Chapter 514: Refining the Body with Poison in the Desire-Inducing Cauldron

Only after facing Du Taiyue directly did Zhou You realize the tip of the iceberg of this Du Wuzun's personality.

Beneath a calm exterior lay cruelty, indifference, and madness, yet this did not affect the clarity and rationality of his thinking.

As the master of the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop, he held the power of life and death, and his methods of wielding both favor and fear were extremely skillful.

By deliberately pointing out the name of Du Wuyao, he intended for Zhou You to personally admit to seizing the treasure and harming his fellow disciples.

Afterward, he lightly brushed past the matter and even promised Zhou You a condition; his methods for winning over hearts were evident.

Zhou You sighed endlessly; among the old monsters who had reached the level of Strong Martial, not one was a simple character.

He immediately said, "This Disciple possesses Poison Flood Dragon Saliva and humbly requests that my honored master bestow a secret method to assist me in refining it."

"Poison Flood Dragon Saliva."

Du Taiyue looked at Zhou You in surprise, "Poison Flood Dragon Saliva and the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm are a perfect match. If you can refine it, breaking through to Intermediate Martial Master will be no problem, and you might even be able to sprint toward Strong Martial."

"Hmm, Lu Zhigang, this master underestimated you."

"Go, find Lao Chainu to collect a Desire-Inducing Cauldron and soak for one hundred and eighty-seven days."

Desire-Inducing Cauldron? "The Desire-Inducing Cauldron is a secondary vessel to the Doll Urn. Although its toxicity is weakened, it remains extraordinarily fierce. If you survive it, you will soar to the heavens; if you cannot, you will be consumed by the ten thousand poisons, your consciousness will be melted away, and you will be reduced to a mere Zhinü."

This was the unknown number of times Zhou You had heard the term Chainu today.

Chainu is a major feature of the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop, also known as poison people, puppets, and so on.

Materials for testing poison who luckily survive and gain strong poison resistance, sect members who lose their minds after suffering Qi deviation, or those specifically soaked in medicinal soups and forged with deadly toxins...

Their origins vary, but those who finally take shape are all monsters covered in deadly poison who have lost their humanity.

Collectively referred to as Chainu.

There are millions of Chainu in the sect, but there is only one old Savage Slave, whose status is transcendent.

Legend has it that Lao Chainu is a beloved friend of Du Taiyue, holding extraordinary significance to him, having accompanied him through the long, flowing years.

In the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop, Lao Chainu is equivalent to Du Taiyue's steward, even more intimate than a Disciple.

Zhou You was more concerned about the Desire-Inducing Cauldron; this poison vessel was actually a secondary vessel to the Doll Urn.

A secondary vessel, in short, is like a teacup to a teapot, or a soup spoon to a soup bowl—one master, many subordinates.

The toxicity of the Doll Urn is fierce, and none but a Strong Martial can withstand it; Zhou You and his fellow disciples had seen this with their own eyes.

As a secondary vessel, the toxicity of the Desire-Inducing Cauldron, while weakened, would not be weak by any means.

Du Taiyue had stated clearly that the opportunity was given to him, but whether he could survive the test depended entirely on Zhou You himself; the Desire-Inducing Cauldron is impartial and selfless.

Surviving makes one a glorious inner disciple; failing to survive makes one a predetermined Chainu.

Lao Chainu's aged appearance carried a feminine softness, making it impossible to distinguish his gender; he led Zhou You to a side hall of the palace with an expressionless face.

Rows of large vats stood neatly in front of the windows. Through the faint light, one could see that the vats were covered with wooden boards, and the holes carved into the boards were large enough for a human head to stick out.

Many of the large vats were already occupied by heads, while the rest remained empty.

Zhou You glanced over; the surface of the black liquid in the empty vats shimmered with an oily, iridescent luster.

In a trance, steam rose from the black water, morphing into the hideous shapes of various poisonous insects like snakes, scorpions, and spiders.

Suddenly, a faint scream came; the head in one of the vats had its eyes bulge out, blood seeped from its mouth and nose, and it actually melted on the spot into a pool of pus and blood, which poured into the black liquid in the vat.

After this small interlude, Lao Chainu chose a large vat and signaled for Zhou You to climb in himself.

Zhou You pressed his clothes under the large vat, climbed into the black liquid, and with a *clang*, the wooden board was latched shut.

