it been anyone else, and this included the old principal as well, it was unlikely that they would have been able to get information regarding the Poison Hall out of the Shen Clan. After all, the Shen Clan had a business to manage, and leaking information about the Poison Hall to others, especially master teachers, could very well sour their relationship with the Poison Hall.
However, Zhang Xuan was different. The Shen Clan had already profited greatly from their dealings with him, and the potential he had shown thus far would make it worthwhile for them to risk getting on the wrong side of the Poison Hall for him. Thus, they were unlikely to hide the information regarding the Poison Hall from him.
“Alright, go and ask them about the matter.” Zhang Xuan nodded.
In the field of maintaining interpersonal relationships and business dealings, he was not a match for Sun Qiang. Thus, it was better to leave this matter to the other party.
“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded before backing out of the room.
After he left, Zhang Xuan was just about to ask Wang Ying about the details regarding Wei Ruyan’s condition over the past two days when the ground abruptly trembled. The resounding chime of a bell boomed across every nook and cranny of Hongyuan City, seemingly summoning someone.
“The Assembly Bell?” Standing up, Zhang Xuan frowned.
The Assembly Bell was a bell that was used to gather master teachers together in times of emergency. Once it was tolled, all master teachers who heard it had to rush over regardless of where they were or what they were doing.
Listening closely, Zhang Xuan noted that the sound originated from the Master Teacher Academy, and he couldn’t help but be slightly bewildered.
It had only been an hour since he had left the Master Teacher Academy, and the Assembly Bell had suddenly been rung. What could have happened within this short span of time?
Perplexed, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a Communication Token appeared in his hands. School Head Mo had sent him a message.
“Qingyuan Conferred Empire, 7-star high-tier Master Teacher Wu Rufeng and Master Teacher Mu Yuan have arrived at the academy. Please return quickly.”
Mu shi has returned? Zhang Xuan fell into a moment of thought.
Back then, when he discovered that You Xu had betrayed humanity, he entrusted the latter to Mu Yuan to investigate the matter. For Mu Yuan to have returned at this moment, it was likely that this meant that the other party had uncovered something regarding the matter.
“I will head over right now!” Zhang Xuan replied through the Communication Token.
After which, he took out a few grade-6 pills and fed them to Wei Ruyan. These pills served to suppress the poison aura within her body so that it wouldn’t harm those around her indiscriminately. Following that, he issued some instructions to Wang Ying before finally heading out.
It didn’t take long for him to return to the academy. At this point, all of the students, teachers, elders, and even the master teachers of the Hongyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion had gathered on the academy’s training ground, looking at one another with puzzled expressions on their faces, unsure of what was going on.
Just to re-emphasize for those who might have lost track.
Most occupations are ranked primary, intermediate, advanced, and pinnacle (e.g. 4-star advanced beast tamer)
For master teachers, however, from 5-star onwards, they are divided by low-tier, high-tier, and pinnacle. This is so as to allow each stage to correspond to a cultivation realm. Of course, the other abilities must also meet the mark as well, such as their Soul Depth, eye of discernment etc. It doesn’t seem like there is any formal test, so it might just be an informal assessment.
E.g.
Cosmos Bridge realm 5-star low-tier
Perfect Harmonization 5-star high-tier
Ethereal Treading 5-star pinnacle
Chrysalis half 6-star
Half-Saint 6-star low-tier
Nascent Saint 6-star high-tier
Saint realm 1-dan Void Pursuit realm 6-star pinnacle
Translator comments are not considered within the word count and won’t be charged.
