Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Poison Master

    ?

    "Stupid snake, ever heard of the Icy Heart Pill?"

    Octane Blast!

    Even with a dirt-covered face, the proud smile on Xiao Yan''s face couldn''t be hidden by the mud.

    He swiftly closed the distance with all of his strength gathered in this punch. No matter how hard the scales of the Black Steel Giant Python were, they couldn''t protect its scaleless underbelly, nor could it dodge his carefully calculated strike in time.

    With a long whistle, he unleashed a lethal blow filled with the unstoppable momentum of Octane Blast.

    The punch landed solidly with a loud bang. Finally, his attack sent the giant Black Steel Giant Python flying into the air, and the eight layers of hidden force struck it eight times before it fell from the sky.

    With a thud, the Black Steel Giant Python fell heavily to the ground. Blood spurted from its eyes and mouth. All of its bones were shattered by Xiao Yan''s Octane Blast, and its internal organs were turned to mush by the dark force.

    After twitching a few times, it died unwillingly.

    Xiao Yan sat on his butt on the body of the Black Steel Giant Python, took out a cloth from his storage ring to wipe the mud off his body, and changed into a new set of clothes.

    ''Rank 2 Magical Beasts are indeed tough to deal with; I actually had to use an Icy Heart Pill.'' But there wasn''t a rule against using medicinal pills, was there?

    The Icy Heart Pill was a 2nd-tier medicinal pill with a rather unique effect. Upon ingestion, it immediately generated a cold current that chilled one to the bone. Not only did it cool the mind and help one calm down, but more importantly, the cold current from the Icy Heart Pill rapidly lowered the temperature of the body''s flesh and meridians.

    This was one of the alternative medicinal pills that he had prepared for devouring a Heavenly Flame.

    To devour a Heavenly Flame, one could not simply swallow it directly; otherwise, one would be burned to death before even beginning to refine the flame.

    Xiao Yan discovered from the notes of the previous owner of his storage ring, who had absorbed the Bone Chilling Flame, that three items needed to be prepared in advance in order to increase the success rate of absorbing a Heavenly Flame.

    The first item was the 5th-tier medicinal pill, Blood Lotus Essence Pill, which could form a continuous bloody layer to protect the body, allowing him to get closer to the Heavenly Flame. The second item was the Acceptance Soul, which Xiao Yan had been lucky enough to find in the mysterious storage ring. The third item was the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain.

    If the Blood Lotus Essence Pill was for protecting the exterior, then the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain served as a guardian for the interior. It could protect one from being incinerated into nothingness by the destructive temperature of the Heavenly Flame during its refinement. Unfortunately, Xiao Yan was out of luck, because while the Blood Lotus Essence Pill at least had a recipe and could possibly be refined by someone else if necessary, he had never even heard of the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain. Therefore, he refined the lower-tier substitute, the Icy Heart Pill, himself.

    If he truly couldn''t find the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain and encountered a Heavenly Flame, he planned to use a large quantity of Icy Heart Pills as a replacement.

    them.

    Only Poison Masters frequently refined poisons.

    The profession of Poison Master didn''t have a good reputation on the Dou Qi Continent. Many people were somewhat wary of dealing with Poison Masters because of their stealthy and deadly poisoning methods, which could make any opponent or even a friend uneasy.

    The Chu Yun Empire, neighboring the Jia Ma Empire, was a nation dominated by Poison Masters. It could even be said that the Chu Yun Empire was a gathering place for them. Every time there was a war between the two empires, many soldiers from the Jia Ma Empire died at the hands of the Poison Masters'' deadly poisons.

    "Quite perceptive, I am Zhang Chuan Wu from the Chu Yun Empire. Now that you know my name, you can die in peace," Zhang Chuan Wu said with full confidence and a cold smirk.

    Xiao Yan remained unflustered as he listened to Zhang Chuan Wu''s self-introduction. He glanced at the latter and said in a leisurely manner, "Xiao Yan, from Wu Tan City in the Jia Ma

    Empire, a 2nd-tier alchemist."

    !!!!

    Upon hearing the word ''alchemist,'' Zhang Chuan Wu''s eyes looked as if they wanted to devour someone, filled with deep resentment and bitterness.

    Xiao Yan had deliberately introduced himself in this manner. Ninety percent of Poison Masters became so because they couldn''t become alchemists.

    Alchemist was a profession that everyone on the Dou Qi Continent aspired to because of its special requirements that deterred most people. Those with the talent for refining medicine but unable to become alchemists often choose to become doctors, healing the sick and saving

    lives.

    Some, however, chose to become Poison Masters out of jealousy and hatred, refining poisons that were the very antithesis of medicinal pills.

    As an alchemist, Xiao Yan represented what Zhang Chuan Wu had once aspired to but failed to become. It was as if someone had taken the woman he loved and flaunted their affection in

    front of him.

    "Kekeke. Fine, very fine. I''ll let you experience how it feels to have all your limbs lose all

    sensation, leaving only your head clear while someone slowly cuts the flesh off your body

    piece by piece!"

    Xiao Yan spread his hands with a look of helplessness and said indifferently, "That is just an anesthetic surgery, though it seems you lack an anesthesiologist''s license."