In addition to the Gu Poison cultivated from the Five Poison Palm, the venom he concocted this time also contained Xiaolv’s Tri-Colored Poison.
Because he had too few sponsors on his list before, Zou Feng had never dared to test the potency of this Tri-Colored Poison.
Moreover, even when it came to refining the "Broken Hand" Gu Poison, he shouldn’t have, by all rights, refined all of it at once.
The prudent approach would have been to refine one pair each day, allowing his body to slowly adapt and giving the sponsors on his list a chance to recover so they could be of further use.
But Zou Feng really didn’t want to wait any longer.
Ever since his encounter with the Gang Qi Realm expert two days ago, he had been in a state of panic, even though no new powerhouses had appeared on his List of Gods.
Zou Feng didn’t want to delay for another moment; he had to get his Five Poison Fire Lotus Skill to the Peak Realm and powerfully advance to Seventh Grade.
At this time, the List of Gods contained the names of a dozen or so Human Gu, the Poison Cultivator Li Li, and a Seventh Grade expert from the Mountain and River Association: Gu Yufan.
Gu Yufan had ended up on the list because Zou Feng, unwilling to just hide away in the pharmacy, had actively participated in a gang war.
He had shown a fraction of his strength, altered the course of the battle, and, as expected, attracted the attention of Gu Yufan, one of the higher-ups in the Mountain and River Association.
He wasn’t targeted on the spot, of course. It was only after the fact, when Gu Yufan learned that Zou Feng had ruined his plans, that he developed the intent to kill.
So now, with these reliable sponsors on the list, Zou Feng could finally refine everything with peace of mind.
In any case, no matter how rushed he was, the sponsors on the list had to be properly arranged.
Otherwise, if he were to accidentally bear the side effects himself, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The "Broken Hand" dissolved into the venom, and a few drops of Xiaolv’s Tri-Colored Poison were added.
Zou Feng had actually wanted Xiaolv to add a few more drops, but after producing five, the little creature became completely listless, as if it had been drained dry. So, Zou Feng had to let it be.
Still unsatisfied, Zou Feng added several more poisons he had researched and concocted himself.
These poisons were all products of his painstaking study of the *Poison Scripture* after he had taken up residence in the pharmacy.
He couldn’t claim they were amazing, but they were at least suitable for cultivating the Five Poison Fire Lotus Skill.
Preparations complete, Zou Feng wasted no more time and immediately began his cultivation right where he stood.
The moment he dipped his hands into the specially prepared venom, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the pit, followed by a sound like a massive water balloon popping.
Without a change in expression, Zou Feng silently switched to the next sponsor on the list and continued his cultivation.
Before long, another sponsor "popped."
The rate at which he was going through them secretly alarmed even Zou Feng.
He had, after all, been "feeding" them good stuff regularly.
As a result, these sponsors had been cultivating well, and their physical fortitude had long surpassed that of ordinary people.
One of them was even a genius in Poison Skills who had already reached the Entering Grade.
But even so, they couldn’t withstand the side effects from the massively amplified Five Poison Fire Lotus Skill.
And his prize specimen, the Entering Grade Human Gu he had cultivated, didn’t last much longer either.
A dozen or so sponsors, gone in a flash. Zou Feng quickly had the Seventh Grade Gu Yufan take over.
As for the Poison Cultivator Li Li, Zou Feng was saving him as a final failsafe, since he should have the highest resistance to the side effects of Poison Skills.
After a while, even though the side effects were being transferred, Zou Feng still felt an overwhelming urge to vent.
BANG! The ceramic basin holding the special venom shattered. Acting on impulse, Zou Feng began to frantically perform the Shaking Flower Hand.
That’s right. The urge he needed to vent was precisely this desire to wildly perform the Shaking Flower Hand.
But what looked like the Shaking Flower Hand was actually a continuous series of Sealing Techniques, meant to straighten out his chaotic Inner Qi and give the rampant poison a place to go.
Blood-red lotuses bloomed one after another as a colorless, odorless toxic gas spread rapidly through the air.
As if answering a call, the venomous creatures of the sewer ditch began crawling out from rock crevices, the water’s depths, and the mud, gathering around Zou Feng.
This bizarre spectacle gave Zou Feng the illusion that he was becoming the King of Ten Thousand Poisons.
After all, it was similar to shouting, "Swords, come!" and having ten thousand swords immediately fly to one’s side in homage.
And here he was, receiving the homage of "ten thousand poisons."
However, those paying homage were merely common venomous creatures, so it was still a far cry in terms of style and grandeur.
Still, Zou Feng couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.
’Am I really about to succeed?’
’With a phenomenon like this, the Peak of Perfection should be close...’
「Meanwhile, in Gu Yufan’s residence.」
He was having lunch with a few friends from the Mountain and River Association.
But before he had even taken a few bites, Gu Yufan’s face paled. "The food is poisoned!"
With a roar, Gu Yufan flipped the table, his eyes wide with fury. "What despicable coward dares to harm me!?"
After his furious question, his gaze locked onto the friend nearest to him.
"Could it be you!?" Before he finished speaking, Gu Yufan lashed out, attempting to grab the man’s neck.
The man turned pale with shock and hastily retreated.
"Brother Gu, what’s wrong with you?!"
One look at Gu Yufan’s expression was enough to know that he had completely lost his sanity.
Even if he had found poison in the food and suspected one of his companions, he shouldn’t have been so quick to decide who the culprit was, much less immediately try to kill them...
