Chapter 970: The Wood Master Returns

After explaining for a long time and repeatedly stating that the Dean's Courtyard was intact, the two remained skeptical. Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly, too lazy to continue explaining.

The pure are self-purifying, the turbid are self-turbid. For an upright and flawless person like him, time would prove his innocence.

“Dean, you’ve been gone for five days. The people from the War Master Hall arrived long ago. Zheng Yang and Wei Ruyan passed the assessment…”

No longer dwelling on the matter, Elder Mi recounted the events of the past few days in detail.

After listening, Zhang Xuan nodded.

Zheng Yang had received his personal instruction, so passing the assessment was expected. He hadn’t expected Wei Ruyan to pass as well. It seemed the War Masters of the War Master Hall weren’t that impressive!

After inquiring about other academy matters and making decisions and responses, Zhang Xuan followed the two elders back to his residence in the Elder Courtyard.

As the dean, with the War Master Hall members and the three academy deans having arrived for so many days, it was inexcusable that he hadn’t visited them even once.

Just as he was about to go meet these renowned masters, he saw the steward Sun Qiang rushing over anxiously.

“Young master!” Seeing him approach, Sun Qiang hurriedly came forward.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan looked at him.

Having followed him for so long, Sun Qiang knew he hated trouble. Without anything particularly important, he usually handled things himself. Now, running here to wait, looking frantic, something must have happened.

“Miss Ruyan… she’s fainted again!” Sun Qiang said hastily.

“Fainted?” Zhang Xuan was startled.

That shouldn’t be!

Wei Ruyan’s soul, nourished by the Bodhi tree, was now no different from a normal person’s, even a bit stronger.

Her physical body, healed by the seventh-grade Renewal Pill, had also recovered and was cultivating a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path cultivation technique. She could even easily defeat a War Master. Why had she suddenly fallen unconscious?

“I’m not sure of the exact reason. That day, after challenging the War Master Hall members, she felt unwell on the way back and then collapsed…”

Sun Qiang said.

“Let’s go take a look!”

Knowing he wouldn’t learn the cause just from this, Zhang Xuan clasped his fists, took leave of Elder Mi and the others, and followed Sun Qiang hurriedly toward his own residence.

Arriving at Wei Ruyan’s quarters, he saw her lying on the bed, brows furrowed tightly, unconscious. Wang Ying was sitting beside her, attending to her carefully.

The various plants in the small courtyard were all wilted, as if winter had come, each one withered and near death.

“What’s going on?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

“Teacher, you’re back…” Seeing him arrive, Wang Ying quickly stood up.

Interrupting her words, Zhang Xuan approached Wei Ruyan and placed his fingers on her wrist.

After a moment, his expression turned grave, and he looked up: “Tell me in detail about the match between Ruyan and the War Master Hall that day!”

“Yes! That day, Junior Sister Ruyan went on stage and fought her opponent. Her internal energy spread, poisoning all nine War Masters…” Wang Ying concealed nothing and recounted the events of that day in detail.

Elder Mi and the others knew that Wei Ruyan had defeated the War Master Hall by poisoning, but they were unaware of her Innate Poison Body and hadn’t given a thorough account.

Her account was extremely detailed, perfectly recreating the situation at the time.

“Teacher, how is she?” After finishing, Wang Ying looked at him nervously.

Zhang Xuan frowned deeply: “It’s nothing serious. It’s just that her Innate Poison Body has erupted… The power is too great, and she can’t suppress it herself, so she’s fallen into a coma.”

Wei Ruyan was not only an Innate Poison Body but also an Innate Poison Soul Body, a rare constitution that hadn’t appeared on the continent for tens of thousands of years.

With this constitution, once she cultivated, her internal energy was highly toxic!

Under normal circumstances, once the constitution was activated, her strength would increase rapidly, and her combat power would be formidable, making others shrink back in fear.

But it also had a major flaw… every time the poison energy within her was used, it would grow stronger. The more she used it, the more it accumulated.

Without a good method to disperse it, it could easily erupt, and the powerful force would cause her to fall unconscious.

This was her current situation. With insufficient strength, she had forcibly challenged the Dragon Gate Formation, using power that exceeded her body’s maximum capacity. She could no longer suppress it, and the poison body had fully erupted.

She cultivated a simplified version of the Heaven’s Path technique and had never practiced any poison master techniques. Unable to channel the erupting power within her, she naturally fell unconscious.

“Fortunately, her self-control is very strong, or the entire Hongyuan City would have been affected…”

Concluding, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Even the War Master Hall members couldn’t withstand her poison, showing how terrifying it was. If not for her strong will, suppressing the power before falling unconscious, allowing it to spread, the poison gas would have drifted with the wind, and countless people would have suffered.

Because the Innate Poison Body was uncontrollable, it was also called the [Disaster Body], making people shrink back in fear.

Even though she had suppressed her aura, the plants in the courtyard, being too close, were still poisoned nearly to death, resulting in the scene just witnessed.

