Chapter 1015: Quiet Infiltration (Part 1)

The Poison Hall has always judged status by one's mastery of poison, and sparring typically involves using poisons. But this fellow just kicked someone flying after a minor disagreement. Isn't that a bit too violent?

"Poison Master Sun, you... you were too reckless!"

After the initial shock, Li Yuan remembered something, and his expression turned grim. "They are all Senior Brother Duan Ren's subordinates. If you injure them, he will certainly be displeased..."

"That's right. Senior Brother Duan is always protective of his own, and his temper is volatile. Anyone who offends him will face serious trouble..."

Another young man's face was also grim.

If Poison Master Sun had just been a bit more patient earlier, at most, he would have been poisoned, and the matter would have passed. But now, he's beaten someone so severely. Senior Brother Duan will undoubtedly be furious... When he comes to cause trouble, who will be able to stop him?

"Senior Brother Duan?" Zhang Xuan looked over, seeing how frightened they were.

"Senior Brother Duan Ren is Vice Hall Master Ming Zhen's direct disciple. He has already reached the late stage of Saint Realm 1-dan and is a Six-Star Poison Master. Among the second generation of cultivators in the Poison Hall, he is considered the strongest, which is why we respectfully call him Senior Brother. This Liu Xu is precisely his most loyal subordinate..."

Li Yuan quickly explained.

The Hall Master and the numerous elders of the Poison Hall constitute the first generation, while the disciples and students who follow belong to the same junior generation.

This Duan Ren is far ahead of others in the second generation, having long reached a level they can only admire.

"Late stage Saint Realm 1-dan, a Six-Star Poison Master? Could he really cause trouble for me over a mere subordinate?"

Seeing them so frightened, Zhang Xuan smiled and shook his head.

Even if the other party is unreasonable, they should at least show some respect for the sake of others!

I am Elder Xu's lifesaver, practically a friend of a first-generation elder. No matter how arrogant the other party is, could a junior really cause trouble for me because of a subordinate?

"Poison Master Sun, you might not know this, but last time, Senior Brother Wu Haiyuan taught this Liu Xu a lesson because he didn't follow the rules. In a fit of rage, Senior Brother Duan poisoned Wu Haiyuan, making him mute, and he still can't speak even now..."

With an expression almost on the verge of tears, Li Yuan hastily added, "You must understand that Senior Brother Wu Haiyuan is also a Six-Star Poison Master, and his cultivation has reached Saint Realm 1-dan..."

"Something like that happened?" Zhang Xuan was surprised and looked over skeptically. "To offend a Poison Master of the same rank for a subordinate... Is that true?"

No wonder he found it hard to believe.

He had carefully observed this Liu Xu earlier and saw that he only possessed the strength of Transcendent Mortal 8-dan, Void-Treading Realm. He was likely, at most, a Five-Star Poison Master. People like him are common in the Poison Hall. To offend a Six-Star Poison Master of the same rank for such a person... Senior Brother Duan's protectiveness seems truly incredible!

"Well..."

Seeing his confusion, Li Yuan hesitated, then gritted his teeth. "You might not know, since you just arrived... This Liu Xu isn't just Senior Brother Duan's subordinate; he's also his... male companion!"

"'Male companion'?" Zhang Xuan was puzzled. "Senior Brother Duan... is he a woman?"

A male companion implies being kept. Could it be that this Duan Ren is a woman?

In the Master Teacher Continent, men are superior to women, and even female practitioners use the title "Senior Brother," just as Hu Yaoyao was called "Senior Student."

But Liu Xu is so ugly; what terrible taste must someone have to be attracted to him!

"He's... a man!"

Li Yuan's face was awkward. "Because he has consumed too many poisons, his orientation has become problematic..."

"Cough, cough..."

Zhang Xuan felt a sudden chill and choked on his saliva.

A man liking another man, and even willing to offend a Poison Master of the same rank for him... The thought alone made his hair stand on end.

It made sense.

The profession of a Poison Master involves dealing with potent poisons daily. Sometimes, to formulate new poisons, they even experiment on themselves. Let alone changes in orientation, it's entirely possible they might develop affections for spirit beasts, sacred beasts, or even trees, rocks, or plants.

One must realize that many poisons can cause hallucinations. While Liu Xu seemed hideous to him, perhaps in Senior Brother Duan's eyes, after consuming various poisons, Liu Xu appeared quite decent.

"That's right, such situations are not uncommon here. You've beaten Senior Brother Duan's male companion unconscious; he will certainly be furious when he hears about it. Once he comes to cause trouble... things will be terrible!"

Li Yuan was full of worry.

In the Poison Hall, who doesn't know how terrifying Senior Brother Duan is? Precisely for this reason, no one dares to offend him. Yet, this fellow, without even finishing his sentence, beat Liu Xu so severely that the situation is now irreversible.

Although Elder Xu holds a very high position, he is still only a Six-Star Poison Master, not significantly higher than Senior Brother Duan. Most importantly, it's rumored that if Duan Ren's strength advances further, he could become an elder, eliminating any difference in status between them.

"If he wants to cause trouble, then let him!"

Stretching, Zhang Xuan showed no concern.

He couldn't care less about any Senior Brother Duan.

If the other party truly intended to cause trouble, he wouldn't mind closing the doors, unleashing the Violetleaf King, and turning the place upside down.

Anyway, he had found the Poison Hall, and the books were nearby. When dealing with a group of people who constantly thought about poisoning others, there was no need to be a good person.

"But..."

