Chapter 1023: Meeting the Ancestor

“An Innate Poison Soul Physique?”

After a pause, the Hall Master nodded.

The Innate Poison Soul Physique, as its name suggests, grants its possessor immunity to all poisons; their soul fears no toxin. This unique constitution, aside from that of the Poison Hall's founder, has never appeared or been heard of for tens of thousands of years. If the residual soul could be confirmed to possess this physique, it would almost certainly prove the individual to be the founding patriarch.

Even if not the patriarch, possessing such a unique ability would ensure that, with continued research into poisons, they would undoubtedly achieve widespread fame and easily reach the nine-star Poison Master rank.

Thinking of this, the Hall Master did not ponder for too long. With a flip of his wrist, a jade bottle appeared in his palm.

Unlike other medicine bottles, this one was palm-sized and intricately carved with unusual sealing characters on its exterior.

“Sun Qiang,” still with closed eyes, stiffened momentarily as if he’d just realized something astounding, before his face swiftly reverted to its usual placid expression.

“‘This is the Qingchan Fiendish Toxin, capable of poisoning souls,’ he explained. ‘It’s concocted from the malevolent energy of the Spirit Tribe, combined with countless rare herbs, and was left by an ancestor of our Hongyuan Poison Hall. It can effortlessly poison the souls of even Saint Realm Fourth Layer cultivators. I myself cannot prepare it now.’”

The Hall Master explained, looking over. “If you are truly an Innate Poison Soul Physique, you will certainly be able to withstand it without harm.”

There’s only one method to test for the Innate Poison Soul Physique: a poison trial.

If he remained unharmed, it would validate his claim.

And if he perished, it would serve as vengeance for the many elders.

“‘Good?’” “Sun Qiang” nodded. With a flick of his finger, the jade bottle slowly floated towards him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he unstoppered the bottle. Immediately, a peculiar malevolent energy surged forth, assaulting his mind like a violent storm.

The Hall Master and the others watched intently. To their astonishment, “Sun Qiang,” rather than showing any signs of weakening from the bottle’s poisonous gas, appeared increasingly vibrant, as though he had consumed a powerful tonic.

It was as if the toxin were a restorative elixir.

One elder mumbled, “‘Legend says that the Innate Poison Physique can advance by consuming poison. As long as there’s enough poison, both cultivation and strength can rapidly increase. Could it... truly be real?’”

The Innate Poison Physique was purely legendary to them; none had ever witnessed it. It was said that those possessing this constitution were uniquely suited to the path of a Poison Master, for while others would be poisoned to death by ingesting toxins, such individuals could transmute these life-extinguishing substances into power, thereby vastly increasing their cultivation.

It was precisely this ability that made them the object of envy and longing for countless Poison Masters.

The Qingchan Fiendish Toxin primarily assaulted the soul, having no effect on the physical body. The fact that the individual’s soul was not only unharmed after ingesting it but seemingly greatly nourished spoke volumes...

It must truly be... the Innate Poison Soul Physique!

Possessing such a physique, capable of instantly discerning the intricacies of the Poison Hall’s grand array, and displaying the ability to challenge those beyond his apparent rank—even if this person wasn’t the founding patriarch, he undoubtedly shared a profound connection.

“‘Can you confirm it now?’” While the Hall Master was still lost in thought, “Sun Qiang’s” voice echoed once more.

“‘I...’” The Hall Master hesitated.

While certain of the Innate Poison Soul Physique, the notion of him being the Poison Hall’s founding ancestor still struck him as somewhat preposterous.

“‘What? Still don’t believe me? If it weren’t for Sun Qiang’s desperate pleas for me not to kill, I would have slaughtered all of you just for this doubt!’”

Boom! A furious roar accompanied an immensely powerful aura that erupted from “Sun Qiang” nearby, making the figure before them seem like a deity descended from the heavens, emanating an inviolable majesty.

“‘Ruo Qingyuan, Hall Master of the Hongyuan Poison Hall, greets the Ancestor!’” Feeling this overwhelming aura, the Hall Master’s doubts vanished, and he immediately knelt to the ground.

The individual demonstrated no fear of potent poisons, commanded the Poison Hall’s grand array at will, and wielded boundless power; none of them were a match. Given such overwhelming advantages, he could easily slaughter them all, rendering any explanation unnecessary.

Perhaps the Poison Hall’s founder had indeed concealed himself within the Seven-Heart Hell Lotus, a wisp of his residual soul surviving!

Understanding this, he was filled with both awe and excitement.

The founding patriarch had actually appeared here! Beyond all else, even a mere hint of his guidance would guarantee a substantial increase in all their strengths, and the power of the entire Hongyuan Poison Hall would undoubtedly be elevated significantly in the near future!

For him, this was undoubtedly an immense opportunity.

“‘You still possess some foresight!’” Seeing their acknowledgment, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He extended a finger, pointing to himself, his eyes still closed but his expression now stern. “‘He is my savior. Without him, I would have long ago vanished, utterly deceased! Therefore, from now on, you must heed his every word. His commands are my commands. Should anyone dare to defy them... do not blame me for showing no mercy!’”

“‘Yes!’” Hall Master Ruo Qingyuan and the remaining elders nodded in unison.

How could they dare not obey the Ancestor’s command?

“‘Furthermore, those elders and Vice Hall Master Ming were slain by me, and it has nothing to do with him. If you seek retribution, you may come to me...’” Zhang Xuan continued.

