The "Gut-Shattering Powder" slid down his digestive tract, and Shi Yan felt a dull ache in his stomach and intestines, as if they had been filled with slow-acting sulfuric acid, corroding them bit by agonizing bit, intensifying the pain within him.

"The potency of the Gut-Shattering Powder is immense, but it doesn't strike immediately; it progresses slowly. For a normal person, their internal organs will be completely rotted within two days, leading to systemic decay and death in three days at most," Kalu squinted, speaking slowly and deliberately, "No need to rush. Let's wait a day and see."

"Very well. We'll check on him again at this time tomorrow evening," Mo Yanyu nodded, sweeping a triumphant glance over Shi Yan, and walked away happily beside Kalu.

"Heh heh, kid, your good days are over," Qiangsen grinned wickedly and let out a huge laugh. The thought of Shi Yan rotting away soon brought him immense relief, as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from his heart.

Shi Yan kept his head down, his gaze icy cold.

The potency of the Gut-Shattering Powder had already begun to act in his stomach and intestines; he could feel it clearly. It felt as if billions of ants were fighting for territory inside him, gnawing away at his viscera.

The wisp of Jingyuan (Essence) in his lower abdomen began to circulate silently, swiftly flowing into his stomach and intestines. The Jingyuan acted like a warm, gentle stream, and under his control, it quietly washed away the poison. Wherever the Jingyuan passed, the speed at which the poison intensified in his organs was slowed, and Shi Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A damp breeze blew over, and Shi Yan greedily took a deep breath. Without worrying about Qiangsen beside him, he sat down right there, focusing all his attention on circulating his Jingyuan to resist the corrosion of the toxin.

That wisp of Jingyuan, which had grown considerably stronger recently, became Shi Yan's life-saving medicine. It constantly flowed through his stomach and intestines. With every circuit it completed, the poison's efficacy seemed to be slowed down by a fraction. The speed at which the toxin corroded his organs never managed to accelerate.

In that moment, Shi Yan truly understood the profound benefit of Jingyuan, and his resolve to cultivate it rigorously to become the ultimate martial artist solidified further.

If Jingyuan alone offered such immense advantages, how much greater must be the utility of the "Martial Spirit" that martial artists revered as a divine gift? If he possessed a "Martial Spirit," wouldn't he be even stronger, spared much of this torment?

Shi Yan suddenly resented the owner of this body for failing to inherit the Shi family’s "Petrification Martial Spirit." Otherwise, he might have fought back fiercely just now, perhaps using the "Petrification Martial Spirit" to withstand Mo Yanyu's "Lightning Martial Spirit," allowing him to escape and avoid swallowing the deadly Gut-Shattering Powder.

Time slipped by swiftly; the moonlight grew cooler. Before he knew it, it was the latter half of the night. The martial artists traveling for the day had quieted down, each finding a comfortable spot to diligently cultivate their Jingyuan, seeking to break through physical shackles, step into deeper realms, and gain greater power.

The drug slaves stared up at the sky. In the silent night, their longing for distant family grew stronger, as did their fear. Every time they considered that tomorrow they might become test subjects, new corpses, despair flooded their bodies, bringing threads of chill.

Under the moonlight, Shi Yan sat cross-legged, and a layer of grim concentration gradually settled on his normally calm face.

Five hours of circulating Jingyuan had managed to control the rapid spread of the Gut-Shattering Powder within him. However, without realizing it, he found that one-third of his Jingyuan had been consumed, and the consumption was still ongoing!

Yet, the residual potency of the Gut-Shattering Powder in his intestines showed no signs of dissipating. On the contrary, it possessed a stubborn vitality.

The Gut-Shattering Powder seemed to be waiting for an opportunity—waiting for the moment his Jingyuan was fully depleted, to suddenly counterattack!

Shi Yan felt an icy chill spread through his body.

Once his Jingyuan was exhausted, he would have nothing left to rely on. At that point, helpless, he would be like an ordinary person, his body rotting from the inside out, until the decay spread everywhere.

He had no other recourse.

In this predicament, he couldn't even focus on cultivating more Jingyuan, because if he ignored the poison in his gut, the Gut-Shattering Powder clinging there would flare up uncontrollably, accelerating his path to death.

Therefore, even knowing this path led to ruin, he had no choice but to persist.

Another two hours passed.

Not only had the intensity of the Gut-Shattering Powder shown no sign of slowing down, but it was gradually strengthening. He could clearly feel the speed at which his internal Jingyuan was being consumed had increased!

It felt as if he could see himself drawing ever closer to the God of Death...

Once his Jingyuan ran out, his stomach and intestines would rot. He wouldn't die immediately then, but the decay would continue spreading to his five major organs. At most, it would take another five or six days before he, like the other drug slaves, rotted away completely.

Shi Yan's face darkened, his eyes blazing with a cold light like ice shards, fixed upon Mo Yanyu, who was perched on an ancient tree in the distance.