Seeing his indifference, Li Yuan and the others exchanged glances, smiling bitterly, unsure how to react. Just then, a gloomy-faced young man strode towards them.

"Senior Brother Duan..."

Upon seeing him, their expressions all changed at once.

Speak of the devil!

The area where they lived wasn't very large. Many people had witnessed Poison Master Sun punching Liu Xu flying, and the news had spread quickly. It seemed Senior Brother Duan Ren not only knew but had already arrived!

It's over now... It's too late to even try to escape.

Taking a few steps forward, Senior Brother Duan Ren leaped, plucked Liu Xu from where he was hanging on a tree branch, and fed him some medicine. His gaze then turned incredibly cold.

"Senior Brother Duan, I wanted to spar with him using poison, but he launched a sneak attack on me... You must do something for me!"

Waking up, Liu Xu pointed at Zhang Xuan, who was not far away, and gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry!"

Narrowing his eyes, Duan Ren stood up and looked coldly at Zhang Xuan, the killing intent in his gaze surging like a tide. "I will make him pay!"

"Senior Brother Duan, this Poison Master Sun is Elder Xu's lifesaver..."

Seeing Duan Ren's rage, Li Yuan gritted his teeth and quickly stepped forward to explain.

If Elder Xu's entrusted person were poisoned right after arriving at their residence, they would bear significant responsibility.

"Get lost!"

Raising an eyebrow, Duan Ren snapped.

*Thud, thud, thud!*

Struck by a wave of aura, Li Yuan's face turned pale. He stumbled back seven or eight steps, then spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

With only Void-Treading Realm strength, he was vastly inferior to a Saint Realm expert like Duan Ren and couldn't resist at all.

"I don't care who you are to Elder Xu. You've injured my person, and you will pay the price."

Approaching Zhang Xuan, Duan Ren stared at him intently, his face devoid of emotion. "Now, you have two choices. First, kneel and apologize to Liu Xu, allowing him to deal with you as he wishes! Second, I will personally act, making you wish you were dead but unable to die..."

Everyone knew Liu Xu was his male companion. Yet, this fellow dared to lay hands on him, clearly showing no respect. If he didn't teach him a lesson, how could he maintain his prestige?

"What if I choose neither?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

No wonder Elder Xu had told him the Poison Hall wasn't peaceful and advised him to be careful; it certainly seemed to be true.

There are truly too many fools who don't know their place...

He had originally intended to keep a low profile, but the other party's provoking demeanor... He'd be doing himself a disservice if he didn't teach him a lesson!

"Choose neither? You're asking for death..."

With a cold shout, Duan Ren's body flickered, appearing instantly before Zhang Xuan. His five fingers spread, reaching out to grasp him.

True qi shot from his fingertips, and simultaneously, a special powder diffused towards Zhang Xuan. It seemed that merely inhaling it or getting it on one's skin would result in irreversible poisoning.

This was a potent poison he had formulated with immense effort; even a Saint Realm 1-dan peak expert couldn't withstand it if exposed.

"Heh!"

Facing the poison powder and true qi, Zhang Xuan shook his head, a look of pity on his face.

He extended his palm without any fancy moves and casually slapped him.

Seeing his action, Duan Ren initially felt disdain, but then his pupils constricted, and he hastily gathered all his strength to resist.

However, by the time he reacted, it was too late. Just like Liu Xu earlier, he didn't even have time to let out a cry of agony before plunging headfirst into a tree branch, falling unconscious.

Although Zhang Xuan was only at the Conferred Saint level, even Saint Realm 2-dan Liao Song was no match for him. This guy was merely at the late stage of Saint Realm 1-dan, so dealing with him was as simple as flicking a finger—it was nothing at all.

"This..."

Li Yuan and the others all turned pale, their bodies trembling.

This was too terrifying!

They had personally witnessed Senior Brother Duan Ren's strength. With his poisons, even an early Saint Realm 2-dan expert wouldn't dare to directly resist him. Yet, this Poison Master Sun, without a word, knocked him unconscious with a single slap...

How strong must he be?

"Alright, I'm going back to rest!"

Too lazy to explain, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and glanced at Li Yuan. "If anyone else comes to cause trouble, let me know beforehand!"

With that, he turned and walked towards the courtyard.

"Yes..."

Li Yuan's mouth twitched, and he and the others hastily nodded.

Entering the courtyard, Zhang Xuan casually closed the gate, found a spot where spiritual energy converged, and sat down cross-legged.

"Since I've reached the Poison Hall, I shouldn't hesitate. I must finish reading the books as quickly as possible and find a way to cure Wei Ruyan!"

Although Ruyan's current condition hasn't reached an irreversible stage, it is still very dangerous. Now that he was in the Poison Hall, he didn't need to abide by the Master Teacher Academy's rules. He should finish reading the books as quickly as possible and find a method for her treatment.

With a thought, his Fae Soul emerged from his body.

Directly swaggering into their library to read would attract a lot of trouble. Since his Fae Soul could read books just as quickly as his main body, there was no need to stir up complications.

With a slight movement, Zhang Xuan flew up into the sky.

Although it was daytime, he cultivated the Heaven's Path Fae Soul, which was completely unaffected. Furthermore, after nourishing Wei Ruyan's soul, his own soul had gained poison resistance, so even if there were toxic gases above the island, they were nothing to him.

Before long, he reached the sky and looked down.

"Elder Xu said the Library was one of the three great halls. If that's the case, it must be the tallest and most magnificent building..."

His Eye of Insight flickered, scanning past all obstructions, and three towering halls appeared in his sight.