A slight edge, though Master Yao's explanation was concise. Still, Xiao Yan could clearly feel the weight behind it. After all, that woman had been a formidable force even at the Battle Sovereign level, capable of challenging Battle Monks directly—indeed, during her confrontation with the old Master Yao, she herself had reached the Battle Monk rank. Yet, despite that, she still fell just slightly short. Thus, it truly was no exaggeration when Master Yao claimed he stood at the pinnacle of the Battle Qi Continent's elite. Observing Xiao Yan's visibly stunned expression, Master Yao chuckled and chided, "What's there to be amazed about? When you, too, achieve such accomplishments someday!" "Perhaps that's true." Shrugging slightly, Xiao Yan seemed rather indifferent. That level of achievement wasn't something one could reach merely through talent—it demanded both fortune and luck as well. At the moment, all Xiao Yan wanted was to quickly nurture the purple flame until he could absorb it and evolve his cultivation technique, and then steadily become a Battle Master. As for those titles—Battle Emperor, Battle Sage—merely hearing their names already made him feel suffocated. He simply wasn't bold enough to dream too high. "This method of cultivating their toxic body is quite unusual. They don't need years of continuous cultivation to refine their qi. To grow stronger, they merely need to..." At this point, the elderly pharmacist turned his gaze to Xiao Yi Xian, whose lips still held traces of medicinal powder, his expression slightly puzzled. "Eat... poison?" As he looked at the pharmacist, Xiao Yan was first startled, then his face suddenly changed, growing increasingly astonished. "Yes, exactly. By consuming poison, their toxic body will transform the poison's inherent toxicity into a peculiar form of toxic qi through an unusual mechanism." The pharmacist, marveling, nodded and continued, "The more intense the poison, the greater the benefit to their cultivation. Therefore, they don't need rigorous training—only consistent consumption of poison allows them to rapidly enhance their strength." "Truly... an extraordinary kind of body." Xiao Yan sighed, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Of course, nothing in the world is absolutely perfect. Although this ordeal-bodied form can rapidly enhance its strength by consuming poisons, the poisons remain poisons. Even with the aid of this form, they can halt the consuming effect of the poison. However, as the number of poisons they consume increases over time—until even the Ordeal Body can no longer suppress the internal poison qi—the agony of being overwhelmed by poison will gradually claim their lives." The Elder shook his head, sighed. Thinking of that unbearable suffering, Xiao Yan gently shivered and, with a touch of sympathy, gazed at the young physician lying on the bed like a sleeping beauty, murmuring, "Is there no way to avoid this fate?" "Gaining strength swiftly naturally comes with a cost. Nothing in the world is obtained without effort," the Elder said calmly. "What if she gives up relying on consuming poisons to gain strength—would that prevent this outcome?" "Rotated his eyes slightly, Xiao Yan asked. "Theoretically, yes," nodded the elderly pharmacist, gazing at Xiao Yan's slightly relieved expression, and sighed, "Unfortunately, you must understand that for someone with the Hardship Poison Body, the more intense the poison, the greater its appeal. In fact, they are willing to kill and fight for it—sometimes even at the cost of their lives. To them, intense poison is as alluring as the rare 'Fire of the Alchemist' is to a master alchemist. They will go to any lengths, even if it means sacrificing themselves in the process. Would you really think it possible for her to give up on consuming such poison? "If she has never tasted poison before, then the Hardship Poison Body remains dormant. But once she consumes poison—whether by accident or not—the body truly awakens. Once awakened, the condition I described earlier sets in, and there's no turning back. In short, we discovered it too late. Otherwise..." the elderly pharmacist lamented. His mouth slightly open, Xiao Yan's face underwent a series of changes, and finally, he sank into a state of weary resignation. According to the old doctor, these potent toxins were as irresistible to the addicted as narcotics are to their patients—making it truly unlikely that she would ever give them up. "Right now, her affliction of toxic body is still in its initial stage. So, as long as she is conscious, physical contact between you and her poses no problem. But once she falls