Under the bright moonlight, Mo Yanyu sat calmly on the thick trunk, her skin like frost, her pretty face serene. Her long hair swayed gently in the wind, making her look like an elf in the dark night. She didn't notice Shi Yan’s malicious gaze, cultivating silently, using her Jingyuan to nourish the spiritual meridians within her that housed the "Lightning Martial Spirit."

Kalu was at the rear of the group, his left hand tucked inside his loose sleeve, leaning against another old tree. His right hand held a volume of poison scripture, which he read with great relish.

Occasionally, Kalu would glance towards Shi Yan’s location, a malicious cold smile playing on his lips.

This couldn't go on. Shi Yan's brow was deeply furrowed. While continuously circulating Jingyuan to resist the drug’s invasion, he frantically sought a solution.

At this rate, his Jingyuan would be depleted before dawn. If the Jingyuan ran out, his death would be certain! With the toxin already inside him, even escaping wouldn't change his fate. The only viable solution was Kalu!

Kalu was capable of refining the Gut-Shattering Powder; he must possess the antidote. Only by obtaining the antidote from Kalu could Shi Yan escape the predetermined fate of bodily corrosion. However, Kalu was not only an alchemist but also a martial artist of the Innate Realm. To snatch the antidote from him would be akin to suicide.

Shi Yan observed secretly and noticed that although Kalu was reading the scripture, he kept glancing towards Shi Yan's area. Clearly, Kalu was not entirely unguarded; perhaps he had already anticipated Shi Yan’s intentions and was waiting for him to walk into a trap.

Ideas flashed through his mind. Shi Yan understood that while the chance of success was almost zero, he had to target Kalu, and he had to act quickly. Otherwise, once his internal Jingyuan was completely exhausted, his chances of survival would shrink even further.

Shi Yan subtly regulated his breathing, temporarily ignoring the poison in his gut, and withdrew all his Jingyuan, preparing for a desperate, last-ditch effort.

As expected, once the Jingyuan was withdrawn, the potency of the Gut-Shattering Powder suddenly surged, and the speed of the poison’s spread immediately increased. The pain inside him naturally intensified along with it.

Just as Shi Yan prepared to make his move, the already corroded section of his intestines underwent a sudden transformation!

The ulcerated area within his gut suddenly became intensely active. Wisps and strands of extremely faint power began to wrap around that damaged section, like an invisible phantom hand using a needle and thread to stitch up his rotting organs. The parts that had been corroded were actually beginning to slowly heal...

Shi Yan froze.

He had intended to act immediately, but instead of recklessly rushing out, he calmed down instantly, focusing all his mental energy to observe the bizarre changes within his body!

The cells were incredibly active, as if suddenly endowed with life. The decaying flesh subtly writhed, and the ulcerated area gradually mended. In just half an hour, those corrupted areas returned to normal, and he couldn't feel a trace of pain.

An electrical current seemed to surge through his body. Shi Yan felt overwhelming ecstasy, yet his face betrayed none of it, remaining placid as still water, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Any anomalous talent that didn't require Jingyuan circulation must be a special type of "Martial Spirit"!

A sentence defining the characteristics of a "Martial Spirit" suddenly flashed into his mind. After carefully contemplating it for a moment, Shi Yan realized the changes occurring in his body were the effect of a special "Martial Spirit."

Physical self-healing—this was a unique innate ability, seemingly an undiscovered, magical "Martial Spirit"!

The toxin of the Gut-Shattering Powder acted up again! It began to corrode his intestines once more. Without the resistance of Jingyuan, the poison quickly caused another section of his gut to ulcerate.

Miraculously, those corroded intestines transformed again. Driven by cellular activity, the damaged parts healed completely in a short time!

The drug's potency kept flaring up, repeatedly corroding Shi Yan's organs. However, every time his organs were damaged by the poison, the body's healing "Martial Spirit" would activate, successfully repairing the decay before the toxin could strike again.

"Martial Spirits" advance as the martial artist's realm increases, and they might even undergo special transformations. The higher the martial artist’s realm, the stronger the special talents displayed by the "Martial Spirit."

Another statement regarding the characteristics of "Martial Spirits" flashed into his mind. Shi Yan was overjoyed. Judging by the talent displayed by this self-healing "Martial Spirit," as his realm improved, even serious injuries to his body could be quickly healed. Perhaps when his realm reached terrifying levels like the Celestial or Divine realms, this healing "Martial Spirit" could even restore severed limbs to wholeness.

If he could reach that level, wouldn't he be able to recover perfectly even if someone stabbed him through the heart?

If that were the case, if he one day reached the True God realm, wouldn't he be immortal?

A string of thoughts raced through Shi Yan's mind. After careful consideration, he silently named this "Martial Spirit" the "Undying Martial Spirit."

After sensing it quietly for a while longer and confirming that the "Undying Martial Spirit" could resist the Gut-Shattering Powder, Shi Yan finally felt relieved. He abandoned the idea of risking his life to snatch the antidote from Kalu and continued sitting motionless, letting the internal struggle between the poison and the healing continue, while secretly beginning to restore his Jingyuan.

...

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