Chapter 351: Chrysanthemum

Medical treatment is no child's play; it cannot be ambiguous. He walked over, didn't even look at the color of the beast's fur, its physical condition, heartbeat, or breathing—just touched it and came back... What does that mean?

Don't tell me he's already diagnosed the illness and knows the cure?

Mo Tianxue and Mo Yu were also utterly bewildered, wondering what this President Liu was up to.

He walked back, and they thought he would say something, but to their dismay, he just stood there... and started spacing out.

Not looking at anything, just randomly touching and then coming back to daydream—this method of diagnosis baffled not only him but even the knowledgeable Grandmaster Lin Tao.

"Ahem, President Liu, is the Golden-tailed Lion... still savable?"

Seeing him stand there for a long time, his expression shifting between light and dark, Mo Tianxue couldn't help but ask.

Can you treat it or not? Just say something. Standing there like that, what's the point?

"Oh, I'll name a few things. Go prepare them now, the sooner the better!"

Zhang Xuan finally snapped back to reality. Without answering, he gave instructions with a grave expression.

"Yes!"

Mo Tianxue nodded.

"Boneless Flower, Golden Blood Venom, Three Thousand Insect Blood..."

Zhang Xuan casually listed a dozen medicinal ingredients.

"These... are all poisons?"

Expecting him to name some tonic herbs, Mo Tianxue was instead given a list of highly toxic substances, making his scalp tingle.

"Mm, go ahead!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Can poisons really cure the Golden-tailed Lion's condition?" Mo Tianxue was baffled.

The Golden-tailed Lion was suffering from life exhaustion and going mad. Normally, one would seek tonic herbs to restore its energy and revive it.

Why seek poisons?

"Father, listen to President Liu. Since he asked you to buy these things, he must have his reasons!" Seeing his father hesitate, Mo Yu quickly sent a telepathic message.

She had witnessed this man treat the Great Pill King with miraculous methods; if he asked his father to prepare poisons, there must be a reason.

"Alright!" Agreeing, Mo Tianxue waved his hand. After a moment, a gray-clad figure appeared, and he gave instructions.

True to the royal family of the Heavenly Martial Kingdom, they worked swiftly. Soon, all the herbs were delivered.

"President Liu, how should these be used?"

Looking at the pile of poisons, Mo Tianxue's mouth twitched as he turned to him.

Any one of these herbs could easily poison a Grandmaster to death; combined, dozens of them were even more terrifying. He had no idea what this man intended to do with them.

"Do you have spears? Prepare thirty-six of them!"

Still not answering, Zhang Xuan continued.

Spears were common weapons, often carried by palace guards, easy to find. Within minutes, a large pile lay before them.

"Also, prepare forty cattle and sheep, slaughter them, and collect all the blood in buckets..."

Zhang Xuan kept giving orders.

Though full of doubt, knowing that President Liu would not act without reason, Mo Tianxue continued to have things prepared.

Once everything was ready, Zhang Xuan finally relaxed. He stepped up to the herbs prepared earlier and slapped his palm on the table.

Whoosh!

The dozen herbs flew up. He clapped his hands together, and with a surge of true energy, the poisons were crushed into powder, blending together into a greenish, horrifying mixture.

Any one of these herbs could kill a Grandmaster; combined, the potency was even greater—a half-step Sovereign might faint for at least half a day just by inhaling a whiff.

"Is this... the technique of a poison master? Could it be... President Liu is a poison master?"

Seeing the poison powder fly and the colors shift as the herbs fused, Mo Tianxue and Grandmaster Lin Tao grew wary.

The terror of a poison master lay in their ability to kill opponents of higher cultivation.

Though some poison masters had low cultivation themselves, no one knew what kind of poison they could concoct; one careless mistake could lead to defeat and death.

Such examples were numerous, which is why this profession was feared and dreaded.

This President Liu casually blended so many potent poisons, showing superb control over their toxicity and ratios—could he really be a poison master?

"A skilled physician understands the properties of herbs, even poisons to some extent. Nothing strange about it!"

Sensing their doubt, Mo Yu sent a telepathic message.

Physicians and poison masters—one saves lives, the other takes them—seemingly opposites, yet they share much in common.

Legend even said that the first poison master was originally a brilliant physician. After his wife and children were brutally murdered by enemies, he underwent a drastic change, studied deadly poisons, and left behind the "Poison Classic," wiping out his enemies' entire clan.

Of course, the truth was lost to time, but this legend showed that poison masters and physicians had much overlap. A skilled physician capable of concocting poisons was nothing surprising.

"Alright..."

As the three exchanged thoughts, they saw the young man stop. The poison powder was fully prepared; he tossed it into a bucket of water, which immediately turned dark gray.

