Volcanic Age

"No, no. This isn't the time for that."

Zhou Xuchuan suppressed the urge to release his pent-up sadistic urges on the carp that had slapped him. He feared that some change might occur to the internal core if he pulled it out of the water.

Zhou Xuchuan smacked the Ten Millennia Fire Carp with the blade of his hand, holding back so as not to damage the internal core. The struggling Ten Millennia Fire Carp passed out without being able to resist.

He opened the carp's mouth and stuck his index and middle fingers inside, probing the carp's innards. The squishy sensation was unpleasant, but he couldn't afford to damage the internal core while cutting it from the outside.

"Ah."

After probing its guts a few times, his fingers brushed against something. He calmed his excitement and took out what brushed against his fingers to check. It was a glossy white ball the size of a fingertip.

"Huh?"

As soon as he removed the internal core, the carp started changing as well. It started shrinking as if all its guts and bones were removed. Even the eyes that had a hint of clarity turned that into that of a dead fish.

"Looks terrible, I'm not eating that."

He did not say any words of apology for killing it, or gratitude for the internal core, he just chucked it aside like it was trash. Only the fittest survived the world, no? It was definitely not because he was slapped, definitely…

Zhou Xuchuan put the internal core in his bosom and looked for a suitable spot to consume it. Not long later, he found a vacant cave. He went deep inside to check for any animals like bats that might disturb him, and once he was convinced that it was clear, he sat down in a lotus position.

He placed the Ten Millennia Fire Carp's internal core in his mouth, while taking out the metal bottle holding the Icefrost Poison he got from Sichuan. He tapped on the bottleneck a few times before opening the lid.

"Mm!"

Frosty energy seeped out the moment he opened the lid. Although he had never been to the Northern Seas or the Great Snowy Mountains in Xizang, he felt this was similar to the cold weather there.

Okay, let's move on.

He shook his head to dismiss any unnecessary thoughts.

Placing the metal bottle on the ground, smoke containing Icefrost qi seeped out from the bottleneck and climbed up his body.

Huuup, huup!

He tried inhaling it, even though it was painful. Potent poison containing Icefrost qi entered his body through his nose and mouth. It only took a moment for it to spread throughout his body.

Clatter!

His body started trembling uncontrollably, his jaws making clattering sounds.

Gulp!

The internal core in his mouth went down his throat.

Get a hold of yourself!

Any more shivering would hinder his circulation of qi, not to the point that it would be troublesome, but to the point where it might push him to death. He focused on controlling his body to fix it in position.

As frost coated his brows and his complexion paled, the Icefrost poison began to erode his life from outside and inside of his body.

Internal core!

Crackle!

Fire erupted from his body, it wasn't just a small spark either. The internal core contained heat and fire enough to make his insides melt despite the Icefrost poison. He didn't even want to imagine what would've happened if he consumed it alone.

Neutralize the fire qi with the Icefrost poison, and detoxify the Icefrost poison with the fire qi.

Fight poison with poison. These words perfectly described the situation.

I did hear that the poisons of the Tang Family are fearsome, but I didn't know they were this terrifying.

The Ten Millennia Fire Carp wasn't a spiritual beast that could be found easily, so it was surprising that there was an item that could neutralize the fire qi of its internal core. Of course, it also required his own qi to perform such a feat, but even then, the poison was not ordinary.

Zhou Xuchuan marveled at the potency of the poison as he continued to circulate his qi.

Thanks to the Ten Thousand Convergence Art, he was able to control foreign qi like it was his own, so he was able to perfectly circulate the fire qi and the Icefrost qi.

As the frost melted from his brow, his shivers subsided. His frozen blood vessels and meridians also thawed, bringing his circulation to normal.

The fire qi that tried to burn everything was no longer there either. Both sides combined, and the only thing left was some residue. He gathered that residue and mixed it with the water qi left in the internal core before circulating it into his dantian.

"Phew!" He breathed a sigh of relief.

He finally opened his eyes again. His complexion, which had alternated from paling due to the Icefrost poison and turning red from the fire qi, had finally returned to normal.

"Five years?"

Although his internal qi increased, it wasn't by much. It wasn't a lot considering that he had just consumed the internal core of a rare spiritual beast like the Ten Millennia Fire Carp, but he wasn't disappointed. He never expected an increase in qi at all, since it wasn't the reason he consumed the internal.

Hundred Poisons Immunity and Extreme Temperature Immunity!

He redirected the energies of the internal core toward gaining resistance. He also intentionally allowed the Icefrost poison to stay in his body for a long time and didn't detoxify it right away so that he could gain resistance.

Being poisoned was a necessary step to increasing resistance against it, and stronger poisons proved to be more effective.

Generally, people would start with weak poisons, but cultivators with large amounts of qi could increase their resistance through potent poisons as well, although, they would have to consume a lot of qi to protect their body in the process.

However, there were drawbacks to this approach. Consuming one's qi would increase the resistance, but it could also hinder the recovery of the body. This was why Zhou Xuchuan had consumed a lot of qi contained in the internal core.

Gaining immunity to extreme temperatures operated on a similar principle, though not entirely the same. By circulating fire qi and Icefrost qi, Zhou Xuchuan had increased his body's resistance.

