Chapter 52: Is Dispelling My Cultivation an Option?

Chapter 52: Is Dispelling My Cultivation an Option?

From last night to today, Li Yan had become certain of one thing: the reason he was here was because of that so-called "Fractured Poison Body." This reminded him once more of Strategist Ji's "Pig-Raising Plan."

Could it be that this "Fractured Poison Body" was also meant to be some kind of sacrificial offering for others? That thought arose involuntarily in his mind. Otherwise, why would every single group that came mention it?

That reason alone was enough to make him want to escape this place.

As for what Li Wuyi had been saying, how could Li Yan possibly believe it? Li Wuyi looked at Li Yan's confused expression and sighed inwardly.

"Poor Junior Brother Li… Already at the second level of Qi Condensation, and yet doesn't even know the most basic of facts. It seems he really was just used as a lamb to suck the spiritual power out of and left to die afterward."

"Junior Brother Li," he said aloud, "I understand you find some of my words hard to believe, but that's just how the world of cultivation is. Its power isn't something that you, who just entered the Immortal Sect, can comprehend."

"Besides, even if you wanted to return now, how could you possibly manage it? This place is a million li away from your homeland. Four whole days have already passed. If that Meng Kingdom you spoke of was going to invade, it would've happened by now. But they wouldn't dare."

"Let me explain three things very clearly."

"First: You've cultivated a technique from our Wraith Sect. That alone is an undeniable fact, and because of it, you cannot simply leave the sect."

"Second: Even if the higher-ups allowed you to leave, how would you make the journey? Beyond the sect are endless mountain ranges and beasts lurking at every turn. With your current cultivation, facing even a first-rank demon beast would mean near-certain death. You wouldn't get far."

"Third: This journey of a million li, how do you think you got here? You were brought by disciples from a subordinate sect using a series of teleportation arrays. If not for the urgency and your special constitution, they wouldn't have dared use the array even then."

"Even so, it took three full days of continuous teleportation. And now you want to leave? Do you think the sect would just let you use those arrays again?"

"Let's take it to the extreme, even if there were no beasts or obstacles, how long would it take you to walk a million li? One year? Two years? Ten years? A hundred?"

Li Wuyi furrowed his brows as he spoke.

Li Yan was stunned by what he heard.

"Unconscious for three days... and I'm a million li from Great Qing Pass?"

He had, indeed, cultivated the Wraith Sect's technique, this was undeniable. Given that, if he tried to leave, they wouldn't treat him as a disciple anymore.

Looking at the sincerity in Li Wuyi's eyes, Li Yan began to suspect that perhaps he was telling the truth.

A million li from home... If he agreed to officially enter the sect, even if they did have some secret plot involving this "Fractured Poison Body," they wouldn't act on it right away. That kind of scheme couldn't stay hidden forever, sooner or later, he'd find out.

He didn't know what a "teleportation array" was, but it sounded impressive. Probably some kind of spell that let people travel long distances quickly. And if it took three days just to bring him here, then if something were to happen back home, it had already happened. There was nothing he could do about it now.

"A million li… a million li…"

Suddenly, a strange desire rose in his heart, a desire for cultivation.

He wanted to become strong. He wanted control over his own life.

Unlike Great Qing Pass, unlike this place, where everything was dictated by others, he had no power to resist.

Where he was powerless, like an ant or even less than an ant. Even ants had companions.

But he still wanted to try, to make one last effort. Not to go back, but to leave. This place made him feel unsafe. That damned "poison body" could be the source of future calamity.

He looked up at Li Wuyi and steadied his voice.

"Then… can I dispel this 'Fractured Poison Body'? After that, can the sect help send me back home? Or at least send me somewhere where mortals live?"

At this point, he just wanted to get away from here.

He didn't care about the poison body anymore. If it could be removed, so be it. He still had the Guishui True Scripture, he could start over from scratch.

As long as he reached a place with no demon beasts, where mortals lived, he could take his time searching for spiritual lands and begin again. Once he grew strong, he could do whatever he wanted.

Li Wuyi was dumbfounded.

He had seen all kinds of people desperate to cultivate, people who would do anything for it. Some with pure, unyielding hearts. Some who sold their souls. Some who abandoned their families.

But never had he seen someone who hated cultivation so much they wanted to abandon it, even dispel their own cultivation.

He let out a bitter laugh.

"Junior Brother Li… all I can say is, you've missed out on a lot of the very basics of entering the cultivation path."

"First off, dispelling one's cultivation isn't impossible but it comes at a huge cost. It severely damages your lifespan. You could even die instantly."

"Second, the cultivation world's famous 'Fractured Poison Body,' do you really think it can just be removed? It's already fused with your bones, your blood, your meridians. Once you lose your spiritual power, how will you resist a body full of the world's most lethal poison?"

"You'd die in moments. That 'Fractured Poison Body'… it ranks second in our sect's list of supreme poison physiques."

Seeing that Li Yan was truly a complete novice, white as a blank sheet, Li Wuyi resigned himself to acting as his makeshift introductory teacher.

Of course, there were far too many things Li Yan needed to learn, far more than could be explained in a short time.

So, for now, he focused on explaining the most critical matter: the terrifying nature of the supreme poison body within him.

