Chapter 135: Hundred Poisons Gu Seal
Su Yan received Xiang Ge’s guidance and only returned to the Golden Ape Martial Arts School from the Pan Family Restaurant in the second half of the night.
Holding that book of Hundred Poisons Gu Seal in his hand, what echoed in his mind was Xiang Ge’s reminder.
“Xiang Ge instructed to only condense the seal and not rush into contracting, which is indeed kind-hearted.”
Su Yan muttered to himself. Xiang Ge had previously explained the special technique of the Beast Taming Seal clearly.
The Beast Taming Seal is a prerequisite for many Beast King Sect cultivation manuals. Like this Hundred Poisons Gu Seal, when selecting the main cultivation technique later, the true essence cultivated will inevitably be of the same origin as the Hundred Poisons Gu Seal.
All seals, including contracting feral beasts, are preparations for cultivation.
If one gets carried away momentarily and contracts a feral beast, but the contracted beast doesn’t match the cultivation manual practiced later, then more time will be wasted to cultivate the consumed seals again.
Wasting mind and damaging resources.
Su Yan calmly flipped through it, reading the entire Hundred Poisons Gu Seal once and understanding its contents thoroughly.
He pondered in his heart: “As expected, it’s more exquisite and complex than the initial Beast Taming Seal. Spirit, true essence, and qi and blood undergo transformation, condensing a substance like a trace of poison, regarded as the Hundred Poisons Gu Seal. According to the book, Xiang Ge’s words are not false.”
The Hundred Poisons Gu Seal is formed from spirit, true essence, and qi and blood. The stronger a person is and the deeper their comprehension, the stronger and more Hundred Poisons Gu Seals they can condense.
Controlling a feral beast precisely requires these Beast Taming Seals.
The stronger the strength and the more special the feral beast, the more seals are needed.
Moreover, not all seals are used to control feral beasts to achieve more and stronger effects.
On the contrary, in addition to using seals to suppress feral beasts, more seals are needed to build the connection between the feral beast and the martial artist, thereby allowing the feral beast to nourish oneself.
In other words, if controlling a feral beast requires nine Beast Taming Seals, then five or even nine more seals must be applied to strengthen the connection.
Only with such a method can the martial artist avoid putting all their energy into controlling the feral beast.
Su Yan continuously comprehended, gradually transforming the previous ordinary Beast Taming Seal.
In this way, a day passed, and that seal gradually changed its appearance, ultimately becoming a unique dark purple seal.
【Hundred Poisons Gu Seal 1/100（Beginner）】
The original Beast Taming Seal disappeared, replaced by the Hundred Poisons Gu Seal.
“Finally done. One seal causes no pressure on my spirit or dantian. It seems I can condense more.”
In the inner scene of the dantian, that Hundred Poisons Gu Seal was already slowly rotating around the Green-scaled Poisonous Flood Dragon on its own, with their auras interconnected.
Just as Xiang Ge said, this seal requires a matching cultivation manual.
Although the Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique is not a Beast King Sect cultivation manual and lacks the part connecting to contracting feral beasts, it cannot achieve the best effect.
But in terms of attributes, the Hundred Poisons Gu Seal is undoubtedly more compatible with it.
Su Yan did not continue condensing the second seal. Each additional seal increases the difficulty and time significantly.
He temporarily didn’t have that much time, because Bai Yun had already returned.
After he left, a night passed, and Lin Junhao was the first to complete his comprehension, also condensing a Beast Taming Seal.
Another hour passed, and Bai Yun followed closely, comprehending her own Beast Taming Seal.
People ascending to the mountaintop successively completed their comprehension, while those behind gradually withstood the aura suppression of the Four-eyed Blood Tiger one after another and reached the mountaintop.
When the three days were up, only fifty-one people had reached the top of Yanzi Mountain and comprehended the Beast Taming Seal.
These people were also the ones in the entire Yun Cang Town qualified to join the Beast King Sect.
Of course, only qualified.
Pan Family Restaurant
The fifty-one people arrived as promised, all standing straight on the first floor, waiting for Xiang Ge and the others on the second floor to speak.
Liu Bo and Ye Chenyao stepped forward, positioned at the end of the second-floor staircase, looking down.
“The Yun Cang Town preliminary assessment is over. Those whose names are called, step forward.”
“Lin Junhao, Bai Yun, Wang Xiaohu, Fu Xuejing, Zheng Yan, Lin Nianqi, Li Bowen”
Hearing their names, the several people stepped forward one after another. Ye Chenyao tossed the items in her hand, and seven black iron tokens fell into their hands.
“One Second-class Recommendation Token, with which you can participate in the inner disciple assessment. Success means inner disciple, failure means outer disciple. Do you understand?”
“Understood.”
The crowd nodded. Liu Bo looked at Su Yan: “Su Yan.”
Su Yan stepped forward one step. Ye Chenyao tossed the black iron silver-thread token in her hand toward him, and it landed in his hand.
“One First-class Recommendation Token, with which you can directly start the assessment for each peak once, and the inner sect assessment once.”
“Thank you.”
Ye Chenyao shook her head slightly, her attitude softening, and Liu Bo was the same.
