Level of Toxin

After completing several missions, Zhihao managed to replenish the stock shortage within a few hours. Jia later returned with vegetables and fish for dinner, assisting Meisha in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, having obtained permission, Zhihao wasted no time departing from the house to the Jinsao school. He was eager to delve into new knowledge and master his interest in the realm of harmful concoctions.

"You again!" exclaimed the brown-haired man, intercepting Zhihao in front of the school entrance. "Where are the elixirs? Weren't you here for a delivery?"

Observing the man empty-handed, Zhihao stated, "No, I'm here because Master Ryusa has invited me to conduct research under her."

"Is that true?" the other student chimed in, skeptical. "I never knew she accepted disciple before."

Zhihao squinted, their demeanor dubious. "Yes, ask her about that," the alchemist replied with some annoyance.

"Alright, we will watch over you," the male brunette student turned to his friend. "You take him to her, I'll watch the gate."

The scholar nodded, gesturing with his hand. "Follow me and keep your hands clean," he cautioned, stepping inside, with Zhihao following.

"You know me, right?" the dark-haired man wondered. "What's with this behavior?"

"Can't help it," the student named Funrie replied, still watching forward. "This is Master's decree to be extra cautious."

"What happened?" curious, Zhihao inquired.

"Who knows, they didn't tell," he turned to Zhihao with both eyes vigilance. "It seemed someone wanted to do something bad under our noses."

Zhihao speculated that most of this was likely based on Xinran's stay at the school, just as Jia mentioned. The woman disclosed all the problems they faced, emphasizing the terror that pursued them. The bandits' target this time was focused on Jinsao.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at Ryusa's place. The woman confirmed that Zhihao intended to study with her, prompting Funrie to bow deeply before leaving them alone in the room filled with ingredients and the unpleasant odor of her concoctions.

"I'm surprised she allowed you," she said, arranging the elixirs in the cupboard without turning to Zhihao even once.

"She knows that I have to learn it," the man responded while looking at some of the elixirs. "She wants me to learn into all aspects of alchemy."

She chuckled. "That Meisha I knew, she won't miss a chance," Ryusa descended the stairs a little, starting to reorganize. "If only she can overcome the trauma, she will become an all-rounded alchemist."

He could understand that the trauma, caused by someone she loved the most dying because of her own mistake, was almost impossible to overcome. Defending his sister, Zhihao replied, "I can't blame her; I might struggle to move on from it too."

"Poison is illegal to trade, you know?" She touched the floor this time, turning towards him. "Because of its menace. Some of it could kill you in an instant."

She walked somewhere else, trailed by Zhihao, who was increasingly intrigued by that aspect. She then continued, "But the lethality of that toxin depends on its level."

Ryusa halted right in front of a wooden cupboard. "Ephemeral Toxin is the most dangerous of all, created in the exact opposite of the most substantial pills for cultivators," she slid it, feeling heavy until Zhihao assisted. "Thanks."

As they pushed the cupboard aside, a door was revealed. The man was stunned, speechless to see that there was a secret route there. "But such an ingredient is hard to find as well as to craft it," she explained. "Let's talk about it more inside."

Zhihao gulped, a little nervous as the squeaky door opened, revealing a very dark staircase with no light at all. Ryusa preceded him, her chestnut hair flowing and bouncing as she strode, making her way through a place where nothing was visible.

Until she turned on the oil lamp attached to the wall, illuminating part of the corner. "It's been a week since I've been here," she uttered. "Still clean, it appears."

"Use this lamp to light the others," she added as she headed to the table filled with mixtures.

Zhihao obeyed, turning on all the lights in the corners of the room, and displaying various bottles. Some had herbs in the jars, but most of them contained body parts of animals. This made Zhihao squint, feeling uncomfortable.

"Come here, let me show you something," she called him while heating the cauldron.

He walked toward her, attentively observing the objects around him until he halted right in front of her. "Let's begin with Smoke Screen Poison," she uttered, picking up a small round object from a wooden box. "This little thing will aid you in emergencies."

"Categorized as Venomous Toxin level, this is no weak substance," she placed the poison back in its spot. "As the name suggests, it will emit poisonous smoke upon impact. It can serve as a valuable escape tool."

"But, first," she leaned her figure toward him, supported by her hands on the table. "Do you know the level of Toxin?"

"Umm... no?" he stammered, showing his lack of knowledge on the subject.

"Well, there is Light Toxin, Venomous, Dredful, Lethal," she turned towards her cabinet, revealing its contents. "The final one, Ephemeral, stands out as the most fatal toxin ever known."

As she opened the jar containing the greenish liquid, various ingredients seemed to float within. "Though it may not induce instant death, its effects unleash unbearable torture."

"It inflicts damage on your meridians, rendering you paralyzed with excruciating pain, and the effects are incurable," Ryusa poured the jar's contents into the cauldron.

"Except death itself," she turned to Zhihao with utmost seriousness. "Your sole salvation."

Zhihao swallowed repeatedly, his expression tensed, as he envisioned the horror of being exposed to that poison. "M-Master Ryusa, what about high-level cultivators?" he asked, his curiosity evident. "Do they stand any chance of surviving it?"

The woman fell into silence, her attention fixed on the liquid emitting bubbles and steam inside the cauldron. "They might. Soul Formation or above might be able to resist them."

"But still, their existence is so rare; even rumors said that they only manifest at certain times," she stirred her mixture. "So we lack a benchmark to test the maximum qualification of Ephemeral Toxin against high-level cultivators."

"One certainty is that even someone reaching Nascent Soul," she shifted her gaze toward Zhihao. "They cannot survive solely relying on their chi strength; they need the antidote."

Zhihao nodded in comprehension. "So the effective weapon to retaliate is the antidote, which is the opposite ingredient of the toxin itself?"

Ryusa smiled at his conclusion. "Correct, you learn fast," she impressed. "There's no mistake that Meisha chose you."

The woman stepped to the front of the table, and uttered, "Now, should we commence your training to create the Smoke Screen Poison?"