Chapter 446: Sun Qiang Uncle Arrives (Part 2)

Zhang Xuan’s peak-level Heaven’s Path True Qi could neutralize all poisons below third-grade, rendering antidotes unnecessary.

Sun Qiang was unsure what dangers he might encounter on this trip, so it was better to be cautious.

If anyone dared to attack him, with this True Qi, even if it couldn't counteract a third-grade poison, his life would at least be safe.

"Thank you, Young Master!"

Feeling the True Qi concealed within him and knowing that his young master was looking out for his safety, Sun Qiang nodded gratefully.

After spending these past few days together, he knew that even if this young master wasn't as capable as the old master, he was still a person of great ability.

Since he acted this way, he surely had his reasons.

After explaining the method for using this True Qi in detail and seeing that Sun Qiang had thoroughly memorized it, Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Since following him, Sun Qiang, though a bit worldly, was quite reliable. He could complete many tasks smoothly, saving a lot of trouble.

"Teacher Yang" was an unknown high-level master teacher. As a butler, Sun Qiang naturally had to possess the demeanor of one. Although his strength wasn't impressive, he handled this aspect with great precision.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought him all the way from Tianxuan Kingdom to this place.

"Here are a few pills that are highly beneficial for cultivation. Don't neglect your practice on the way."

With a flick of his wrist, he took out some pills he had obtained from the Lin Clan and handed them over.

"Yes!" Sun Qiang quickly took them.

He wasn't foolish; he knew his current cultivation was falling behind. If he didn't speed up, he would be in a dire situation once he became useless.

Zhang Xuan gave a few more instructions, then saw Hall Master Xie Jiuchen return, followed by an elder, who was precisely Wei Yuqing.

"The Poison Hall is dangerous. After much thought, I've decided to let Elder Wei accompany him. That way, it will be safer!"

Hall Master Xie said.

Wei Yuqing was a three-star beast tamer and a peak Grandmaster realm expert. Besides Hall Master Xie himself, Wei Yuqing was the strongest in the entire Beast Hall and also knew more about the Poison Hall.

Having him escort Beast Tamer Zhang's subordinate would likely be the safest option.

Beast Tamer Zhang was the Beast Hall's most honored guest. Furthermore, the Azuremare Beast hadn't been completely tamed yet. Since the other party had made a request, they had to ensure the safety of his subordinate no matter what.

"Then I'll leave it to Elder Wei!"

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.

"Rest assured!" Wei Yuqing nodded with a smile. "Although I haven't been to the Poison Hall, I've heard many rumors. If you're just looking for someone, there won't be any danger!"

It was merely a search for someone, not an attempt to cause trouble at the Poison Hall, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

Even if the chaotic methods of poison masters were frightening, beast tamers, as one of the top nine-stream professions, were not to be underestimated.

"Understood!" With Elder Wei personally going, Zhang Xuan felt much more at ease and said no more.

The two left on a flying savage beast. Hall Master Xie Jiuchen stayed for a while, then also turned and took his leave.

The Azuremare Beast had woken up, and he needed to quickly resolve the hidden dangers within its body and establish a good relationship.

"Let's begin!"

After everyone left, Zhang Xuan found a quiet room, adjusted his breathing, and sat down cross-legged.

With enough spirit beast blood, it was time to continue cultivating the second level of Heaven's Path Golden Body.

After preparing himself, he flicked his finger, and a few drops of spirit beast blood appeared in his palm, filling the room with a rich spiritual energy.

The private cultivation rooms in this type of villa were all equipped with formations that could gather spiritual energy and prevent it from dissipating easily.

With a serious gaze, his True Qi circulated continuously according to the methods of the Heaven's Path Golden Body's second level. With another flick of his finger, the blood immediately transformed into wisps of mist and penetrated every acupoint in his body.

Spirit beast blood, the essence extracted from spirit beasts, though not as precious as an inner core, contained the fundamental essence of a spirit beast. Each drop held energy far purer and more potent than spirit stones.

As he absorbed this energy, a powerful torrent immediately formed within his body, nourishing every cell and making them stronger.

"The effect has weakened considerably..."

Sensing the situation after absorbing the blood, Zhang Xuan's expression grew solemn.

As his power increased, his demand for spirit beast blood would also grow. Previously, a single drop could bring him significant progress, but now it had almost no major effect.

However, with enough spirit beast blood on hand, he didn't mind.

Moreover, he had calculated earlier that twenty drops of spirit beast blood should be enough for him to reach the peak Grandmaster realm.

As long as his strength was sufficient, with his Eye of Insight, he might even be able to contend with a Half-Transcendent realm expert.

Revenge would also become easier.

The second level of the Heaven's Path Golden Body circulated, continuously altering his muscle structure and rapidly increasing his strength.

Boom!

After an unknown period, a rumble sounded, as if certain shackles binding him had been broken, or as if he had entered warm water, feeling comfortable throughout his body.

Through cultivation, he finally broke the 9999-ding bottleneck and reached the Grandmaster realm!

Though there was only a one-ding difference between 9999 and 10,000, it marked the distinction between a Grandmaster and a Half-Grandmaster. Their life levels were entirely different.

The Grandmaster realm represented the pinnacle of martial cultivation, where one's physical body, vital energy, and spirit all reached the limits attainable by humans.

Stepping into this realm and achieving Transcendent would lead to a metamorphosis in life level, with significant leaps in both lifespan and strength.

