The quiet, secluded cultivation practiced deep in the valley has slowly unfolded day by day, stretching over exactly fifteen days since Xiao Yan last fully refined the purple flame. For these fifteen days, Xiao Yan has almost entirely abandoned his cultivation of qi, channeling every single energy absorbed into the ever-expanding purple flame—now growing like an endless abyss. Under this intense stimulation, the results have been remarkably significant. What was once a flame only as large as a fingertip has now grown dozens of times in volume. Each time he gazes inward at the steadily expanding flame, he feels a deep sense of satisfaction. At this pace, no more than another fifteen days will be needed for the purple flame to reach the energy level required to support his cultivation and evolution of his technique. Another day of intense training under the scorching sun, seated upon the mountain rock, Xiao Yan's clothes were completely soaked with sweat. Having trained under the blazing sun for nearly two hours, he finally broke free from his meditative state when the sun's intensity gradually softened. He looked down at his damp garments and shook his head in mild resignation. After a month of cultivation, the subtle purple flames that previously only emerged from between his fingers have now fully enveloped his entire palm. Gazing at the palm wrapped in the vibrant purple flame, Xiao Yan smiled and gradually clenched his fist, then suddenly punched forward. Instantly, a scorching heat radiated out, warping and blurring the space before him. "Hm, if this were to strike a human body, I'm certain the effect would be quite impressive," Xiao Yan murmured, watching the flames gently rise from his palm. After further playing with the purple flame on the rocky surface, he finally felt a lingering sense of satisfaction before drawing it back into his body. His body subtly vibrated, and the purple cloud wings shot out from his back. Turning his head to gaze at the pair of shimmering purple-black wings, Xiao Yan smiled gently and leapt directly downward into the valley. A fierce wind roared past his ears. As he was still twenty or so meters above the ground, Xiao Yan slightly vibrated his wings, slowing his descent. With his hands extended toward the ground, a powerful surge of force erupted, propelling him upward slightly. Leveraging this momentum, Xiao Yan spun through the air, and his back purple cloud wings "squeaked" as they transformed into a tattoo, adhering firmly to his back. Steady on his feet, Xiao Yan trembled slightly, absorbing all the force before straightening up and smiling as he walked toward the small thatched cottage within the valley. As he approached the cottage slowly, a slight frown creased his brow. Usually, by this time, Xiao Yishen should have returned with her herbs. Yet today, the valley remained unusually quiet. A spark of concern stirred within him. He stepped gently up to the cottage, lightly tapping the wooden door. There was no response. He tapped again, more firmly, but the result remained unchanged. Frowning deeply, Xiao Yan felt a growing sense of unease. After hesitating at the door for a moment, he suddenly bit his teeth and kicked the wooden door with such force that it flew off its hinges. With the door violently pushed open, Xiao Yan rushed inside, only to be choked by the swirling smoke, coughing violently. He quickly extended his right palm, and a powerful surge of energy erupted from his palm, sweeping the smoke out of the cottage. As the smoke gradually dispersed, he saw Xiao Yishen lying on the bed, eyes tightly closed. Her once rosy complexion now shimmered with an eerie spectrum of seven colors. Observing her stillness—seeming as though she were not breathing at all—Xiao Yan grew anxious and stepped forward, only for a sudden flash of light to burst forth from the black ring on his finger, and a sharp cry rang out: "Don't move!" The sound of the old pharmacist’s roar sent Xiao Yan staggering to a sudden halt, only regaining composure after a moment, his ears ringing with the thunderous voice, his eyes filled with bewilderment as he gazed at the old pharmacist, his face utterly stunned. "Just go ahead and die if you wish," the old pharmacist said, his expression slightly serious as he intently observed Xiao Qingci’s complexion. "What’s wrong?" For the first time seeing the old pharmacist in such a demeanor, Xiao Yan was startled, his gaze shifting back to Xiao Qingci, his voice trembling with uncertainty. The old pharmacist said nothing, floating gently above, circling the unconscious Xiao Qingci several times before shaking his head and softly sighing, "Indeed, it seems so..." As he watched the old pharmacist’s slightly grave expression, Xiao Yan felt a subtle tightening in his chest, and with cautious concern, asked, "What exactly is the matter?" "Look at her hands," the old pharmacist said, pointing gently at Xiao Qingci’s open jade fingers. