Chapter 25 - Demon Instructor (2)

"Since you reached the Understanding of the Elements and have the highest cultivation along with Shen Dong, your training will be different. Your body is strong, and your affinity with the elements is monstrous. You also seem to have plenty of combat experience and a cunning mind. If it weren't for your twisted personality, you'd be perfect," Guan Hai commented truthfully.

"Sounds fair," Yang nodded, glaring at his grandmother's phoenix. "So what's my grand prize, all things considered?"

"You tell me," Guan Hai replied as they heard a blood-curdling scream followed by a string of curses. "Must be that Lu Jing boy. That duke spoiled him so."

"You guys have something called hidden weapons. I want to learn how to use one," Yang said.

"Why?" Guan Hai asked, curious.

"A snake's best weapon is subtlety and surprise. A hidden weapon relies on both elements. Hidden weapons could be used to take out people, especially if I infuse them with my poisonous spirit energy. They could also be useful when my opponent is vastly superior or knows my practitioner arts and fighting style," Yang answered.

"An assassin I killed long ago used an interesting magical tool. It was these," Guan Hai said as he took out a gray bracelet with a single sapphire embedded in it.

"What is this?" Yang asked.

"That is a magical tool used to create daggers out of thin air. These daggers can only be held by the owner of the bracelet and disappear five seconds after cutting flesh. If flesh is cut with these daggers, black poison is injected into the body. If not cured after seven days, the target dies. Not only that, the poison spreads by feeding on spirit energy in the blood. Only you or a very powerful alchemist can cure it," Guan Hai explained. "Bind it and see if you can recognize the poison."

"Interesting," Yang said, binding the bracelet around his left wrist. He summoned a dagger and admired its curved edge before cutting his palm and sucking the black poison into his mouth. His body trembled, and he sat down in a lotus position. He closed his eyes and began to circulate the spirit energy in his body.

"So the rumors are true: poison cultivation requires poisoning yourself to advance. Since he advanced from the battle royal, he must have poisoned himself through that forbidden technique to create spirit armor," Guan Hai noted as he saw a jade light dimly emanate from Yang's body. His eyes widened as the poison seemed to disappear into Yang's Spirit Realm.

"Truly mysterious poison," Yang said, coughing up blood with black impurities. "So poison from magical treasures is different from biological poison. This one's effect is as you claimed. It could be considered a supreme poison and a useless poison at the same time. Seven days is too long. A poison expert could poison himself to cure another poison of equal strength. Surprisingly, it is a dark element practitioner healing art that could cure the poison. Light element healing arts would only agitate it."

"So you are immune to the poison then?" Guan Hai asked.

"Yes. However, I did not experience much pain, as I have devoured more lethal poison than this. However, it is the first poison from a magical treasure. There are not many after all," Yang said, and Guan Hai nodded in agreement.

"You improve by devouring poison. Is that also what you do with the poisonous herbs?" he asked.

"Yes. However, I prefer eating magical beast meat infected with their poison," Yang answered.

"You lack the aptitude with your spear compared to Shen Dong. You are indeed the best spear specialist in this city. However, you haven't tasted much blood with the spear. Only through life-or-death experiences can all your training be utilized and perfected. So your training will be to kill magical beasts at the late Element Adept stage with your spear. You are undoubtedly a poison supreme expert. Thus, you can only rely on your elements when fighting with your spear."

"That kind of training—the fear and rush—is what I have used countless times before," Yang agreed as he remembered his past.

"For now, let's play some chess," Guan Hai said, and a table and two chairs appeared out of nowhere, with a board carved with several lines on it. Atop the table were two small bowls, one containing black stones and the other containing white stones.

"Finally done," Lin said as he arrived. Only Shen Dong had no scratches or blood on his robes. Lu Jing, as he was the weakest in cultivation, had many.

"Eh? Yang is still here?" Mei said as she and the others arrived, while a smug-looking tiger appeared and rested beside its master.

"You shouldn't tease them too much, old friend," Guan Hai said, stroking the tiger's head. "Hmm. Seems I lost this chess game twice now, and the difference in stones has even increased by two. What a frightening strategy."

"My first time playing, and all I wanted was to box his white pieces in. I just baited him and made my tiles look like a coiling snake, if I could," Yang thought as he faked a smile and nodded when he noticed the others. "You're back? Not too much blood missing?"

"You didn't train?" Mei asked, angered.

"I ate poison. Would you care to try?" Yang grinned evilly as he saw her pale. "Besides, my training will be more advanced than yours. You are training your cultivation and probably learning more practitioner arts. Me? I am practicing my spear techniques. I rely too much on my spirit energy and waste too much when using it alongside my spear. If my training succeeds, my Jade Poison Desolation Spear Art will ascend to a new level. I should also buy regular steel spears. I don't want to throw my spear and suddenly need it later. I must admit, my martial arts are lacking compared to my knowledge of practitioner arts and the elements themselves."

"And usually it's the other way around. What a freak," Sun Yi laughed. "Glad we're not enemies."

"I will beat you," Lu Jing said. "My fire practitioner arts will be so strong that earth and water will not smolder it."

"You see, now that is determination but also restraint," Lin snickered at Mei.

"Shut up before I consider making you my next meal," Mei said, and their grandmother's phoenix flew down and landed beside Yang.

"Infernal bird!" Yang said, using his Snake Specter Art. However, its master was at the Meteor Vessel Stage and easily kept up with his teleportation. It seemed to chirp and taunt him as his fists and feet kept missing. Even when he drew the Moon Lotus Spear, he still missed.

"Damn bird," Yang cursed as he returned to his seat, the phoenix still mocking him. With his back to the phoenix, everyone else saw a small grin curl on his face. Small mirrors seemed to appear as crystals on his skin and robes. As the sun shone its last before it set, Yang disappeared.

"What?!" Shen Dong and the others cried, watching Yang appear as he executed a right uppercut on the bird's beak. The bird's head moved upward, and Yang used his Stone Breaker Art to smash the phoenix's chest.

"Heh. Stupid bird. I won't kill you. I still need my human grandmother," Yang thought.

"What kind of practitioner art was that?" Lin asked.

"Light element art: Mirror Mirage Art. As I loitered around, I noticed many women admiring their faces in mirrors. It only reflects light, and you cannot see the wood or metal behind the mirror's lens. Thus, I made my body as if it were a mirror and used the light spirit energy to appear invisible. Of course, it is difficult to use in darkness, but I can manipulate natural light and use the practitioner art more efficiently during the day," Yang explained. "Never really tried it out before. Invisibility is different from camouflage."

"You became invisible? Such a practitioner art is possible?" Sun Yi said, incredibly impressed.

"He is indeed more than he appears. Even Guan Hai is impressed," Shen Dong whispered to Shen Hua, both her and Sima Qing tactfully nodding slightly.

"Our main concern is the tournament in three months. We have the rest of the year to complete Uncle's mission," Shen Hua said.

"I will try to get closer to Guo Yang in the meantime, but I suspect he already knows who I am," Sima Qing whispered.

"So long as we can determine his goal, our mission can be considered complete. Either way, that Guo Lin with the Divine Tattoo must be pulled to our side," Shen Dong said, and they all stared at Yang, who yawned before sipping the tea that he and Guan Hai enjoyed while they played chess.