If one couldn't reach it, they would remain in the Master realm their entire lives, growing old as time passed, eventually becoming powerless.

In other words, it was a stepping stone to becoming a true powerhouse.

Many cultivators failed to reach this stage, leading to lifelong regret.

Previously, Zhang Xuan had absorbed two drops of spirit beast blood and was stuck at this bottleneck; no matter how he cultivated, he was still just one ding short of the required strength.

Now, with enough blood, he could use it freely and finally break through.

With the breakthrough in his realm, Zhang Xuan instantly felt a significant improvement in both his reaction speed and thought process.

Everything became clearer and sharper.

As expected of the peak of martial arts, a mere physical breakthrough brought him unexpected benefits.

Although his strength had only increased by one ding, his overall power had nearly doubled.

If he were to fight the Golden-bodied Iron-armed Ape again, even without using the Library, he could easily crush and subdue it with his strength alone.

This was the Grandmaster realm!

"Work harder!"

Knowing that breaking this bottleneck would make further improvements easier, he smiled slightly, frantically absorbed the spirit beast blood from the jade bottle, and rapidly circulated the second level of the Heaven's Path Golden Body. His strength visibly increased once more.

10,100 ding!10,200 ding!10,300 ding!30,000 ding!

In less than a day, he went from 10,000 ding directly to 30,000 ding, nearly reaching the late Grandmaster realm.

By this point, he had consumed a full eighteen drops of spirit beast blood.

"It seems the consumption is greater than I anticipated..."

He had thought that reaching the late Grandmaster realm would only require about ten drops at most, but it had taken eighteen, exceeding his budget.

However, it didn't matter; he still had twelve drops left, which should be enough.

"Continue!"

Taking a deep breath, he stopped overthinking, closed his eyes, and continued his cultivation.

While he was in seclusion, Sun Qiang, after flying for more than half a day, finally arrived at Gazing Wind Valley in the Sunset Cloud Mountain Range.

Like the Red Lotus Mountain Range, this place extended unfathomably deep, with no end in sight. The Poison Hall was hidden within these verdant mountains.

Those who didn't know its exact location wouldn't just fail to find it; they would likely be killed by the savage beasts and miasma within after not traveling far.

"Be careful!"

Elder Wei Yuqing took out a Barrier-Avoiding Pill in advance.

They abandoned the flying savage beast and continued forward along the valley.

With Elder Wei's peak Grandmaster strength, low-level savage beasts dared not approach. Coupled with his alertness and rich experience, they didn't encounter too many dangers on their journey.

After walking for a full day, bypassing countless poisonous miasmas and savage beast lairs, a massive complex of buildings appeared in their view.

Countless dark grey houses, built entirely from rock, stood tall and imposing, exuding a sense of ancient history.

It was somewhat similar to the Poison Hall in Red Lotus City, but far more magnificent and extensive, covered with various formidable formations.

They rounded a giant rock and arrived before an entrance.

Before they even entered, they triggered some mechanism, producing a creaking sound, immediately followed by the loud ringing of a bell.

A few robed poison masters appeared before them.

Although the Poison Hall was well-hidden and rarely attacked, as one of the most feared professions, they had still established ample defenses.

"Who dares to trespass on the Poison Hall?"

A young man stepped forward, looking at them coldly.

These few individuals, all around thirty years old, had reached the Master realm. The young man who spoke was even at the peak of the Master realm.

Of course, what was most terrifying about poison masters wasn't their strength, but their skill in using poison.

Even though they were only at the Master realm, Elder Wei Yuqing dared not underestimate them.

"I am Wei Yuqing, a three-star beast tamer and Elder of the Beast Hall. I'm here to find a friend!"

Stepping forward, Wei Yuqing clasped his fist.

After more than a day of traveling together, knowing that Sun Qiang's strength was only at the Dingli realm and utterly lacking, he took the responsibility of negotiation upon himself.

"Elder Wei of the Beast Hall?"

The young man was momentarily stunned, his expression turning serious.

Even if they rarely ventured out, they still knew something about the power levels outside. To be an Elder of the Beast Hall, the strength of the person before them had probably already reached the peak Grandmaster realm, someone they couldn't afford to offend.

Returning the formality, the young man asked respectfully, "May I ask which poison master in our Poison Hall you are looking for?"

"It's a poison master named Gu Mu!"

Sun Qiang spoke.

"Gu Mu?"

The young man was startled, his brows furrowing. "You're looking for Hall Master Gu?"

"Hall Master?"

Sun Qiang and Elder Wei Yuqing were both stunned.

On the way, Elder Wei had learned that they were looking for Zhang Xuan's martial nephew... He had thought it was just some unknown poison master, but he never dreamed it would be the esteemed Hall Master of the Poison Hall.

Such a person's status was in no way inferior to Xie Jiuchen's.

"That's right!" Seeing that the visitors didn't know Gu Mu was the Hall Master yet had come looking for him, the young man and the others grew slightly wary and couldn't help but look them over. "May I ask why you seek the Hall Master? I can help relay your message."

After a moment of hesitation, Sun Qiang remembered his identity. His plump figure immediately became imposing, like a towering mountain.

Raising an eyebrow, he clasped his hands behind his back and revealed an arrogant expression. "Hmph, just tell him that his Uncle Sun Qiang has arrived and to come out quickly to greet me!"