Chapter 102: Precious Pill Protects the Heart, Refining the Poison Palm

The embers in Shan Tao's furnace had not yet died out, and the remaining charcoal was still hissing and smoking.

The various bottles, jars, bowls, and basins placed on the ground were scattered about in every corner, tipped over and messy.

Zhou You's body was permeated with a thick medicinal scent, and his hands and face were covered in soot, yet his eyes were incomparably bright, shining like stars.

He cradled a pill the size of a longan in his palm, as if staring at a peerless beauty and unable to tear his gaze away.

The pill was the first Heart-Protecting Pill he had just refined.

"Trial Project: Refining the first Heart-Protecting Pill completed. Overall evaluation: Average quality."

"Heart-Protecting Pill: Protects the heart meridian, dispels toxins, and increases the power of fist and palm techniques."

"Experience Points +450, Alchemy lv10 → lv11."

Swish, swish, swish—the data on the panel refreshed once more.

"Name: Zhou You.

Strength: 70.

Speed: 70.

Defense: 70.

Experience Points: 1123.

Profession: Martial Arts Apprentice.

Level: Proficient Force (Tiger-Subduing Fist), First Stage Qi and Blood (Yanxing Quan). Skills: Great Poison Sand Palm lv1, Tiger-Subduing Fist lv19, Yanxing Quan lv20, Basic Lightness Skill lv3/lv5, Soul-Chasing Seven Steps lv2, Pipa lv1, Seal Script lv1, Alchemy lv11.

Ultimate Moves: Wind-Chasing Triple Technique lv3, Tiger Malice lv2.

Talent: Hunger.

Armory: Void Mask (Flesh Magic Treasure) — False Identity: Lu Zhigang.

Trial Project 1: Break through the Qi and Blood barrier and become an Inner Court Disciple of the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall.

Trial Project 2: Perfect the Basic Lightness Skill.

Trial Project 3: Master the technique of imbuing objects with Tiger Malice."

Zhou You suddenly felt refreshed; the many days of rushing about and the expenditure of vast wealth had finally paid off.

A tiny Heart-Protecting Pill was the key to entering the path of the Great Poison Sand Palm.

He had long since accumulated the venom of seven or eight types of poisonous snakes, yet he had hesitated to practice the Poison Palm, fearing that the potent poison would attack his heart.

The Seven Step Poison Sand Palm was not only sinister in power, but its cultivation method was also extremely evil; a moment of carelessness could lead to total ruin.

Only by using the Heart-Protecting Pill to spread a layer of protection over the heart meridian could he proceed with the cultivation step by step.

The moves and patterns of this palm technique were not difficult, and Zhou You picked them up quickly; the key lay in the refining of the Palm Poison.

"Poison Palm Mark."

Absorb snake venom and refine it into the palm to form a unique palm mark, releasing poison when channeling energy.

Zhou You swallowed the Heart-Protecting Pill, and the medicinal power circulated through his body, slowly taking effect.

A layer of gas film appeared over his heart, its purpose to block the potent poison from following the blood flow and infiltrating the heart.

The fascia in his palms jumped and swelled; this was the second effect of the medicine, enhancing the strength of his palms.

Zhou You took out seven or eight small goose-neck bottles, containing the venom of the Silver-Banded Snake, Pit Viper, Black Whirlwind, Little Green Dragon, Wawakui, Cockscomb, and Sky-Resonator, all of which were famous snake venoms far and wide.

Every year, countless woodcutters and hunters in the wild died at the mouths of these poisonous snakes.

Medicine is three parts poison; medicine and poison are inseparable.

Intense snake venom is also an indispensable part of pharmacology.

To obtain these snake venoms, Zhou You had made many small purchases, only just managing to accumulate them.

"I'll start with you."

Zhou You selected the first type of Poison Mark, using the Silver-Banded Snake venom as nourishment.

The toxin of the Silver-Banded Snake was fierce, acting instantly with no known cure, and more importantly, this snake venom was not hard to buy.

He placed a drop of snake venom on his palm and, following the internal cultivation method of the Great Poison Sand Palm, slowly absorbed and refined it.

The snake venom seeped into his pores, instantly bringing a burning pain like a raging fire; his palms and the backs of his hands felt as if they were being pierced by sharp teeth.

At the same time, his blood boiled, and his flesh and bones were also immersed in excruciating pain.

This was the unavoidable process of refining Palm Poison.

Zhou You moved his hands, his footwork steady, and began to practice the Great Poison Sand Palm, one move at a time.