"Boss, calm down! Second Brother would never have a reason to harm you!"
"Brother Gu, could you... could you have suffered a cultivation deviation and fallen into demon!?"
Cries of alarm rang out in the dining hall as no one could understand why Gu Yufan had suddenly gone insane.
"Good, good, so... all of you... want to harm me!"
Gu Yufan gritted his teeth, glared at everyone around him, and then violently tore off his shirt, revealing a chiseled physique.
But everyone present stared, dumbfounded, as they saw what looked like several serpentine creatures slithering restlessly beneath Gu Yufan’s skin.
His skin was also rapidly turning a terrifying, deathly black.
"I’ll slaughter every last one of you ungrateful bastards!"
Gu Yufan had truly lost his mind. He was on the verge of a bloody massacre, a tragedy about to unfold.
But just as he was about to strike, the deathly black of his skin rapidly shifted to a deep green.
When his entire body had turned green, Gu Yufan’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed heavily to the floor.
Gu Yufan had only passed out, not died, but to everyone watching, this looked exactly like a case of cultivation deviation.
For a moment, no one dared to step forward and help him...
Back with Zou Feng, he had finally completed the Sealing Technique.
He exhaled a long breath of gas so toxic it could kill instantly, and only then did he cease his cultivation.
Zou Feng then eagerly looked at the panel that appeared in his mind.
"Five Poison Fire Lotus Skill (Peak of Perfection) Progress: 1%."
’It worked!’
Overjoyed, Zou Feng couldn’t stop himself from letting out a series of cackles.
After cackling for a moment, he waved his hand. "All of you may leave!"
As if they understood him, the venomous creatures that had gathered began to quickly retreat, returning to wherever they had come from.
Though it was still far from that, the scene of the myriad poisons paying homage and then respectfully retreating gave him a feeling of being the sole "Poison" Lord.
Now, Zou Feng could see right through these ordinary venomous creatures with a single glance.
He could tell which creature was more venomous, locate its Poison Gland, and even determine whether its toxins were useful to him—all of it was crystal clear.
’Whoa, have I cultivated the "Transparent Realm" of the Poison Dao?’
The benefits of cultivating the Five Poison Fire Lotus Skill to the Peak Realm didn’t stop there.
Even his theoretical knowledge of the *Poison Scripture*, as shown on his panel, had reached the Realm of Synthesis and Mastery along with it.
He could finally proceed with his original plan: combine two Cultivation Skills at the Refined Skill level with a Poison Skill at the Peak Realm, stacking their effects to advance to Seventh Grade.
Moreover, once he reached Seventh Grade in this manner, his strength should immediately far surpass that of any ordinary Seventh Grade expert.
Even his Inner Qi would continue to mutate.
After all, when he had advanced to Eighth Grade, Zou Feng had already achieved the status of an "Alien Species" Eighth Grade.
’Now, with the boost from a Peak Realm Poison Skill, the combat power I’ll be able to unleash at the Seventh Grade will probably be absolutely ridiculous...’
However, while he was now ready to attempt his breakthrough to Seventh Grade, Zou Feng made an awkward discovery: his body was completely depleted.
The most immediate sensation was a hunger so intense that his head began to swim.
Although the side effects of his cultivation session had been transferred, the physical toll and depletion his body suffered afterward could not be.
After all, if normal sensations like these could also be transferred, it would actually be an extremely dangerous situation.
’He might starve to death without ever feeling hungry...’
Fortunately, Zou Feng had come prepared. He immediately took out a bottle of Qi Blood Pills and poured all ten of them into his mouth.
Taking the Qi Blood Pills slightly eased his dizziness, but the effect was not significant.
The toll of cultivating a skill to the Peak Realm was far greater than Zou Feng had anticipated.
But there was nothing he could do about it. It was only natural to miscalculate without any prior experience.
In his current state, even two more bottles of Qi Blood Pills or Essence Strengthening Pills probably wouldn’t be enough.
The main issue was that they weren’t the right remedy; the depletion from his Poison Skill couldn’t be replenished by elixirs alone.
Relying on instinct, Zou Feng felt that what he truly needed now was to consume a large amount of Spirit Beast Meat.
’In that case, I should hurry back and find Bian Yixia to get some Spirit Beast Meat on credit.’
Last night, Bian Yixia had led another hunting party to Qifeng Mountain and had finally returned with a catch.
Although Zou Feng hadn’t helped, they were close enough that getting some meat on credit shouldn’t be a problem.
’Once I’ve recovered and broken through to Seventh Grade, I’ll focus on helping the Black Flood Dragon Gang deal with the Mountain and River Association—and maybe even the Danxin Alliance, who are probably already colluding with them in secret...’
With this in mind, Zou Feng quickly tidied up the "crime scene" and made a swift departure.
’The local venomous creatures would naturally take care of the scum’s corpses.’
Returning swiftly to the Dragon Gate Boat, Zou Feng didn’t stop for a moment. He went straight to the Practice Room, found Bian Yixia, and got right to the point.
"You want Spirit Beast Meat on credit?" Bian Yixia had always been generous with Zou Feng, so she replied nonchalantly, "No need for credit. I’ll cut you a pound in a bit."
Zou Feng coughed. "Miss, I need... ten pounds!"
’One pound really wouldn’t be enough.’
Only then did Bian Yixia turn to look at him. "What do you need so much for?"
Many gang members had participated in the hunt, and everyone was due a share of the spoils. Giving Zou Feng one pound was nothing, but she had to ask for a clear reason when it came to ten.