"The Fractured Poison Body is one of the three great toxic physiques of the Wraith Sect, ranked second, and considered one of the sect's most lethal weapons. But for nearly a thousand years, no one has successfully cultivated any of these three poison bodies.

"The only ones who currently possess them are two Grand Elders of the sect at the late Nascent Soul stage. These two cultivated their poison bodies over a thousand years ago, and theirs happen to be the first and third-ranked among the three.

"These two thus became peerless figures in the current cultivation world. Although the sect has other Nascent Soul Grand Elders, in terms of combat strength, these two stand unmatched."

Each poison body requires a vastly different cultivation method. That's also why these two Grand Elders did not take Li Yan as their disciple, not only was his aptitude too poor, but the Fractured Poison Body also follows a completely different path from theirs, and they wouldn't be able to guide him.

Compared to the other two, the Fractured Poison Body is more peculiar. One of the other two is cultivated by ingesting rare herbs and poisons, then refining them step by step using Wraith Sect techniques.

The other is an innate wind-based poison body, specifically of the yin attribute, a constitution that naturally harmonizes with toxic energies, allowing for the cultivation of the sect's secret arts.

This type of constitution is extremely rare but not nonexistent. It tends to arise in places dense with yin energy and stagnant poison, where miasma flows slowly.

Such places still exist across the continent. One of the Wraith Sect's two Grand Elders with a poison body hails from the southern Zhuoluo Swamp Province on the Barren Moon Continent, a place teeming with swamp gas and poisonous creatures.

The cultivation of these two poison bodies is unimaginably dangerous. Even with the Wraith Sect's secret arts, one misstep can result in madness from myriad poisons or death from toxins invading the brain, a gruesome fate.

The Fractured Poison Body, however, forms through far more mysterious means. It is a special mutation of poison physiques. It has no corresponding cultivation manual. Instead, it forms when a poison cultivator absorbs various toxins into their body during regular cultivation, slowly refining and integrating them into their spiritual energy.

As one's cultivation deepens, these toxins accumulate. Through constant refinement and infusion into the spiritual energy, a transformation gradually occurs. Cultivators of this type are known as poison cultivators.

Poison cultivation is fast, highly offensive, and unorthodox. Initially, it brings rapid progress, but as more toxins are absorbed, not all can be fully refined. Once accumulated to a certain degree, they may clash internally.

If the cultivator fails to suppress them, the toxins scatter throughout the body. The once-stabilized toxins unravel, and all spiritual energy dissipates, resulting in instant death.

Among poison cultivators, there's a rare kind who show no signs of toxicity in their bodies. Even when using righteous sect techniques, they appear perfectly normal.

But when their spells strike opponents, deadly poisons emerge, without name or classification.

At first, these poisons might corrode, invade, or cling to their targets. But as the cultivator grows stronger, they learn to control these toxins, tailoring the effect to match each attack, catching enemies off guard.

Cultivating this poison body feels like every piece of flesh, bone, and tendon is being separated, like one's body is being dismembered.

Each tiny piece of muscle, bone, and meridian is continuously tempered, transformed, and fractured again, leaving the body in a seemingly shattered state. Thus, the name: Fractured Poison Body.

This physique is exceedingly strange. Wraith Sect is not the only sect that practices poison cultivation; there are many others. Yet none have ever seen this type of physique emerge within their ranks.

Later studies suggested it may be tied to certain Wraith Sect techniques. However, each peak of the sect has its own unique poison methods. And since the ancient days, every peak has had individuals manifest this physique.

Yet, when the sect tried to intentionally cultivate such physiques, they always failed. Even to this day, its origin remains a mystery.

One thing, however, is certain that it's related to the Wraith Sect's cultivation techniques and the process of medicine infusion and marrow cleansing. Because of this, all entry-level techniques of the sect include this step.

Li Wuyi summarized the main points about the Fractured Poison Body, then looked at Li Yan again.

He had deliberately avoided mentioning that Li Yan's mixed spiritual roots might be the reason for his unique poison body, because that would immediately doom Li Yan's future potential to no more than the Foundation Establishment stage, even with great luck.

Li Wuyi was a generous and kind person. He wouldn't discourage Li Yan. Whether Li Yan knew what "mixed roots" meant or not, it was best to let him discover and understand it on his own.

Li Yan was both shocked and pleased as he listened.

He was alarmed by the terrifying nature of this physique and worried whether it might affect his cultivation of the Guishui True Scripture.

But he was also glad, based on what Li Wuyi said, he could now be sure that the reason those people had taken such interest in him over the past two days wasn't malicious. At the very least, it seemed they wanted him alive to let the poison body develop.

That alone was enough to put his mind at ease. Returning home was no longer an option and perhaps no longer meaningful.

Li Yan let out a long sigh in his heart. From the moment he encountered Strategist Ji, he had stepped onto a road of no return: either an early death or a journey into the unknown.

If the sect hadn't lied to him, his family should be safe. If they had lied, then once he was strong enough, he'd return to Meng Kingdom and take revenge, why keep torturing himself with doubt?

Li Wuyi watched him. After a while, Li Yan looked up and gave him a slight smile, something that struck Li Wuyi as strangely out of place.

From the moment Li Yan had entered the room, he had been expressionless, without sorrow or joy, giving off a wooden, dull look. But now, something seemed to have changed.

"Li Yan greets Senior Brother!"

Li Yan stood up and gave a deep bow.

(Chapter End)