Done, Zhang Xuan relaxed, circled the Golden-tailed Lion, stopped again, and looked up at Grandmaster Lin Tao.

"Is there a way to activate this formation quickly?"

"Quickly activate?" Lin Tao was taken aback.

"Mm." Zhang Xuan nodded.

When he went to the Beast Hall, he had seen Yun Tao activate a formation; it required preparation and was troublesome.

"Ideally, the formation should activate within half a breath to be effective." After a moment, Zhang Xuan said.

"Half a breath?" Lin Tao nearly choked. "Impossible! To activate a third-grade formation of this size, at least eight Grandmaster Peaks must stand at eight positions and inject true energy simultaneously. Only after all energies merge can it operate... The fastest method takes at least ten minutes!"

"Ten minutes?"

"Mm. If a Sovereign were present, one person could activate it, and it would be faster, but still no less than two or three minutes."

Lin Tao was speechless.

Did you even understand formations?

Activating a formation sounds simple, but it requires infusing true energy and imparting vitality—a complex and tedious process.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of formations knows this. You kicked this large formation to a halt—how could you not know?

"That's too long..."

Zhang Xuan frowned. "Isn't there a better way?"

"There is, but... I can't do it." After hesitating, Lin Tao said.

"Oh? Tell me about it!" Zhang Xuan quickly looked at him.

"Every formation has a formation core, the hub of its operation. If you inject true energy there, the formation can activate quickly... That's how formation plates work."

Lin Tao paused, somewhat embarrassed. "As you know, to inscribe a formation plate, one must be at least a third-grade formation master. I'm only a second-grade peak... still lacking."

A formation plate is a portable item on which a large formation is inscribed using special methods. When needed, simply infuse it with true energy, and even non-formation masters can activate it easily.

Though weaker than a true formation, it can be triggered instantly and is portable—a common life-saving tool.

Mo Yu had one on her, which was why Mo Tianxue felt safe letting her travel.

"You mean, if we find the formation core... we can activate the formation quickly?"

Zhang Xuan asked.

"Yes." Lin Tao nodded. "But finding the formation core is no easy task. Unlike fixed formation plates, the core of a laid-out formation changes with terrain and time. Even I can't find it, let alone... activate it!"

"Oh."

Zhang Xuan asked no more. After a moment's hesitation, his eyes settled on a certain spot.

Then, without further delay, he went to the Golden-tailed Lion and picked up a spear.

With a flick of his wrist, the spear tip dipped into the bucket of poison, emitting a sizzling sound as if even the metal was corroding.

"Go!"

Holding the poison-coated spear, Zhang Xuan raised his brows and hurled it with force.

Whoosh!

Like a javelin, the spear flew straight forward, carrying immense power, and stabbed into the sleeping Golden-tailed Lion.

"Ah?"

Expecting something else, Mo Tianxue, Lin Tao, and the others felt their hair stand on end.

This was a deadly poison... Not to mention whether it would kill the national guardian beast, directly attacking it like this was tantamount to provocation, likely enraging it completely.

The beast was already bad-tempered and had been eating people. If angered, wouldn't it kill them all?

Roar!

Sure enough, before their fear subsided, they heard an enraged roar. The Golden-tailed Lion, which had been asleep, suddenly opened its eyes, its lantern-like orbs turning bloodshot.

"We're done for..."

Seeing this, their hearts sank.

Whoosh!

The Golden-tailed Lion glanced at the spear stuck in its body, its fury soaring to the heavens. It roared again and stood up, its towering frame like a small hill, exuding immense pressure that made their legs weak.

"President Liu, danger..."

Mo Yu couldn't help but shout.

An enraged Golden-tailed Lion was unstoppable even for her father, a Grandmaster Peak. How could this man, only an initial Grandmaster, withstand it?

As her shout ended, she expected the young man to retreat, but instead, he picked up another spear, dipped it in poison, and thrust again.

And... this time, the target was... the Golden-tailed Lion's anus.

Pfft!

The spear struck true, plunging straight in. Blood gushed out along the shaft.

"Roar!"

Now not only Mo Tianxue and Lin Tao went mad, but the Golden-tailed Lion went even madder.

It opened its eyes to see who dared touch it, only to find this guy spearing its chrysanthemum. The fury in its chest nearly made it explode.

Whoosh!

Its massive tail coiled and lashed at Zhang Xuan, the speed causing a series of sonic booms.

As if anticipating this move, Zhang Xuan remained calm. He swayed and appeared at a spot he had identified earlier, dozens of meters away, and stomped his foot on the ground.

Crash!

With the sound, Mo Tianxue, Mo Yu, and the others saw a formation instantly activate, once again enveloping the courtyard.

"The formation... activated?"

Grandmaster Lin Tao's eyes bulged again.