Chapter 451

On one hand, Ling Sheng Pharmaceuticals had reached a point where they truly needed a high-end product to bolster their image and demonstrate the company’s strength and foundation.

On the other hand, He Ling Su had proven her loyalty by standing firmly by Lu Sheng’s side when he became the center of attention today. The last person who had earned Lu Sheng’s trust in a similar way was Lin Ze from the Seventh Sage Martial University.

Back then, during the freshman competition when Lu Sheng faced multiple opponents, Lin Ze, despite trembling with fear, had still stood in front of Lu Sheng, shouting at the unruly freshmen, “F*** all of you!”

That had been the highlight of Lin Ze’s life.

Thinking of Lin Ze, Lu Sheng figured he should meet up with some old friends in the next few days. His time in the military region had felt longer than years spent elsewhere, and he missed them.

After contacting the military, a designated officer came to escort Lu Sheng to a high-end hotel arranged by the military.

Lu Sheng didn’t mind the quality of the accommodation. After checking in, he took a shower, lay down on the bed, and reached for the “Sage’s Fall” he had obtained from Li Die. It was a small bottle, no bigger than a vial of medicated oil.

Over the past few days, Lu Sheng had been constantly on the move with little personal space, so he hadn’t had a chance to carefully examine it.

“A super poison said to be capable of killing even a Level 9 Martial Sage …” Lu Sheng was quite curious.

He had searched the dream world for information about the “Sage’s Fall” and was surprised by the results.

This poison was indeed formidable, capable of inflicting serious damage even to top-tier martial artists in the future martial world, even leading to the death of a Level 10 expert, which had caused quite a stir.

Lu Sheng stared at the vial in his hand for a long time, before finally giving in to his curiosity and coming up with a crazy idea.

“What if … I try it?”

A poison that even a Level 9 Martial Sage couldn’t withstand—if he could survive it, wouldn’t that make him stronger than a Level 9 Martial Sage? Moreover, Lu Sheng was curious. How exactly did this poison manage to kill a Martial Sage?

“Even a Level 7 Martial Master’s physique can resist more than 99% of the world’s poisons. They could drink paraquat like water, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration …”

The immune system, cellular activity, and metabolic rate of martial artists were tens to hundreds of times stronger than those of ordinary people. Even if the poison managed to take effect, the damage it caused would be repaired quickly by the grandmaster’s body.

“The Fireseed Repository’s introduction mentioned that this toxin, extracted from Level 9 exotic beasts, works on a level far deeper than genetics …”

What could be deeper than genetics?

Lu Sheng wasn’t sure.

“It’s said to cause permanent damage, but since my cells will eventually be replaced by immortal cells, it doesn’t really matter …”

Not to mention the added effect of the Stellar Immortal Physique …

Of course, Lu Sheng wasn’t foolish. Testing was one thing, but he wasn’t about to down the whole vial in one gulp.

A tiny amount—one ten-thousandth—would be enough for him to get a feel for it.

“Let’s dilute it first.”

Lu Sheng poured a cup of water using the hotel’s teacup, then opened the vial and used his spiritual power to extract a tiny drop of dark green liquid, which he gently dropped into the cup.

The dark green poison immediately dissolved into the water, becoming completely colorless and odorless.

Lu Sheng tried picking up the vial, pretending to pour it into his mouth. However, the seven immortal cells in his brow didn’t react at all.

Strange.

“Colorless, odorless, and even spiritual energy can’t detect any trace of it. No wonder it could take down a Martial Sage …”

With a special feeling in his heart, Lu Sheng drank the cup of water containing the “Sage’s Fall” in one gulp.

After finishing, he chewed on the cup, just to make sure there was no leftover residue that could harm the next guest. With his current physique, he could chew through steel, so a glass cup was nothing.

Lu Sheng sat on the bed quietly for a moment. Soon, his body began to react. He felt a noticeable heat building in his stomach.

Lu Sheng quickly used his spiritual energy to scan his body.

He discovered that his stomach lining and intestines were inflating and deflating, forming raised welts that would quickly subside, only to rise again … It repeated this process.

On a deeper level, Lu Sheng saw that his cells were swelling, contracting, and vibrating violently. It seemed like two forces were battling within his cells. One force was attempting to alter them, pushing them toward some unknown transformation. The other was desperately resisting this transformation.

Lu Sheng pondered this.

“This is a genetic-level battle. The genes of these high-level exotic beasts are highly aggressive. Deep contact leads to gradual assimilation, just like how those evil Masters I encountered on the 30th level of the Catacombs had their spiritual power twisted by the will of the depths, while their bodies were mutated by the genes of exotic beasts.”

The “Sage’s Fall” was an essence of the genes extracted from Level 9 exotic beasts, so the assimilation and aggression were far stronger than those caused by regular exotic beast flesh.

Although Lu Sheng only drank a tiny bit, the effect was likely more severe than someone consuming dozens of Level 7 exotic beasts. However, Lu Sheng’s body was far too strong. His Stellar Immortal Physique was extraordinarily dominant, completely unfazed by the opposition.

As soon as the two forces clashed, they immediately started battling, which led to the swelling and heat in his stomach and intestines. Before long, Lu Sheng’s genes achieved final victory, completely eliminating the invasive genes. His stomach returned to normal.

“But this still seems to be a genetic-level power. The records mention toxicity beyond the genetic level—what does that mean?”

Lu Sheng thought to himself, “Could it be that the deeper toxicity only manifests once the cells have been successfully transformed?”