Chapter 133 - 130: Two Deadly Poisons
He changed into the Shadow Beast Hide Armor and could clearly feel a shift in his genetic abilities. Its stylish design reminded him of his glory days in *Mage*, when he reigned supreme.
"It’s a shame I still haven’t figured out the Inheritance Demon Pattern. Otherwise, my build would be more or less complete."
Feng Hao gave a helpless, bitter laugh. He’d been studying it for ages but still hadn’t figured out how to use the Inheritance Demon Pattern. It was incredibly frustrating.
He wanted to ask for help, but he realized no one around him understood the Inheritance Demon Pattern. Xiong Tianfang was a non-starter; he was completely absorbed in Artifact Refining and hadn’t even bothered to redeem his own inheritance. As for Qian Sanduo, he was just a regular guy.
’Looks like I’ll have to wait for my brother to arrive.’
Pulling his thoughts back from the Inheritance Demon Pattern, he struck a few poses in front of the mirror. It felt like a pretty good fit. He habitually opened his game panel. His overall stats had increased significantly:
Gene Level: 30
Qi Blood: 57,595 (+2,975)
Vitality: 99 (+24)
Magic Power: 1,572
Qi Condensation: 2
Strength: 418 (+208)
Hidden Strength: 1,650
Magic Damage: 210
Defense: 827 (+45)
Gang Qi: 1,092
Speed: 885 (+150)
Attack Speed: 328 (+148)
Divine Sense: 710
Breath Concealment: 565
Divine Sense Strength: 45
Weak Point Enhancement: 83
With his current power, he could hold his own even against a top-fifty expert from the Strength Crystal Stele. If any blind fools came looking for trouble, Feng Hao wouldn’t mind sending them to reunite with Cao Heng.
...
After advancing to the third rank, life returned to a peaceful routine. He spent his days diligently studying Artifact Refining, using the Listening Stone to ask Xiong Tianfang whenever he ran into something he didn’t understand. His days were quite fulfilling.
Qian Sanduo had come to talk with him a few times. Apparently, the Feng Apparel chain store was on the right track, its influence steadily growing.
Feng Hao wasn’t surprised by this.
A few days later, the Five Provinces Academy’s annual tournament kicked off. Students from every department battled fiercely for the top spots. Houhuiyao, with Xiyue Frost as his partner, officially registered for the two-person team event.
Meanwhile, Feng Hao’s shop received a special guest: Sun Yaowen, the dean of the Alchemy Department.
"What brings you here, sir?" Feng Hao asked in surprise as he went to greet him.
Sun Yaowen strode into the pharmacy. Seeing the empty shelves all around, he couldn’t help but frown. "Kid, what’s going on with this pharmacy of yours? There isn’t a single bottle of medicine on the shelves!"
"Uh, the business is just a side gig. I don’t want to get too wrapped up in it," Feng Hao said honestly.
Sun Yaowen nodded in understanding. He waved his sleeve, shutting the shop door, and said gravely, "I came here mainly to give you a heads-up. Yesterday, Sha Mingliang’s family caused a scene at the academy. They’re very likely to come after you for revenge. In short, be careful lately."
"What’s their background?" Feng Hao’s brow furrowed as he asked with a serious expression.
"I hear he’s the City Lord of a border city in the western part of Mu Country. His personal strength isn’t high, but he’s quite influential," Sun Yaowen said, his own brow furrowed.
Feng Hao nodded grimly. "Thank you for the warning, Dean. I’ll be careful."
"Good that you know." Sun Yaowen shot him an annoyed glare, seemingly still angry about his previous reckless actions. "Do you have a Listening Stone? If so, let’s exchange marks. If you run into danger, contact me immediately."
"I do." Feng Hao smiled gratefully and activated his Divine Sense to exchange Spiritual Marks with Sun Yaowen.
After getting the Spiritual Mark, Sun Yaowen turned to leave. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and said, "I’m preparing to dissect and study that otherworldly monster soon. Interested in joining me?"
An opportunity this good was something Feng Hao would naturally not miss. He nodded excitedly. "Of course I’m interested!"
