Chapter 1132: Deep Color

The higher a poison master's level, the more they are feared. For this very reason, even the lowest-ranked poison master apprentices can reveal their identity without causing much alarm.

A poison master capable of concocting useful medicine for Half-Step Ethereal Realm experts—their level is undoubtedly formidable!

They must at least reach the peak of the seven-star level.

"I am a physician, deeply versed in pharmacology. I can deduce prescriptions based on medicinal properties!" Zhang Xuan said this without a change in expression.

He could never admit to being a poison master, especially not to the Hall Master of the Combat Master Hall, who was known for abhorring evil.

"Then forget it..." Hall Master Xing shook his head.

Although physicians understand pharmacology, their profession is distinct from that of poison masters. When dealing with poisons, the combination of each medicinal herb and even the slightest inaccuracy in controlling the heat can drastically alter its properties. It's not something that can be deduced or concocted by simply understanding pharmacology.

Otherwise, every physician could be a poison master, rendering the profession meaningless.

He certainly didn't want to risk his life for the other party's experiments.

And crucially, it would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

"Besides these two options, are there no other methods?" Hall Master Liao couldn't help but ask.

One option was impossible to achieve, and the other could be fatal at any moment. He had expected the Hall Master to find a skilled Spirit Enchanter to drastically boost his strength. Instead, his strength not only failed to increase but was now almost crippled.

Could things get any worse?

"Actually... there's one more method, but... you might not agree to it!"

After a pause, Zhang Xuan said.

"Tell us!"

"It's simple: open your nascent spirit, let me enter and investigate, find the merged plant spirit, and then eradicate it!" Zhang Xuan said.

The three combat masters exchanged glances and fell silent.

Opening one's nascent spirit meant completely losing all defenses. If the other party harbored any ill intentions, they could eradicate him with a single thought.

"This... is impossible!" Hall Master Xing shook his head.

Even Hall Master Liao would find it impossible to fully open his nascent spirit, let alone to an unreliable stranger!

"Then there's no other way, unless..." Zhang Xuan's mind stirred again as he considered another possibility, but before he could voice it, he shook his head.

"What is it?"

"Unless I concoct a poison that specifically targets plant spirits, which you would then somehow absorb into your nascent spirit. Of course... success would require multiple trials!"

Zhang Xuan continued.

With his understanding of poisons, this was also achievable. However, given that a cactus was growing on the Hall Master's head, bearing fruit, and flowers were blooming on his backside, it was difficult to determine the exact type of plant spirit involved. This would necessitate careful experimentation with many different medicinal compounds.

"Even worse..."

Hall Master Xing's mouth twitched, and he swayed slightly.

A poison capable of killing plant spirits could just as easily kill his nascent spirit. And Zhang Xuan wanted to *experiment*? It was as if he was trying to kill him!

"These are the only methods; there are no others..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He honestly wasn't to blame. If Hall Master Wei hadn't burst in and interrupted him while he was eradicating the spirit's consciousness, this situation certainly wouldn't have occurred.

It could only be attributed to a series of coincidences.

Hall Master Xing fell silent.

He knew that Zhang Xuan was genuinely trying to help him, and the various complications were certainly unforeseen by anyone. However, these proposed solutions were truly impossible for him to accept.

"Master Sun, let me consider this," Hall Master Xing said. "Oh, right, didn't you want to try the Inner Demon Channel and temper your state of mind? Why don't you go now...?"

After a moment of hesitation, Hall Master Xing suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" Zhang Xuan blinked.

This person's thoughts were too erratic.

They were in the middle of discussing how to save him, and he suddenly suggested that Zhang Xuan try the Inner Demon Channel...

"Don't worry," Hall Master Xing said. "The primary purpose of the inner demons in the Heart Palace is for assessment and tempering. If you feel you can't bear it, you can escape by admitting defeat; it won't put anyone to death!"

Thinking Zhang Xuan was afraid, Hall Master Xing smiled.

With that smile, the cactus on his head trembled wildly, its fruits looking ready to drop at any moment. Far from showing sincerity, the sight was frankly unnerving.

"I'll give it a try!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Given the Hall Master's current situation, he needed to calmly consider his options; Zhang Xuan couldn't really help him with that part. Since the Hall Master suggested it, Zhang Xuan decided to try the Inner Demon Channel to temper his state of mind. Perhaps he could gain inspiration there and find a better solution.

"Alright! Hall Master Liao, please open the Inner Demon Channel!" Hall Master Xing nodded.

"This..." Hall Master Liao frowned. After a moment, he still nodded. "Alright!"

With that, he walked over to a nearby channel and, with a press of his palm, made the entrance reappear.

Zhang Xuan nodded to the others, then walked into the channel, disappearing from their sight in a moment.

The moment Zhang Xuan disappeared, Hall Master Liao couldn't help but ask, "Hall Master, Master Sun is not a member of our Combat Master Hall. Why allow him to enter the Inner Demon Channel? Most importantly... this place involves the Heart Palace's most profound legacy..."

This Inner Demon Channel was not for ordinary combat masters to temper their minds; only Hall Masters and Pavilion Masters were qualified to enter it. It contained the Heart Palace's most profound legacy. What exactly was the Hall Master trying to do by letting an outsider in directly?

"Don't worry," Hall Master Xing said. "The Heart Palace's highest legacy can only be obtained by passing all inner demon assessments. Even with my strength, I haven't been able to complete it. How could he, a Saint 1-dan cultivator, possibly succeed?"