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan quickly turned his gaze to Xiao Yi Xian's hands. He noticed that she seemed to be holding a small bag of dark powder. Blinking in confusion, Xiao Yan stepped closer, lightly inhaling the scent of the powder from a few feet away. Suddenly, he felt a sharp dizziness, as if his chest were being tossed about violently, and he collapsed to the ground, dry-heaving for a long time before finally standing up pale and breathless, gasping in awe, "This medicine is incredibly toxic—someone of even a Battle Master's rank might easily perish from it if they were not careful." "Indeed," the elderly physician nodded slightly, his tone carrying a mixture of admiration and something else unspoken. Xiao Yan smiled faintly, agreeing that Xiao Yi Xian appeared naturally gifted in handling poisons—perhaps even more so than a mere healer; perhaps calling her the Young Poison Immortal would be more fitting. "Now, observe the powder at her lips." Floating halfway above the thatched cottage, the herbal elder once again reminded them. His gaze shifted from the young physician, finally settling on the young woman's vividly rosy lips. Xiao Yan's pupils constricted sharply. There, at the edges of her rosy lips, he noticed scattered specks of black powder—clearly the very potent, deadly toxin held in the young physician's hands. "She... she poisoned herself? How is that possible? She just suddenly decided to do so, without any reason?" Staring blankly at the lingering black specks, Xiao Yan murmured in confusion, his mind a whirl of disarray. "Who says she died by suicide? Have you ever seen a corpse as beautiful as this?" The herbal elder rolled his eyes, shook his head. "Her base strength is only at the first star of the Duelist rank—how could she possibly withstand such a lethal toxin, one that even a Duelist would surely succumb to?" Xiao Yan wanted to rush over and check the young physician's vital signs, but the elder's earlier sharp outburst had left him only able to pace back and forth, agitated. "If ordinary people were involved, they would indeed surely perish. However..." The elderly physician gazed intently at the small healer lying gracefully on the bed, speaking softly, "yet she won't." "What do you mean?" pausing mid-step, Xiao Yan stared in astonishment, "What makes her different? Could it be her status as a poison specialist? Yet even the most skilled poison specialists often die from the very poisons they themselves concoct—after all, they aren't invincible to toxins." "Exactly. Even the most accomplished poison specialists can be killed by their own poisons." Nodding, the elderly physician said solemnly, "Yet there are always exceptions. On the Continent of Qi, there exists a particularly rare constitution—known as... 'innate poison body' or 'calamity poison body.' This type of constitution typically brings about great adversity or hardship." "Innate poison body? Calamity poison body?" unfamiliar terms left Xiao Yan utterly confused. "You've been stationed in Wutan City for years, so naturally you're unaware of some of the hidden secrets across the Qi Continent. When I was still alive, there once lived a woman with a rare toxic constitution—so severe that during one outburst of rage, she transformed an entire empire into a vast expanse of toxic land. On that land, hundreds of thousands, if not more, of the dead drifted and circled eternally." "Phew—"萧炎 gasped sharply, drawing in a deep breath. "That woman was truly merciless! Hundreds of thousands of lives—cut down without a single mercy? Was this like slaughtering chickens?" "You have to understand, on the Qi Continent, the stronger the beings, the more rigid their customs. That woman's actions clearly violated these unwritten rules—after all, many of the strongest figures at that time hailed from the same empire. Thus, the situation escalated dramatically, with one after another of the powerful individuals going to seek vengeance against her, only to fall one by one. Indeed, the strongest among them were at the very least Qi Ling level, and one even stood on the cusp of reaching Qi Cong rank." Saying this, the old medicine master spread his hands. "Unfortunately, all of them fell at her hands." "Gurp..." Xiang Yan struggled to swallow, his palms damp with sweat. How formidable was that woman! She truly treated her opponents as if they were mere chickens or dogs. "Eventually, the matter escalated to the point of summoning the secluded immortals, following a celestial battle unknown to outsiders. In this clash, a woman of merely five-star Sovereign rank was severely wounded and forced to retreat, while one of the immortals—a powerhouse at the Conclave level—suffered from toxic buildup for a full decade before fully recovering." "Amazing..." Xiang Yan's throat rolled slightly. A Sovereign-level fighter daring to challenge a Conclave-tier master, and one who clearly left a lasting impression—such a person, Xiang Yan could only describe as truly amazing. "Twenty years after her retreat, she reappeared, now having advanced to Conclave rank. However, having previously suffered an ambush, the immortals no longer dared to issue arbitrary judgments. Thus, they simply remained silent, pretending not to know of her." "Twenty years... rising from five-star Sovereign to Conclave rank—what a pace! That's truly extraordinary." Shaking his head, Xiao Yan said, "Hmm... this woman truly possesses extraordinary talent." Nodding, the herbalist turned his gaze toward Xiao Yixian on the bed and spoke softly, "After that, when I was gathering a rare medicinal herb, I accidentally collided with her and ended up in a confrontation—eventually, we fought." His eyes gradually widened as Xiao Yan heard the herbalist subtly reveal his own past experiences. Promptly asking, "What happened then?" "As for the outcome..." the herbalist smiled gently, lifting his head. With a touch of nostalgic reflection in his cloudy eyes, he paused before finally offering a calm smile, "In the end, I managed to outdo her slightly." "... "Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan was filled with profound astonishment!