Chapter 989: Master Mu Is Back

After half a day of explanations and repeated assurances that the Principal's tomb was completely intact, the two remained skeptical. Zhang Xuan helplessly shook his head, too weary to continue explaining.

The pure would remain pure, and the corrupt would remain corrupt. For an upright and faultless person like him, time would eventually set things right.

"Principal, you've been gone for five days. The Combat Master Hall personnel arrived long ago, and Zheng Yang and Wei Ruyan passed the assessment..."

No longer dwelling on the matter, Elder Mi recounted in detail everything that had happened over the past few days.

Zhang Xuan nodded after listening.

It was expected that Zheng Yang, having received his personal tutelage, would pass the assessment. He hadn't expected Wei Ruyan to pass as well, which made him think that the Combat Masters weren't all that impressive!

After asking about other academy matters and giving instructions for their handling, Zhang Xuan followed the two elders back to his residence in the Elder's Courtyard.

As the Principal, it was inexcusable that he hadn't yet paid a visit to the Combat Master Hall members and the principals of the three major academies, who had been there for so many days.

After taking a bath and changing out of his dirty clothes from the subterranean chamber, just as he was about to go meet the renowned masters, his steward Sun Qiang arrived, looking distraught.

"Young Master!" Sun Qiang rushed forward to greet him when he saw him.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

Having followed him for so long, Sun Qiang knew that Zhang Xuan particularly disliked trouble. Usually, Sun Qiang would handle matters himself unless they were exceptionally important. For him to come waiting here, looking so anxious, something must have happened.

"Miss Ruyan... she's fainted again!" Sun Qiang said urgently.

"Fainted?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

That shouldn't be possible!

Wei Ruyan's soul had been nourished by the Bodhi Tree and was now no different from an ordinary person's; in fact, it was even more resilient.

Her physical body, nourished by a seventh-grade restorative pill, had also fully recovered. Furthermore, she cultivated the simplified version of the Heaven's Path Divine Art, which allowed her to easily defeat combat masters. How could she suddenly faint?

"I'm not entirely sure of the exact reason, but after challenging the Combat Master Hall members that day, she felt unwell upon returning and then simply collapsed..." Sun Qiang replied.

"Let's go take a look!"

Knowing that simply talking wouldn't reveal the cause, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist, bid farewell to Elder Mi and the others, and hurried after Sun Qiang towards his residence.

Upon arriving at Wei Ruyan's living quarters, he indeed saw her lying on the bed, her brows furrowed in a knot, unconscious. Wang Ying was sitting by her side, meticulously caring for her.

Many of the plants in the courtyard were also wilting and drooping at this moment, as if winter had arrived, each one shriveling and on the verge of death.

"What's going on here?"

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows furrowed.

"Teacher, you're back..." Seeing him arrive, Wang Ying quickly stood up.

Interrupting her question, Zhang Xuan went to Wei Ruyan's side and placed his finger on her wrist.

A moment later, his expression turned solemn. He looked up and said, "Tell me in detail about the fight between Ruyan and the Combat Master Hall that day!"

"Yes! That day, Junior Sister Ruyan went onto the stage and fought. Her *Zhenqi* spread, poisoning all nine combat masters..." Wang Ying recounted the events of that day in meticulous detail, without any concealment.

Although Elder Mi and the others knew that Wei Ruyan had defeated the Combat Master Hall by poisoning them, they weren't aware of her Innate Poison Body and thus couldn't provide such specific details.

Her account was incredibly detailed, perfectly reconstructing the situation as it had happened.

"Teacher, how is she?" After finishing, Wang Ying looked at him anxiously.

Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed tightly. "It's nothing serious, but her Innate Poison Body has erupted... The power is too immense for her to suppress, which is why she fell unconscious!"

Wei Ruyan possessed not only an Innate Poison Body but also an Innate Poison Soul Body, a rare constitution not seen on the entire continent for tens of thousands of years.

With such a constitution, her *Zhenqi* would be highly poisonous as long as she cultivated!

Under normal circumstances, once activated, this constitution rapidly increased one's strength and combat power, making them formidable.

However, it also had a major flaw: the toxic *qi* within her body would grow stronger each time it was used. The more she used it, the more it accumulated.

Without a proper method to dissipate it, it could easily erupt, causing the powerful force to render the person unconscious.

This was exactly her current situation. Despite her insufficient strength, she had forcefully challenged the Dragon Gate Array, expending power beyond her body's maximum tolerance. Unable to suppress it any longer, her Poison Body had completely erupted.

Since she cultivated the simplified Heaven's Path Divine Art and had never practiced any techniques related to poison masters, she couldn't channel the explosive power within her body, leading her to naturally fall into unconsciousness.

"Thankfully, her self-control is very strong, otherwise the entire Hongyuan City would likely have been implicated..."

At the end of his explanation, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The fact that even the Combat Master Hall members couldn't withstand her toxic *qi* showed how terrifying it was. If not for her firm will, which allowed her to suppress the power before losing consciousness, the toxic *qi* would have spread with the wind, causing countless people to suffer.

Precisely because the Innate Poison Body was uncontrollable, it was also referred to by the world as a "Disaster Body," deterring many.

Even though she suppressed her aura, the plants in the courtyard, being too close, were still poisoned to near death, which explained the scene they had just witnessed.