With Su Yan’s comprehension, when he truly arrives at the Beast King Sect, he likely won’t need much effort to become an inner disciple.
He might even become an inner disciple of the same lineage. In such a situation, how could they be arrogant?
Ye Chenyao said: “The rest, though without inner sect assessment qualifications, can still be assessed into the outer sect. If not selected, you can consider becoming servant disciples, but you must prepare some money for cultivation tribute. Consider it clearly yourselves.”
As her words fell, the remaining forty-three people showed varied expressions. Not everyone had family forces, and among the forty-three, there were quite a few from small martial world factions.
If they couldn’t enter the inner sect, the tribute money would also be a problem.
Ye Chenyao had seen such situations many times and ignored it, continuing: “On the first day of the third month next year, the Beast King Sect opens the mountain. Report to the outer mountain courtyards yourselves.”
After the instructions ended, the crowd dispersed, but only when Su Yan was leaving the courtyard did he suddenly hear a voice.
The voice rang in his ear, but Bai Yun beside him showed no reaction.
“Come find me in the back courtyard.”
Xiang Ge?
Su Yan recognized Xiang Ge’s voice. Seeing him pause, Bai Yun asked: “Something wrong?”
“A little matter. Senior Sister, you go back first.”
Bai Yun’s eyes flickered slightly: “Alright, be careful.”
Su Yan found an opportunity and walked toward the back courtyard, where only Xiang Ge was still there.
He was quite relaxed and carefree, eating dim sum, sitting at the stone table in the courtyard pavilion.
“Your Yun Cang Town’s Pan Family Restaurant is indeed tastier than Qing Shan Town’s. Want some? Once at the Beast King Sect, such local flavors are hard to find.”
Su Yan shook his head: “I’ve only eaten here five times.”
Hearing this, Xiang Ge looked at Su Yan in surprise instead.
“I believe you didn’t come before practicing martial arts, but after starting to practice martial arts, only a mere five times.”
“Friends invited me.”
“Strange. Could it be like those blockheads from Fuyue Peak, with nothing but cultivation in their heads?”
Su Yan didn’t respond to that, just saying: “I’ve just practiced a bit more.”
Xiang Ge put down his chopsticks and wiped his hands on the cloth nearby.
“How have you considered it?”
“With a senior’s guidance, it’s naturally better than fumbling alone. I’m willing to follow the senior’s arrangements. I just don’t know if the senior from Guizang Valley is willing.”
Xiang Ge smiled: “Yesterday, I already sent a thousand-shuttle sparrow with the letter back. Your information is already with her.”
“Do you know the senior’s name?”
“True Person Xuan Shuang, Long Qiushui.”
Su Yan frowned imperceptibly. A true person must be in the Dan Qiao Realm, which is a good thing.
Having a backer and not having one are completely different, but with a female master, if personalities don’t match, it might not be easy to get along.
“Thank you for informing me, Senior.”
Xiang Ge seemed to notice something and said: “She’s quite easy to get along with, no need to worry. She’s only formed her Dan Qiao a few years ago and hasn’t taken a disciple yet. The sect is urging her tightly. Plus, you cultivated the Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique, related to Poison Dragon Tuo, so that’s why I recommended you.”
He grinned: “To not hide it from you, by recommending you, I exchanged for a third-order material. I won’t shortchange you here either. Besides the main cultivation technique, for auxiliary skills, martial skills, and those odd things, I’ll give you one.”
“Third-order?”
“Scram.”
Xiang Ge glared, and Su Yan immediately withdrew his probe, saying seriously: “I want to exchange for a fist and foot technique to fill the gap in my close combat.”
Su Yan already had hardening skills like the Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique, which he temporarily didn’t lack.
Among auxiliary skills, besides hardening, there are other mystical cultivation manuals, but he wasn’t familiar with them.
Since he wasn’t familiar, even getting an upper second-order auxiliary divine ability would be useless.
Worse, taking the wrong path afterward would make it hard to turn back and switch.
Better to start with fist and foot techniques to make up for his current reliance only on the Fierce Ape Three Forms.
Xiang Ge raised his eyes slightly, thinking: ‘Quite rational. Perfect to build some goodwill. If this kid is truly favored by that woman Long Qiushui, he might have a chance to break through to Dan Qiao and open his own peak.’
“I have a second-order mid-grade martial skill here, Blood Slaughter Hand, a palm technique known for its fierce and domineering opening and closing momentum, just like your performance that day.”
Su Yan’s eyes brightened slightly: “Thank you, Senior.”
Seeing Su Yan agree, Xiang Ge had him fetch paper and pen; the paper was still exceptionally tough beast hide paper.
Instead of having Su Yan copy it, Xiang Ge wrote it himself.
His artistic conception arose, merging into the brush strokes, gradually fusing the cultivation method and martial arts artistic conception.
It took a full half hour to silently transcribe the Blood Slaughter Hand manual.
Xiang Ge tossed the manual to Su Yan.
Su Yan cupped his fists sincerely: “Thank you, Senior, for passing on the technique.”
Earlier, while transcribing the manual, Su Yan was right beside him.