into unconsciousness, or as her toxic body matures over time, things will truly become dire—whenever you touch her, she will die." The old doctor paused slightly, then his gaze shifted to the seven-colored scroll in Xiao Yi Xian's arms. His eyes narrowed slightly as he extended his hand, drawing the scroll into his palm and slowly unfolding it. His eyes scanned through the various antidote formulas, lingering finally on the last one. At that moment, he shook his head with a look of resignation and passed it toward Xiao Yan. "Actually, she had known all along that if things continued like this, she would eventually become a carrier of the most lethal poison." Yangling lifted the multicolored scroll, smiled faintly, and said. "Hm." Nodding with a sigh, Xiao Lin handed the scroll back to the herbalist, his eyes fixed on Xiao Yisheng, and softly added, "The厄难poison body isn't supposed to be immune to all poisons, right? Yet now she is?" "The poison is particularly potent—she's merely unconscious at the moment. She should wake up soon." The herbalist replied casually. "Ah." Xiao Lin nodded lightly, then sat down at the table beside the small room, waiting for Xiao Yisheng to regain consciousness. After a final reminder, the herbalist returned to his ring. Seated at the table, Xiao Lin gazed at the unconscious Xiao Yisheng, sighed, and shook his head. She had originally hoped to become a pharmacist, but due to her innate nature, she had to settle for being a physician instead. Yet, given the development of her body, she might truly grow into a master-level toxic specialist—someone whom many across the continent would fear and revere. By that point, perhaps it truly would be as spoken that day—no one would dare to approach her, let alone become a friend with whom she could share heartfelt conversations. Originally, she had hoped to become a healer, saving lives and tending to the sick, yet it seemed the heavens had a particular disdain for such a path, transforming a kind-hearted woman into a feared and dreaded illness, one that made everyone dread her presence. Sitting on the chair, listening to the faint, gentle murmurs, Xiao Yan found his heart heavy. He slowly stood up and sat by the bedside, gently patting the body of Xiao Yi, who was wrapped in the quilt. Feeling someone touch her, the quilt was suddenly lifted, and as she looked at the young man sitting by the bed, Xiao Yi's beautiful eyes widened. She quickly wiped away the tears from her corners and softly asked, "How did you come in?" "I came in when you were unconscious," Xiao Yan said softly. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi's face slightly changed. The black poison she had been tightly holding in her hands slowly slipped back into the quilt. After a moment, as though remembering something, she hurriedly added, "Did you touch me?" "Hmm... I've known you for so long. I don't think I'm someone who takes advantage of others," Xiao Yan said with a dry smile. "Not that. I mean... did you actually make physical contact with my body?" she quickly waved her hand to clarify. "No," Xiao Yan shook his head. Seeing Xiao Yan shake his head, Xiao Yishen finally exhaled in relief, straightening her long jade legs and resting her snow-white chin on her knees, speaking softly, "I'm fine. It's just that there was a small issue when preparing the medicine." Xiao Yan said nothing, his eyes fixed on Xiao Yishen. After a long while, he suddenly murmured, "Really... can't you give up on that thing anymore?" Hearing this, Xiao Yishen was first taken aback, then her body suddenly tensed, her delicate face growing pale as she stared intently at Xiao Yan, "You... do you know something?" "I've read the Seven-Colored Poison Classic, and I also know you've taken poison," Xiao Yan said, his gaze lingering on her evasive water-lily eyes. "Then... you're also aware of the厄难 poison body as described in the book?" Seeing Xiao Yan nod, Xiao Yishen smiled sadly, tightly pressing her rosy lips, "Then... are you afraid of me now?" Staring intently at the young healer's tears tracing delicate paths down her cheeks, Xiao Yan felt a stirring in his heart. He shook his head gently, a warm smile playing at the corner of his lips, and softly patted her head, saying, "If I'd been afraid, I'd have already fled back then. After all, we've shared hardships together, haven't we?" Upon hearing this, the young healer paused, her tears momentarily stilling, her eyes wide as she gazed at Xiao Yan, asking, "You're truly not afraid of me? Then, will you still dare to eat the dishes I prepare for you?" "At any time," Xiao Yan replied with a cheerful smile.