His limbs, bones, and every pore of his body were enveloped by the black liquid. The light and steam rising before his eyes were exactly the same source as the poison light of the Doll Urn. A violent burning sensation, a tearing sensation, and a heart-piercing pain struck him...

The Qi and blood within Zhou You's body circulated automatically, and the Nine Transformations Bone-Changing Method broke through another level. Since breaking through to Primary Martial Master, the second molting had begun.

After this molting, the breakthrough of the Lu Zhigang persona to Intermediate Martial Master was a certainty.

However, resisting the erosion of the black poison liquid all around was the most urgent priority at the moment.

Screams rang out one after another from the surrounding vats; from time to time, a head would perish and melt, its essence of vitality flowing entirely into the vat.

It was easy to imagine that the outcome of failing to endure was to become nutrients for the Desire-Inducing Cauldron.

Even if one barely managed to hold on, would the outcome be any better?

Zhou You noticed that many heads had vacant eyes and dilated pupils; clearly, in the never-ending torture, their spirits had collapsed and their consciousness was gone, turning them into complete idiots.

Even if such a creature survived and left the vat, they would only be the lowest grade of Chainu.

Zhou You sat upright in the large vat, circulating his Qi, blood, and poison evil to resist the erosion and dissolution of the poison liquid.

It had to be said that the sinister environment of the Desire-Inducing Cauldron further squeezed the potential within his body.

The gains from staying in the vat for one night were more effective than a month of bitter training on ordinary days.

Fresh living people were tossed in beside him from time to time; their struggles and curses eventually turned into numbness, and the heads emerging from the rows of vats were like planted crops.

From time to time, the old Zhinü would open a wooden board, summon a successfully refined Chainu, and take it elsewhere for training.

Zhou You's eyes were tightly shut, yet he clearly perceived everything happening around him.

As time passed, he began to digest the Poison Flood Dragon Saliva and resist the poison liquid of the Desire-Inducing Cauldron, officially entering the most dangerous stage.

The Poison Mosquito Saliva was an internal trouble, and the Desire-Inducing Cauldron was an external threat; internal and external must be balanced to slowly achieve a training effect.

Once either side lost its balance, the outcome would be total destruction.

Zhou You endured the pain, taming the Poison Flood Dragon Saliva internally while resisting the erosion externally; the path of his internal Qi and blood circulation became faster and faster.

Suddenly, one day, the second transformation was completed, and a complete human skin floated to the surface of the water.

Zhou You's Nine Transformations Bone-Changing Method had completed its second transformation, and his physical body had already reached the final step of breaking through to Intermediate Martial Master.

But this was still not his limit.

More than half of the Poison Flood Dragon Saliva remained undigested, and his physical body had initially adapted to the environment of the Desire-Inducing Cauldron, so he was in no rush to leave.

The opportunity was rare; it would be better to continue refining the Poison Flood Dragon Saliva in this environment, raise the level of the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm, and break through to the 'Poison Flood' realm in one go, or even touch the level of an Intermediate Martial Master.

Zhou You did not notice that Lao Chainu had passed by several times and seen the changes in him; his numb gaze revealed a hint of curiosity and... hope.

While he was immersed in bitter training, Wu Luoye and a group of mixed-blood Wu people, with Du Taiyue's tacit approval, passed through the Ten Thousand Mile Swamp and entered the hinterland of Zhong Yuan.

On the battlefield, news belatedly spread that Wu Luoye and other half-blood Wu people had defected, stealing a secret treasure of the Wu tribe.

At the edge of the Ten Thousand Mile Swamp...

"Boss, we are going to Xichui Zhou and Dongsheng Zhou respectively, but you are really going to Dijing? That is the core of Zhong Yuan."

Mu Sigui and several companions asked with concern.

Wu Luoye gazed in the direction of Dijing and said leisurely, "I am different from you all. My ancestors came out of Dijing; I want to return to my homeland and make up for the regrets of my ancestors."

He turned to the group of half-blood Wu people and cupped his hands, "Departing now is like a fish entering the vast sea. Everyone, when we meet again in the future, we shall continue our bond."

The half-blood Wu people one after another shed their Leather Robes, put on the attire of the Zhong Yuan human race, cupped their hands in farewell, and departed, blending into the vast and boundless land.

(End of this chapter)