To ordinary eyes, Xiang Ge was just silently copying a classic, but in Su Yan’s eyes, martial arts phenomena accompanied each brush stroke: a blood-red palm, a giant hand covering the sky, striking to kill.
The Blood Slaughter Hand also had only a scant four forms, yet over a hundred variations, each fierce and domineering, like a maddened tiger.
‘This time, the kindness is truly owed.’
If it were just exchanging classics, it would merely be a trade.
But a classic imprinted with martial arts intent is different from ordinary classics.
The entire classic had become akin to a visualization diagram, though the beast hide paper couldn’t bear such intent for long.
But this was already a great gift.
With this martial arts intent, Su Yan could comprehend martial arts intent much more easily.
“You can go. Don’t miss the appointment in March. Also, the Hundred Poisons Gu Seal is relatively hard to condense. Follow its method, or use poisonous creatures to assist, but don’t rush and poison yourself.”
“Senior, I’ve already condensed it.”
“Condensed what?”
Xiang Ge’s eyes widened. What he gave was just a plain manual, without martial arts intent for visualization.
However, the next moment, spirit and true essence gathered at Su Yan’s fingertip, gradually forming a dark purple seal.
The seal was more complex and eerie than the Beast Taming Seal at Yanzi Mountain top—it was clearly the Hundred Poisons Gu Seal.
Xiang Ge showed an exasperated expression. How long had it been since he gave this kid the Hundred Poisons Gu Seal?
Full count, only two days.
Even Xiang Ge himself back then might not have been that fast in two days.
Comprehension and condensing after comprehension are entirely different concepts.
“How about you change the Green-scaled Poisonous Flood Dragon to Green Wood Flood Dragon and Golden Horned Tiger, and cultivate my Hundred Tiger Peak Dragon Tiger Suppressing Heaven Skill instead.”
Xiang Ge somewhat regretted it. For one true intent, he pushed such a disciple away and casually exchanged for a third-order material.
If he succeeds later, his master Hu Yangming wouldn’t flog him, would he?
Su Yan immediately shook his head: “Senior is joking. It’s just transformed from the Fierce Beast Seal Method, not pure comprehension.”
Xiang Ge looked at him deeply, nodding slightly: “Perhaps. The third form of Blood Slaughter Hand takes tiger as form, Tiger Form Slaughter Hand. It also has quite the tiger momentum. If you have time, you can teach Blood Slaughter Hand to your senior sister too. She has considerable talent in Tiger Aspect.”
Su Yan was slightly stunned, then nodded: “I’ll thank you on behalf of Senior Sister.”
Xiang Ge gave Su Yan a few more pointers: condense more Hundred Poisons Gu Seals, and spend the rest of the time fully cultivating Eighteen Styles of Blood Tiger and Blood Slaughter Hand.
As for the condensed seals, the more the better. By next March, at least nine or more.
Nine is the most stable and basic number for contracting a feral beast.
Fix beast soul, lock beast heart, imprison beast bone…, nine are just enough to lock the vital points of a feral beast.
If Su Yan can reach this standard, after passing the assessment and selecting a cultivation manual, he can find a way to contract a suitable feral beast.
Leaving the Pan Family Restaurant, Su Yan suddenly felt that this Martial Uncle Xiang Ge was like a treasure-delivering boy.
One seal technique, one spear technique, one palm technique—he filled all his martial skill shortcomings at once.
“This isn’t coincidence. He saw my shortcomings and gave accordingly. But Martial Uncle Xiang Ge is also an extremely perceptive person. Must not offend him in the future…”
Su Yan knew well that Xiang Ge appeared like a sickly ghost who loved drinking and wasn’t very proper.
But after several interactions, that was all disguise. Xiang Ge was extremely skilled in handling people and affairs.
First, he used him as a favor, introducing him to True Person Xuan Shuang’s side.
Then, with him, he was open and frank, like dividing spoils, soothing any potential dissatisfaction.
After realizing his talent, he gave extra gifts, even including his senior sister.
With such operations, even Su Yan couldn’t find fault.
Moreover, once at the sect, there might be more connections. Remember this kindness.
“The debtor isn’t worried. Sometimes debt relations get better and better. Focus on cultivation first.”
Su Yan quickened his pace back to the Golden Ape Martial Arts School, spending the next several days comprehending the Blood Slaughter Hand manual.
Together with Bai Yun, they sparred with each other, gradually reaching beginner in Blood Slaughter Hand.
Meanwhile in Yun Cang Town, after Xiang Ge and the other two tallied the tributes from each family and recorded them, they swaggered out of Yun Cang Town to the next town.
With the three gone, it was as if Yun Cang Town’s sky had cleared up a lot.
The hustle and bustle of all walks of life gradually returned to normal.
Of course, various forces began to move again.
No one was foolish enough to make big moves under the Beast King Sect’s nose.
But now that the envoys had left, families with frictions or grudges resumed their usual competitions as before.
Golden Ape Martial Arts School, in the inner courtyard, Su Yan struck with a blood-colored hand seal that left his body, shattering a rockery the size of a lion.
His eyes brightened, a smile appearing. Finally done.
【Blood Slaughter Hand 1/100（Beginner）】