Fortunately, she had practiced the simplified version of the Heavenly Dao technique, perfectly concealing the characteristics of her poison body, so no one else noticed. Otherwise, she would likely have been besieged by countless righteous warriors, and the entire mansion would have been blown up.

"Teacher, what should we do?"

Upon hearing the explanation, Wang Ying's face turned pale.

Previously, she had envied the other for being an innate constitution, never imagining it was so terrifying.

"I'll first extract some of the poison from her body to relieve the pressure. To completely resolve it, we may need to go to the Poison Hall..."

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said.

Although he was highly skilled in medicine, he could not deduce the correct steps to treat this innate poison body. The only place that might have a solution was the Poison Hall.

There, a perfect inheritance regarding 'poison' existed, along with records about poison bodies. Perhaps he could find a way to let her unleash her strength freely without accumulating poison.

"Poison Hall?" Wang Ying nodded.

This was the only option.

Placing his palm on her wrist, Zhang Xuan slowly infused Heavenly Dao true energy into Wei Ruyan's body. As time passed, instead of relaxing, his brow furrowed deeper.

He had initially thought that by neutralizing and guiding the poison out, he could solve the problem. Now it seemed he had underestimated the situation.

The poison in her body was perfectly fused with her body and soul. Forcibly neutralizing it would severely damage the poison body, resulting in serious injury or even instant death.

Drawing the poison out, while much less dangerous, would still cause great harm to her body.

In other words, whether he neutralized the poison or released it, it would be detrimental to the unconscious Wei Ruyan.

"It seems we have no choice but to go to the Poison Hall!"

After thinking for a while and considering many methods without finding a way to treat her, Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples, feeling troubled.

Although he had many skills, his understanding of poison only reached the two-star level, and this was his first encounter with an innate poison body.

Unable to find a more suitable method, perhaps only by going to the Poison Hall to read books and gather enough information could he find a way to cure her.

"Since I was already planning to visit the Poison Hall, it seems I'll have to set off early..."

Previously, in the Dean's Mausoleum, the old dean had left a message about the Poison Hall, and Zhang Xuan had intended to investigate it when he had time to uncover the academy's potential crisis. Now, with Wei Ruyan's condition, he would certainly have to depart ahead of schedule.

"Sun Qiang, here are a thousand high-grade spirit stones. Find out as much as you can about the Poison Hall, the more detailed the better!"

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan produced a pile of high-grade spirit stones and waved his hand.

Although the old dean's message suggested the Poison Hall was likely near Jingyuan City, he still needed to inquire and obtain the most accurate information.

Otherwise, making a wasted trip would be too costly, even for him.

"Young master, no need for spirit stones. I can directly ask the Shen family. They deal in medicinal herbs and should be able to find out quickly!"

Sun Qiang shook his head in refusal.

The Shen family was one of the four great families in Hongyuan City, with businesses spanning the entire empire. Their largest trade was medicinal herbs. The Poison Hall, needing to refine poisons, could not do without herbs, so there might be a special connection between them.

For others, even the former old dean, it might be impossible to get information, given the friction between master teachers and poison masters, and the Shen family's need to consider their business interests.

But now, having received great benefits from Zhang Xuan, they would certainly not hide anything if asked.

"Alright, go and ask!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

When it came to social graces and business, he was certainly no match for Sun Qiang, so it was better to leave it entirely to him.

"Yes!" Sun Qiang withdrew.

Watching him leave, Zhang Xuan was about to ask about Wei Ruyan's recent changes when he felt the ground tremble. A resonant bell suddenly rang out, spreading to every corner of Hongyuan City, as if summoning someone.

"Is that the Assembly Bell?"

His brows jumping, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but stand up.

The Assembly Bell was a bell for urgently gathering master teachers. Once it rang, all master teachers who heard it had to rush over as quickly as possible.

Glancing at the direction of the sound, which came from the Master Teacher Academy, Zhang Xuan felt puzzled.

He had left the academy less than half an hour ago, and now the bell rang. Could something have happened?

Somewhat curious, he flicked his wrist, and a communication jade slip appeared in his palm. Elder Mi had sent him a message with only one line of text.

"Wu Rui, a seven-star upper-class master teacher from the Qingyuan Title Empire, and Master Mu Hong have arrived at the academy. Dean, please return immediately!"

"Master Mu is back?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

Previously, when he discovered You Xu's betrayal of humanity, he had handed him over to Mu Hong. Now that Mu Hong had returned, he had probably uncovered something.

"I'll be right there!"

After replying, Zhang Xuan took out a few sixth-grade pills and fed them to Wei Ruyan to temporarily suppress the poison in her body, preventing it from rampaging and harming others. Then he instructed Wang Ying and walked out.

Not long after, he returned to the academy. By then, all the students had come back, and even all the master teachers from the Hongyuan City Master Teacher Hall had arrived, all gathered in the training ground, unsure of what had happened.