"Alright then. I’ll notify you via the Listening Stone when the time comes. As for the lab’s location, you should know where it is." Sun Yaowen gave a slight smile and swaggered out of the pharmacy.
After seeing Sun Yaowen off, Feng Hao’s expression turned grim. He shut the shop door securely and began to focus on concocting poisons for self-defense.
After all, his enemies had already arrived in Five States City. It was better to be safe than sorry; having a few more life-saving tricks up his sleeve was always a good thing.
Although the Thief’s Mark could send out a distress signal now that he had advanced to a high-level thief, he still needed to be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
"Soft Bone Powder, A Little Red, and Ghost Stone Powder... This is all I can make for now."
Laying out the three finished poisons on the table, Feng Hao felt a bit helpless. Because mainstream Alchemists shunned poisons, toxic ingredients were hard to find on the market. He’d had to save up for a long time to get the materials he had.
’I wonder how effective the infamous Soft Bone Powder and A Little Red from *Mage* are?’
Feng Hao mused for a moment, then opened his game panel full of anticipation to check. The results left him very satisfied:
[Soft Bone Powder]
Type: Corrosive Toxin
Toxicity: N/A
Effect: Continuous
Special Effect: Corrodes bone matter, weakening skeletal hardness.
[A Little Red]
Type: Vitality Toxin
Toxicity: 500
Effect: As long as Qi Blood remains, the poison persists.
Special Effect: Negates all vitality recovery effects.
"Haha... They’re even more terrifying than in the game!"
Seeing the poisons’ effects, Feng Hao couldn’t help but laugh out loud. With these two poisons in hand, even a Fifth-rank Mage would be brought to their knees if he so much as scratched them.
Unfortunately, he had very little of these two poisons—only enough for about three doses.
Just as Feng Hao was feeling excited, a message from Houhuiyao came through the Listening Stone: "Brother Feng, Xiyue Frost and I made it to the second round!"
"Oh yeah? Congratulations," Feng Hao replied with a faint smile.
"You have no idea, everyone was totally dumbfounded, especially those guys from the Medical Department. Their jaws just about hit the floor."
"Good. Keep showing off. Let everyone see how powerful a Healing Mage can be," Feng Hao encouraged.
"Don’t worry, Brother Feng! We’ve got the championship for this two-person team event in the bag!"
"That confident?" Feng Hao asked with a laugh.
"Hehe, it’s all thanks to your guidance, Brother Feng. I’m decked out in high-defense, high-Qi Blood gear now. Those Muggles from the combat departments can barely scratch me. With me healing from the back, Boss Xiyue is unstoppable—she cuts down anyone who gets in her way."
Feng Hao was struck speechless, then laughed. "Quit gloating," he retorted. "I’ll come watch your match tomorrow. Don’t you dare embarrass me."
"Maybe you shouldn’t. Those lunatics from the Strength Department will definitely come looking for trouble," Houhuiyao said worriedly.
"No problem. Your bro’s had a huge power-up and is looking for someone to practice on!"
"Brother Feng, you advanced to the third rank?" Houhuiyao replied in pleasant surprise.
"Yup."
"Alright then! Make sure you’re there on time tomorrow to watch me dominate." Houhuiyao’s voice suddenly paused, followed by a sleazy-sounding laugh. "Gotta go. A few more beauties from the Medical Department are looking for me."
With that, he cut off the Stone Listening Communication. The most outrageous part was, the guy even sent a mental image.
In the Divine Sense image, several pretty girls in medical uniforms were walking toward him, their clear eyes shining with a strange light—part admiration, part curiosity.
"Damn it. A dog will always eat shit," Feng Hao cursed irritably, waving his hand to dispel the image before him.
Muttering curses, he returned to his room upstairs and began studying the Inheritance Demon Pattern in his sea of consciousness. It wasn’t until late at night that he finally began his cultivation.
The next morning, after eating his fill at a small nearby restaurant, he hailed a cab and headed directly for the Combat Department at Five Provinces Academy.
He wasn’t eligible to compete now, but he could still go and stir up some trouble...