Chapter Fifteen: The Vajra Body of a Hundred Poisons

The once harmonious atmosphere between Li Ju and Du Tianyou was shattered by that cold snort.

Li Ju followed the origin of the sound and saw a wall to his left.

"You always manage to ruin the mood whenever you speak," Du Tianyou muttered, as if curling his lip.

"Hmph, I'm merely stating facts," came the voice, icy and indifferent.

"Senior Du, may I ask who this gentleman is?" Li Ju inquired of Du Tianyou.

"This fellow? You must have heard of him. His name is Lian Tao," Du Tianyou replied.

"So it's Senior Lian Tao, the 'Charging Fist'," Li Ju exclaimed, excitement rising in his heart upon hearing the name.

Lian Tao, known as "Charging Fist", was one of the veteran internal martial arts masters in the world of Flying Sword Chronicles. His reputation and strength were equal to Du Tianyou’s, both formidable figures.

Now that Lian Tao appeared, it meant the quality of Li Ju’s reward pool had just improved again.

"Boy, I heard those two demon cult brats mention you’ve undergone the first Poison Tempering?" Lian Tao asked.

"I don’t know the specifics, Senior. I was fleeing with my senior brother, then was caught by the demon cult and fell unconscious. When I awoke, I found myself here," Li Ju answered, omitting the fact that he had once woken up in the poison pool.

"Senior, may I ask what exactly is this Poison Tempering?" Li Ju asked curiously.

"Poison Tempering… Boy, do you know of the evil art called the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body in the demon cult?" Lian Tao began, not waiting for Li Ju’s answer.

"The Hundred Venoms Vajra Body allows its practitioner to gain immense strength and immunity from all poisons. Even the internal energy of a martial arts master cannot penetrate the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body."

"It means that even if you know nothing of martial arts, once you master the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body, you immediately become one of the top internal masters!"

"For a martial artist to become an internal master, it requires enormous effort and resources, and even then not everyone succeeds."

"But to master the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body, you only need to undergo Poison Tempering three times in the poison pool. While constructing the poison pool consumes a lot of resources, it’s still far less than what’s needed for a traditional martial artist to reach the internal master stage."

Lian Tao’s words left Li Ju momentarily stunned.

The strength of an internal master was formidable; in the Flying Sword Chronicles, such people were the elite of the martial world, their names resounding far and wide. Even in Li Ju’s real world, an internal master could reign over an entire county.

If Li Ju could break through to the internal master stage in reality, all his troubles would be resolved, and he’d have the ability to deal with the malicious internal master from Yangyuan County.

After a moment of thought, Li Ju asked, "What’s the price?"

Every power comes with a price. If the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body could grant such strength in merely three rounds of Poison Tempering, the cost must be enormous.

"You’re clever, not blinded by the allure of the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body," Du Tianyou remarked with surprise. He thought that for a young newcomer to the martial world, such fast-track techniques would be irresistible, yet Li Ju saw past the surface, a temperament superior to most young martial artists.

"The price is to endure pain deadly enough to kill, and to be controlled by the demon cult for life," Lian Tao replied, his tone still cold.

"Practicing the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body requires Poison Tempering in the pool, and the demon cult’s poison pool is specially engineered to target the body’s weaknesses, amplifying pain to its extreme."

"Ordinary people will die from the pain as soon as they enter. Even those with special constitutions often die during the process."

"And even if you survive three rounds and master the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body, it doesn’t mean you’re free. The demon cult developed a method to control anyone who masters it. It’s said that anyone who practices the cult’s secret arts can control a Hundred Venoms Vajra Body practitioner."

"However, each Hundred Venoms Vajra Body practitioner can only be controlled by one cult member at a time. Because of this, they are called the demon cult’s Vajra Guardians," Lian Tao continued.

The demon cult’s secret arts…

Initially, after hearing Lian Tao’s explanation, Li Ju lost interest in the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body. But when he heard those last words, his eyes lit up.

His Ghost Bat Skill was a legitimate demon cult secret art, obtained from Wu E, one of the cult’s four disciples!

If he succeeded in mastering the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body, he could control himself!

Thus, what was a useless chicken rib to most would become a shortcut to power for him!

"Too bad you’ve already undergone the first Poison Tempering. According to the nature of the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body, the next two rounds must be completed within two days. Even if you survive, you’ll likely become a slave to the cult…" Du Tianyou added.

Li Ju’s thoughts drifted. If the original storyline played out, the original "Li Ju" would be turned into a Hundred Venoms Vajra Body, controlled and sent to battle Wang Lu, enacting a tragic confrontation between senior brothers.

"Do you gentlemen know any way to lessen the pain during Poison Tempering?" Li Ju shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. He now focused on what mattered most to him.

If he didn’t have to worry about being controlled, the only obstacle was surviving the pain of Poison Tempering.

If he could endure three rounds, he would master the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body and gain strength equal to internal masters. Though the physique acquired in the scenario couldn’t be brought back to reality, he could use it to dominate the scenario, seeking a faster and better path to victory.

"It’s said that practicing the demon cult’s secret arts in the poison pool can greatly reduce the pain during Poison Tempering. However, so far, no one with the cult’s secret arts has been qualified to attempt the Hundred Venoms Vajra Body, so this claim has never been verified," Du Tianyou said after a moment’s hesitation.

Practicing the demon cult’s secret arts…

Li Ju narrowed his eyes.

If this was true, then perhaps this time, he could truly rise to the occasion.