“‘We wouldn’t dare...’” Ruo Qingyuan quickly assented. “‘Vice Hall Master Ming and the others earned their fates by offending the Ancestor; their deaths and injuries were well-deserved. We, your descendants, would never presume to seek vengeance!’”

“‘Mmm!’” Zhang Xuan nodded, his voice fading. He then slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with confusion and innocence, as if he knew nothing of what had just happened. “‘What happened just now? Hall Master... please don’t trouble Elder Xu; he is truly innocent...’”

Seeing his bewildered expression, and knowing that the “Ancestor’s” soul had receded again, Ruo Qingyuan hurriedly clasped his fists. “‘Poison Master Sun is joking. The Ancestor has already explained to us that Elder Huang and the others brought it upon themselves. Elder Xu not only committed no crime but has instead rendered distinguished service and deserves commendation. From today onwards, he shall replace Ming Zhen as Vice Hall Master of the Poison Hall...’”

“‘Become Vice Hall Master?’” Elder Xu was stunned. “‘Hall Master, my qualifications are not enough...’”

As he was only at peak six-star, attaining the rank of Vice Hall Master typically required at least a seven-star level. Such an abrupt promotion would likely spark widespread murmuring among the other members.

“‘I said you are qualified, so you are. No need to decline!’” Ruo Qingyuan waved his hand.

Inviting the Ancestor here was an immeasurable contribution. In the future, they still hoped he would speak favorably of them and persuade the Ancestor to provide more instruction.

“‘Alright...’” Seeing that he could not refuse, Elder Xu had no choice but to nod. He looked again at Sun Qiang not far away, his eyes filled with admiration.

No wonder he was immune to all poisons and possessed such profound insight into them; even a brief listen had brought him clarity. So the Ancestor’s residual soul had entered his body—such an opportunity was certainly not something everyone could enjoy!

“‘It seems I’ve fooled them...’” Seeing that everyone was convinced of his new identity, Zhang Xuan finally relaxed. He then looked at the characters on the bottle in his palm, his eyebrows twitching, and he couldn’t help but glance at the Hall Master nearby.

“‘Hall Master, I’d like to ask, what kind of script is this... do you know?’”

The characters sealing the Qingchan Fiendish Toxin on the jade bottle were familiar; he had seen them before. They were identical to those on the map left by Wu Yangzi!

This was precisely why he had been filled with excitement when his spiritual sense had first brushed over them. Now, he could no longer contain his curiosity and posed the question.

“‘This? I don’t know either,’ Ruo Qingyuan replied thoughtfully. ‘Two thousand years ago, one of our Poison Hall Masters acquired an ancient scroll from a ruin that was written in these very characters. As he couldn’t decipher them, he didn’t conduct any research. However, on a chance occasion, he discovered that these characters had a miraculous effect on sealing malevolent energies, so... he made rubbings of them.’”

“‘Ancient scroll? Sealing fiendish qi?’” Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had encountered these characters on a map; how could they be connected to sealing malevolent energy?

“‘That ancient scroll... is it still around? I wonder... could I borrow it to take a look?’”

Pondering the puzzle, Zhang Xuan, unable to make sense of it, inquired.

The map displayed ordinary place names without errors, and the library had yielded no insights. However, a complete book would allow him to fully decipher the meaning of the characters.

Furthermore, “two thousand years ago” seemed to coincide with the approximate time the map mentioned by King Ziye had surfaced. Could there be a connection between the two?

“‘The ancient scroll... Many Poison Hall elites were lost or injured because of that book. The Hall Master at the time deemed it ill-omened, so before his death, he had it interred with him...’”

Ruo Qingyuan shook his head.

“‘Buried?’ Zhang Xuan frowned. ‘Where was it buried, if I may ask?’”

“‘In the Hall Master’s mausoleum...’” Ruo Qingyuan said.

“‘Oh!’” Hearing it was there, Zhang Xuan asked no further questions.

The Hall Master’s mausoleum was one of the forbidden areas, accessible only by the Hall Master. Asking too many questions would certainly arouse suspicion.

Having confirmed the identity of “Sun Qiang,” Ruo Qingyuan dared not say more and arranged a new residence for him.

As for the Poison Master assessment, since the individual could even eliminate his own poisonous insects, further testing was pointless. He directly facilitated the application for a seven-star rank badge.

“‘I’ll go to the Library Pavilion to read some books...’”

With a seven-star badge and his “Ancestor” status, Zhang Xuan no longer needed to furtively visit the Library Pavilion; he could now do so openly.

“‘Yes!’” Ruo Qingyuan and the others said no more, escorting him to the entrance of the Library Pavilion. After watching him enter, they exchanged glances.

“‘Vice Hall Master Xu, everyone, come to my residence!’”

“‘Hmm!’” The crowd nodded and followed behind the Hall Master, returning to his courtyard. Before long, they arrived, and after activating the aura-sealing formation, Ruo Qingyuan looked at them again.

“‘Everyone, what are your thoughts on today’s events?’”

“‘Since it’s confirmed that the soul within Sun Qiang possesses the Innate Poison Soul Physique, we can ascertain an extremely close connection between him and the founding patriarch!’”

“‘Indeed! The Innate Poison Soul Physique... apart from the Ancestor back then, I’ve truly never heard of anyone else possessing it!’”

Several elders nodded simultaneously.

They were now convinced of “Sun Qiang’s” identity as the Ancestor.

“‘Vice Hall Master Xu, what about you? Could you please recount the details of your encounter with this ‘Poison Master Sun’ to everyone again?’”

Ruo Qingyuan looked over.