Hall Master Xing shook his head.

"That... is true!"

Hall Master Liao scratched his head.

He had been so worried that he had forgotten about that.

Of all the past Hall Masters of the Combat Master Hall, fewer than five out of a hundred had managed to obtain the Heart Palace's highest legacy. For a mere Spirit Enchanter to pass, it was naturally even more impossible.

"You don't need to worry about the highest legacy," Hall Master Xing said with a solemn expression, moving on from the topic. "You are also aware of the current situation. I must resolve this hidden danger in my body as soon as possible so I can deal with the so-called Xuanxuan Association and face challenges from other Combat Master Halls! Therefore... I intend to allow his consciousness to enter my nascent spirit!"

"Enter your nascent spirit? Hall Master, you must think twice about this..." Hall Master Liao and Hall Master Wei were startled simultaneously and immediately tried to dissuade him.

Opening one's nascent spirit and allowing an outsider's consciousness to enter was no joke. The slightest carelessness could lead to one's soul scattering; such a risk must not be taken.

"No need to persuade me; I know the dangers," Hall Master Xing countered. "That's why I allowed him to enter the channel! If he harbors malicious intentions, inner demons will proliferate, growing stronger and stronger, thus plunging him into danger! At that point, he will be punished, even killed, without me needing to intervene. If his heart is pure, the inner demons cannot harm him, and allowing his consciousness to enter my nascent spirit would naturally be without danger. Why not take the risk?"

"This..."

The two stopped.

Inner demons are the manifestation of a person's inner ugliness. If this fellow truly harbored ill intentions and wanted to harm someone, the Inner Demon Channel would act like a monster-revealing mirror, easily exposing him and making him suffer greatly.

If he was benevolent, letting him probe one's nascent spirit wouldn't be an issue.

"To achieve great things, one must make choices!" Hall Master Xing continued, his hands clasped behind his back, resembling a resilient cactus thriving in the desert. "In fact, I don't blame Chen Zhuqing, Yan Qinghai, and Lu Wangqiu for joining the Xuanxuan Association; instead, I admire them somewhat."

"Admire?"

The two Hall Masters were puzzled.

If they were the Hall Master, they would have long since exploded in anger if these Hall Masters had disregarded the prestige of the Combat Master Hall to join some organization from a backwater.

"Yes," Hall Master Xing explained. "Combat Masters are a branch of the Master Teacher Pavilion, equivalent to the empire's army! What does an army need? Naturally, combat strength! As long as it can enhance combat strength and allow us to perform better in battles against the Spirit Race, anything else is merely an auxiliary means, harmless... These were the words left by our founding patriarch, and they are the iron rule that we Combat Masters obey!"

Hall Master Liao and Hall Master Wei nodded.

The significance of Combat Masters on the continent... was combat.

As long as they possessed sufficient combat strength and did not violate the Master Teacher Code, other matters were merely auxiliary and insignificant.

Although the members of the Xuanxuan Association came from a small place, their understanding of combat truly surpassed theirs, having reached the point of simplifying the complex. Learning from them could greatly increase combat power, so why wouldn't one?

Even Confucius was not ashamed to ask questions of his inferiors, and his legacy endures for millennia!

Learning from someone with lower cultivation or younger age was not only not shameful but would also earn one the reputation of being diligent and eager to learn. Anyone would make that choice.

"Their disregard for the dignity of Ethereal Realm experts by directly seeking guidance demonstrates their eagerness for strength, which is actually a good thing!" Hall Master Xing continued. "My reason for dissuading them was merely to prevent the Combat Master Hall from becoming the Xuanxuan Association and a laughingstock to the outside world."

"Understood!" The two understood.

"Alright, let's see if this Master Sun truly harbors malicious intentions!" Hall Master Xing said. "If he genuinely has murderous intent, it should quickly reveal itself..."

After explaining, Hall Master Xing looked towards the nearby channel.

"The Inner Demon Channel can better examine one's inner self," Hall Master Liao said. "If this fellow truly harbors murderous intent or other schemes, it can indeed be seen here..."

Nodding, Hall Master Liao gently stroked the wall with his palm.

*Whoosh!*

The wall immediately turned transparent, like jade.

"This jade wall can detect the number of inner demons inside," Hall Master Liao explained with a smile. "The more thoughts one has, and the worse their nature, the more inner demons will proliferate upon entering the channel. We combat masters, born for battle, have pure states of mind; normally, only a single digit number of inner demons will manifest. Just like when the Hall Master entered earlier, his state of mind was perfectly smooth, and only three appeared, making the wall light-colored..."

"Even ordinary master teachers would only have a dozen or so, and the wall would still be light-colored. Only truly evil individuals, possessing dozens of inner demons, would cause the color to deepen!"

"Such people, each with countless lives on their hands, fully deserve to die!"

"Now that Master Sun has entered the channel, if the wall remains light-colored, it means he is upright and there's no need to worry; the Hall Master can completely open his nascent spirit to him. But if it turns dark, he definitely harbors ill intentions, and we can kill him the moment he comes out!"

Hall Master Liao's eyes glinted.

"Hmm..."

Hall Master Xing and Hall Master Wei also knew this and nodded simultaneously. Just as they were about to speak, their expressions suddenly changed in unison.

They saw the wall before them flicker with light, and in the blink of an eye, it turned pitch black like ink.

"The color is so dark... This... means more than a hundred inner demons?"

Hall Master Liao's eyes narrowed coldly.