Walking into the Compendium Hall, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.
It wasn't that he wanted to impersonate the founder of the Poison Temple, but he had no other choice at the time.
If he hadn't done so, Elder Xu would have very likely committed suicide, and his grudge with the Poison Temple would have been irreconcilable. While this was a little too much of an excuse, it was still a way to resolve all of the problems he was facing without affecting his reading of the books.
Of course, it was all thanks to Vicious that he was able to successfully impersonate the founder of the Poison Temple.
With the help of the Violetleaf King's Button of Disguise, he was able to conceal the killing intent in his body, thus allowing him to emit the aura of a human expert. This way, Ruo Qingyuan and the others wouldn't dare to doubt him.
Otherwise, if Vicious were to reveal his killing intent, even a fool would know that he was an Otherworldly Demon. Putting aside intimidating others, he might have been exposed before he could even speak.
However, the effectiveness of the Button of Disguise was still far inferior to the books left behind by Kong Shi. It might be able to fool poison masters, but it wouldn't be so easy to fool master teachers.
"I wonder how long I can hide from them. I should read the books first!"
Even though he had managed to intimidate the other party for the time being, there were many things that couldn't withstand scrutiny. Thus, the only thing he could do at the moment was to browse through the books as soon as possible. As long as he could find a way to deal with Wei Ruyan, he would be able to leave right away.
With such thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan quickly made his way up to the fourth floor.
The books on this floor were significantly fewer than those on the previous three floors, but they were much more profound. Those who had left behind these books were 4-star pinnacle, 5-star, or even higher.
Scanning through the rows of books, Zhang Xuan imprinted the books into his mind and converted them into his own knowledge. The more books he read, the deeper his understanding of the poison master occupation grew.
In less than two hours, he had finished browsing through the books on this floor, and he continued on to the fifth floor.
The books on this floor were only available to 5-star poison masters, so it took him less than an hour to finish browsing through all of them.
"Still nothing?"
After browsing through all of the books on the fifth floor, there was still no news regarding the Innate Poison Body. Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
There were only seven floors in the Compendium Hall, and he had already read more than half of the books. Yet, there was still no news regarding the Innate Poison Body at all. Could it be that there was no solution to the Innate Poison Body here?
If that was the case, he would be in trouble!
Although Wei Ruyan's condition had not deteriorated completely, it was impossible for her to persist in searching for a higher-level Poison Temple.
"Let's finish looking at the last two floors before making a decision …"
Knowing that there was no point in being anxious, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella before continuing on his way.
There were less than ten thousand books on this floor. Walking slowly along the bookshelves, Zhang Xuan was just about to head to the final floor to take a look when the door suddenly opened, 'jiya!', and a figure walked in.
He was an old man in his sixties. He had a snowy white beard and a pair of piercing eyes. His clothes were ordinary, and he wasn't wearing a poison master emblem, so it was impossible to discern his exact rank.
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan was just about to head up when Vicious' voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Master, that person's cultivation is even higher than Ruo Qingyuan. Most likely, he has already reached Saint 4-dan …"
"Saint 4-dan, Seven Star Poison Master?"
Zhang Xuan was stunned.
Wasn't the strongest person in the Hongyuan Poison Temple, Hall Master Ruo Qingyuan? Even so, he was only at Saint 3-dan pinnacle. Why would a Saint 4-dan poison master suddenly appear here?
With such strength, he was already on par with the Violetleaf King.
"That's right. He might have hidden himself well, but he won't be able to fool me!" Vicious sent a telepathic message over.
After devouring the Primordial Spirit of the Waterleaf King, he had regained a little of his strength. Thus, even the old man wasn't able to notice his presence.
"Why would a Saint 4-dan expert sneak in so discreetly?"
With a deep frown, Zhang Xuan raised his guard.
Just as he was about to toss the Violetleaf King and his puppets out to deal with the other party, he suddenly thought of something and halted his movements.
Considering how powerful the other party was, it was unlikely that the other party was here to browse through the books. Without a doubt, the other party was here to look for him.
Most likely, the other party wasn't here to cause trouble but to test the other party's suspicions.
If the other party was only here to test the other party's strength, there was no need for him to summon the Violetleaf King. Otherwise, if the other party were to cause a huge commotion, not only would his disguise be rendered useless, the books on the seventh floor would be destroyed as well.
"A Saint 4-dan expert who possesses a Primordial Spirit won't be as easy to fool as before …"
It would be best if he didn't make a move, but it would be much more difficult to fool a Saint 4-dan expert.
As long as he didn't die from the poison, Ruo Qingyuan and the others wouldn't dare to doubt his words. However, this trick wouldn't work on a Primordial Spirit expert.
Those who possessed a Primordial Spirit would be able to examine one's soul … Zhang Xuan had only gained this ability due to the fusion of his soul with Wei Ruyan, so he didn't possess the true Poison Soul Constitution.
Unless … he could prevent the other party from using his Primordial Spirit to examine him!
What should he do?
…
While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, the old man behind him was also assessing the young man in the room.
The young man before him was indeed only a Nascent Saint cultivator. He couldn't see anything special about him, and his appearance was rather ordinary as well.
He couldn't help but wonder why Ruo Qingyuan and the others would be so gullible as to think that the other party possessed the soul of their founder.
Just as he was about to ask about the young man, the young man suddenly dashed forward and crashed into a row of bookshelves.
"Un!"