To confirm this, Zhou Xuchuan entered the hot springs, and through that experience, he was convinced that he had gained immunity to extreme temperatures, though he couldn't be certain about the hundred poisons immunity.

Despite feeling the heat against his skin, it didn't penetrate his body. Normally, he would have had to use his qi to protect himself from the heat. However, that would consume a lot of qi, which he didn't need to worry about now.

"Immunity to hundred poisons and extreme temperatures at the age of eighteen? Haha!"

He couldn't believe it. If he hadn't checked it for himself, he would have called bullshit.

Even when comparing it to his previous life, the difference awas staggering.

"The next is the Seven-horned Serpent, huh? I'm looking forward to it already."

He could bid farewell to Sichuan now.

Zhou Xuchuan headed off to his next destination.

*

A week passed since Zhou Xuchuan hunted the Ten Millennia Fire Carp.

A group of about ten people climbed the Zhongliang mountain. These people didn't get lost and walked straight. Soon, they came across the hot spring hidden deep within the mountains.

The one in front trembled. He had a look of confusion and disbelief on his face.

"How could this be?!"

He struggled to accept what he saw, searching around the hot spring while ordering his subordinates to search the vicinity.

"Over here!" a subordinate raised his hand, his expression grim.

The man inwardly prayed for a different outcome as he hurried over.

"Fuck!" he swore, looking away. He wished that his eyes were deceiving him.

Then, he checked again.

"FUUUCK!" he swore again.

Not far from the hot spring lay the bones of a fish, each the size of an adult's forearm, a size all too familiar to him.

"There are traces of sword attacks here!"

Similar marks could be seen in other places. The numerous traces below the water level confirmed his suspicions, someone had indeed hunted the Ten Millennia Fire Carp.

Despite scouring the area, he couldn't discern what kind of martial art technique was used, as if the hunter had merely shot out streaks of sword qi.

"WHO IS IT?!"

Who is it…

A voice filled with rage echoed across the mountain.

"Which bastard of a thief—!"

Dared to steal a spiritual beast of the Dark Heavens Association! He stopped himself from uttering these words aloud, cautious of the implications.

"I'll KILL YOUUUUUUU!"

*

Zhou Xuchuan kept heading south as he used his lightness art. He didn't bother stopping at any villages along the way. He could sleep or recover his qi wherever he wanted to.

As a result of moving with minimal rest, he was able to arrive in Yunnan in a relatively short time. When he counted the date, it had only been a month since he left the sect. If he wasn't obstructed by various matters, he could have arrived even sooner.

Even on horseback, he wouldn't have been able to arrive this quickly. This was something he could achieve only because he had the qi to back him up.

"Hm, since I'm in Yunnan now, I might as well get some sleep on a proper bed."

Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan.

It was a city surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the scenery was comparable to the five great mountains of the central plains. It was also home to the sixth largest lake in the central plains, and was reputed as a natural reserve tourist area.

It was also known as the "Spring City" or "Flower City," due to its warm climate all year round. Flowers could be seen everywhere around the city, making it look was a peaceful city at first glance.

"I hope I don't get into unnecessary trouble…"

However, Kunming, no, the Yunnan province as a whole, was the region with most conflicts after Guizhou, with its history running just as deep.

To the north-west was Tibet, and to the west and south was Nanman. Yunnan was never quiet when foreign forces invaded, and it was a land of constant turmoil, whether it was due to conflict between cultivators or countries.

Guizhou and Guangxi were to the east. Guizhou, as mentioned before, was a land of constant conflict, while Guangxi was the domain of the Evil Valley.

Aside from Sichuan to the north, it was surrounded by enemies on all sides.

What was fortunate was that Tibet and Nanman showed no intentions of expanding their territory into the central plains. Otherwise, the Orthodox Faction would have retreated from Yunnan a long time ago.

"I won't be able to receive support from the Gold Will Merchants in Yunnan, so I should be careful not to lose my money."

The Gold Will Merchants were unable to expand to Yunnan due to the Galaxy Manor and Flying Tiger Agency, who held a firm grasp over all the businesses happening in the area. They left no room for other merchants to enter.

In Zhou Xuchuan's previous life, the Gold Will Merchants did enter Yunnan. However, it was after wars had swept everything away. If these two groups weren't weakened by the war, the Gold Will Merchants would have never had the opportunity to do so.

"Hm, if I have time after consuming the internal core of the Seven-horned Serpent, I might pay a visit to the Diancang Sect…"

Mount Diancang was near Yunxian, which was only half a day away from Mount Ailao, where he was headed to. Of course, that was after taking into account that he would use his lightness art.

The next day.

He left Kunming with slight regret. He had thoughts about taking a leisurely stroll around, but he was by himself, which wouldn't be as fun. He thought that he should come again later with someone else.

However, he did hear something good during his overnight stay in Kunming.

"Do you remember the youth that won a duel against the Poison Phoenix?"

"Zhou Xuchuan of Mount Hua! I know him. What about him?"

"I hear he single-handedly wiped out a group of nearly fifty bandits by himself before he went to Sichuan!"

"What? Is that true?"

"Of course. Moreover, he saved the captives in their fortress and handed out the treasures in the warehouse."

"That's amazing! He's a righteous hero!"

The bandits in Chongqing didn't have anyone famous, so Zhou Xuchuan didn't exactly make a big name for himself, but he was definitely building his reputation, little by little.

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