Performing the routine was to disperse the poison and catalyze the formation of the palm mark. As the Qi and blood surged throughout Zhou You's body, the potent poison began to flow along his arms, following the blood back toward his heart.

However, the Heart-Protecting Pill had already set up a barrier, blocking the poisonous gas outside the gate.

As his palm wind blew, the air emitted a faint, fishy, sweet fragrance; the snake venom was dispersing into the air.

A long time later...

Zhou You looked down at his palm; a faint mark flashed and then vanished.

The palm mark had initially formed; in the future, it would require constant, bitter practice, and its power would rise with the tide, increasing day by day.

When not channeling energy, the Poison Mark was hidden among the crisscrossing lines of his palm and was unremarkable.

Once he unleashed the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm, the Poison Mark would emerge, releasing fierce, potent poison upon the target.

He took a few breaths and suddenly realized something was wrong; the air was filled with poisonous gas.

The ground was covered in a layer of gray-black dust, already littered with flying insects and ants killed by the poison.

He had broken into a sweat from the intense exercise just now and had wanted to take a bath, but his sweat also contained potent poison.

Once the potent poison of the Silver-Banded Snake entered the air or water channels, it would likely cost lives.

If the matter blew up, his secret practice of the Poison Palm would no longer be hidden.

"I cannot practice the Poison Sand Palm in the martial arts hall."

Zhou You thought it over and over; he had to find a secret base to practice in private.

He then thought of a good place: Tianjing Fang.

Tianjing Fang had long been abandoned, and with rumors of it being haunted, even the local beggars dared not trespass inside.

The place was quiet and spacious, perfectly suited for him to practice Poison Palm.

In the future, when the potent poison leaked out during palm practice and poisoned wild rabbits or stray dogs, it would only serve to verify the rumors of it being haunted.

Zhou You tidied up his messy room and took advantage of the night to leave the martial arts hall for Tianjing Fang.

That square wooden well looked like an eye, staring gloomily at the sky, and the surroundings were deathly silent.

Zhou You took a deep breath, his ears twitched slightly, and he subconsciously raised his hand to strike.

The lines on his palm trembled, and a Poison Mark emerged.

Slap! A brownish wild rabbit darted through the grass, and as his palm wind brushed past it, it instantly turned rigid.

By the time the carcass hit the ground, it was already stiff as a rock, its breath cut off.

Highly toxic, too toxic.

Zhou You's palm hadn't even touched the rabbit; the poison gas emitted by the palm wind alone had poisoned it to death from a distance.

The power of the Seven Step Poison Sand palm could be seen from this.

Over the next few days, while the medicinal power of the Heart-Protecting Pill remained, Zhou You refined the silver-ringed snake venom drop by drop.

The first Poison Mark, which had been so faint at the beginning that it couldn't be seen without careful inspection, had now begun to take clear shape.

The Poison Mark looked just like the exterior of a silver-ringed snake, with black and silver segments interspersed, possessing a sort of eerie beauty.

Zhou You estimated that by driving the Poison Palm with his own Qi and blood, its lethality could reach the range of the second to third stage of Qi and blood.

Currently, there were two factors constraining this palm technique: first, the Great Poison Sand Palm had not yet been cultivated to the Qi and blood level, so he was substituting it with the Qi and blood of the Yanxing Quan.

Second, his level 3 Lightness Skill was, after all, different from the Soul-Chasing Seven Steps and did not match the palm technique, indirectly affecting its power.

Even so, once the Seven Step Poison Sand was unleashed, the air would be filled with poison gas, pervasive and inescapable; if an enemy were not on guard, they would definitely be hit.

If he were to strike their body, the potent poison would seep in through the skin and flesh, and the destructive power would multiply.

"Flower-Plucking Thief, I am determined to have you."

The Heart-Protecting Pill was too expensive; half of his savings were gone, and the remaining gold and silver were not enough for the medicine he needed to refine.

To increase the power of the Seven Step Poison Sand, he had to make money, and the bounty on the Flower-Plucking Thief was the most lucrative prize.

Before that, his Poison Sand Palm still needed to be verified through actual combat.

"It is time for Lu Zhigang to move out."

Zhou You summoned the Void Mask, and a face appeared on his palm—it was the face of Lu Zhigang, shrunk several times over.

That face belonging to the deceased suddenly opened its eyes.

Zhou You's entire body squirmed and changed under the moonlight, and a moment later, a living Lu Zhigang stood in place.

"Hehe!"

(End of chapter)