Fortunately, she had cultivated the simplified Heaven's Path Divine Art, perfectly concealing the characteristics of her Poison Body so that others didn't notice. Otherwise, she would likely have been besieged by countless righteous individuals, and her entire residence would have been obliterated.

"Teacher, what should we do then?"

Upon hearing the explanation, Wang Ying's face turned pale.

She had always envied Wei Ruyan for having an innate constitution, but she never imagined it could be so terrifying.

"I'll first help her extract some of the toxic *qi* from her body to relieve the pressure. To completely resolve this, we might have to go to the Poison Hall..."

Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Although his medical skills were superb, he couldn't devise the correct procedure to resolve this Innate Poison Body. The only place that might offer a solution was the Poison Hall.

It held a complete legacy concerning "poison" and records regarding poison bodies. Perhaps a method could be found there to allow her to freely use her power without the accumulation of toxic *qi*.

"The Poison Hall?" Wang Ying nodded.

That seemed to be the only option.

Placing his palm on Wei Ruyan's wrist, Zhang Xuan slowly channeled his Heaven's Path *Zhenqi* into her body. As time passed, instead of relaxing, his brows furrowed even tighter.

He had initially thought that he could solve the problem by simply neutralizing the toxic *qi* within her body and finding a way to guide it out. Now, it seemed he had been too naive.

The poison within her body was perfectly fused with her physical body and soul. Forcibly neutralizing it would severely damage her Poison Body, leading to serious injury or even immediate death.

While guiding the toxic *qi* out of her body significantly reduced the danger, it would still cause immense harm to her.

In other words, neither detoxifying her nor releasing the toxic *qi* would be beneficial to the unconscious Wei Ruyan.

"It seems we can only go to the Poison Hall!"

After pondering for a while and considering many methods without finding a way to treat her, Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples, feeling a little troubled.

Although he possessed many techniques, his understanding of poison only reached the two-star level, and this was his first time encountering an Innate Poison Body.

Unable to find a more suitable method, he concluded that he might only be able to find a way to save her by visiting the Poison Hall to read books and gather enough information.

"I was already planning to make a trip to the Poison Hall anyway. It seems I'll have to depart earlier than expected..."

The former principal had left a message in the Principal's Tomb mentioning the Poison Hall, and Zhang Xuan had intended to investigate it when he had time, to uncover any potential hidden dangers to the academy. Now, with Wei Ruyan's condition, he definitely had to leave sooner.

"Sun Qiang, here are a thousand high-grade spirit stones. Help me gather information about the Poison Hall as quickly and as thoroughly as possible!"

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan produced a pile of high-grade spirit stones and waved his hand.

Although the former principal's message indicated that the Poison Hall was very likely near Jingyuan City, it was still best to inquire and get the most accurate information.

Otherwise, a wasted trip would be too troublesome, even for him.

"Young Master, there's no need for spirit stones. For something like this, I can just ask the Shen clan directly. They're also involved in the medicinal herbs business and should be able to find out quickly!" Sun Qiang said, shaking his head.

The Shen clan was one of Hongyuan City's four great clans, with businesses spanning the entire empire. Their largest enterprise was medicinal herbs. Since the Poison Hall would need medicine to refine poisons, there might be some special connection between the two.

If it were anyone else, or even the previous principal, they might not have been able to get this information. After all, master teachers and poison masters were often at odds, and the Shen clan would need to consider their business interests.

However, now that they had received immense benefits from Zhang Xuan, they certainly wouldn't conceal anything if asked.

"Alright then, go ask!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

He was certainly not as adept as Sun Qiang when it came to social etiquette and business, so it was better to entrust the matter entirely to him.

"Yes, Young Master!" Sun Qiang withdrew.

As he watched Sun Qiang leave, Zhang Xuan was about to ask again about Wei Ruyan's condition over the past two days when he felt the ground tremble slightly. A loud bell suddenly rang out, echoing through every corner of Hongyuan City, as if issuing some kind of summons.

"Is that the Assembly Bell?"

His eyebrows twitched, and Zhang Xuan couldn't help but stand up.

The Assembly Bell was used to urgently gather master teachers; once it rang, any master teacher who heard it had to rush to the designated location as quickly as possible.

He glanced in the direction of the sound, which came from the Master Teacher Academy, and felt a little puzzled.

He had only just left the academy less than half an hour ago. Could something have happened so soon?

Feeling a bit strange, he flipped his wrist, and a communication jade token appeared in his palm. Elder Mi had sent him a message, containing only one line of text.

"Wu Shifu Wu Rufeng, a top-tier seven-star master from Qingyuan Conferred Empire, and Mu Hong Mu Shifu have arrived at the academy. Principal, return quickly!"

"Mu Shifu is back?" Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned.

When You Xu was found to have betrayed humanity, Zhang Xuan had handed him over to Mu Hong. For Mu Hong to return now, he must have uncovered something.

"I'll be right there!"

After replying, Zhang Xuan took out a few sixth-grade pills and gave them to Wei Ruyan to temporarily suppress the toxic *qi* within her body, preventing it from wreaking havoc and harming others. Only then did he instruct Wang Ying and head out.

Before long, he returned to the academy. By then, all the students had returned, and even all the master teachers from Hongyuan City's Master Teacher Hall had rushed over, all gathered in the training grounds, unsure of what was happening.