Zhang Xuan frowned.
Could it be that the other party had noticed his uniqueness and was so frightened that he wanted to flee?
If that was the case, he would be in deep trouble!
Furthermore, judging from the young man's speed, if he had really crashed into the bookshelves, the books on the shelves could very well have been destroyed by him!
These were the books that countless poison masters of the Poison Temple had painstakingly gathered over the years. How could he allow them to be destroyed right before his eyes?
Zhang Xuan's face darkened as he drove his zhenqi to grab the young man. However, the young man suddenly stopped and sat down cross-legged on the floor, seemingly entering a state of cultivation.
Cultivation …
The old man was perplexed.
It was just a moment ago that the other party was dashing forward with all his might, intending to crash into the bookshelves. Yet, in the next moment, he sat down to cultivate … This was way too bizarre!
The old man was Poisoner White, Bai Ting, who had just returned from the headquarters. After learning that the young man was in the library, he had instructed Ruo Qingyuan and the others to guard the entrance while he walked in alone.
Just as he was thinking of how he should approach the other party, the voice of the young man beside him suddenly sounded.
"What did you see?"
Poisoner White scanned the surroundings, but there was no one else around. Perplexed, he pointed to himself and asked, "Me?"
Instead of replying, the young man before him nodded in response.
Unsure of the other party's intentions, Poisoner White hesitated for a moment before replying, "Other than books, there doesn't seem to be anything else!"
This was the Compendium Hall, and there were only bookshelves and books in sight. What else could there be other than those two?
"Sigh!"
The young man before him sighed deeply. His voice carried a hint of disappointment as he said, "I thought that a Seven Star pinnacle poison master, a Saint 4-dan expert, would be able to see things differently, but from the looks of it … you're no different from the others."
"Y-you … know of my strength?"
Poisoner White narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
He had concealed his strength, and he wasn't wearing his emblem either. Thus, on the surface, he looked no different from an ordinary 6-star poison master. Yet, the other party was still able to see through his strength with his back facing him … This left him in disbelief.
"You are just a Saint 4-dan expert, what's there to be unable to see through your strength?"
The middle-aged man harrumphed coldly as he 'gazed' at the bookshelf not too far away. "This isn't a book but knowledge. It's a pity that the later generations have misled me, causing my heritage to be distorted!"
"Your heritage?"
Poisoner White frowned.
"Un."
The middle-aged man nodded before sighing once more. "Do you know why you're unable to achieve a breakthrough even after reaching Seven Star pinnacle? The Starsilkworm Art isn't a weak cultivation technique, but it's a pity that there's a problem with the poison that complements it, resulting in the Primordial Spirit acupoint being sealed shut. It's truly a pity! "
"Y-you … know that I cultivate the Starsilkworm Art?"
Poisoner White's body stiffened in disbelief.
He had intended to test the other party, but before he could say a word, those words had already left his eyes widening in shock.
The Starsilkworm Art that he cultivated was created by an 8-star poison master, and he had coincidentally obtained it during a trial. He thought that with such a formidable cultivation technique, it would only be a matter of time before he became an 8-star poison master. Who could have thought that he would be stuck at Seven Star pinnacle for several centuries already?
As for the reason why he was stuck, it was exactly as the other party had said. Back then, when he was cultivating the Starsilkworm Art, there was a problem with the poison that complemented it, resulting in his foundation being damaged. As a result, his Primordial Spirit acupoint was sealed shut, and he was unable to open it no matter how hard he tried.
He was already unable to do so when he was younger, and given that he was only a hundred years away from reaching the end of his lifespan, it was unlikely that he would be able to achieve a breakthrough in his lifetime!
This was his deepest secret, such that even Poison Master Hai, who had come with him, wasn't aware of it. Yet, the person before him was able to see through it without even looking at it … His entire body turned cold, and his heart nearly leaped out of his throat in fright.
To be able to see through all of this with a single glance … could the other party really be the founder?
Otherwise, even an 8-star poison master wouldn't have such eye of discernment!
"The Starsilkworm Art allows one to breathe in and out like a silkworm, illuminating the starry sky. Nourishing yourself with poison and using the stars as a medium, the original intent of the technique is to transform your breath into silk and circulate it throughout your body. Yet, you chose to cover your entire body with silk, sealing your Primordial Spirit acupoint … It would have been a miracle if you were able to open it! "
The middle-aged man shook his head in disappointment, as if he was lamenting over the fact that his junior had chosen the wrong path.
"I …"
Cold sweat trickled down Poisoner White's forehead, and he found himself at a loss for words.
Not only was the other party able to see through his cultivation with a single glance, he was even able to point out the flaws in his Starsilkworm Art, as well as the flaws in his cultivation …
This was no longer something that could be explained by mere eye of discernment … One had to possess an extremely deep understanding of the poison master occupation in order to achieve such a feat!
Even the hall master of the Starsilkworm Art branch that he was in … wouldn't be able to achieve such a feat!
"There's no need to worry. It was a mistake to use poison, but … it shouldn't have harmed your foundation. For you to have made such a huge mistake in your cultivation, it's likely that someone has betrayed you!"
Paying no heed to Poison Master Hai's anxiety, the middle-aged man continued.
"You …"
Poisoner White's hair stood on end, and his eyes widened to the point where they were about to fall to the ground. At this moment, he could no longer maintain the composure of a Seven Star poison master, and he couldn't help but ask, "H-how did you know?"
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