Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi-Chapter 38: Yang Chan’s Life-Saving Methods

A Ten Refinement Sword was far superior to an ordinary weapon. Used well, it could kill an External Refining Expert. The better the weapon, the greater the threat.

A Ten Refinement Sword had the potential to kill an expert, but whether it succeeded depended on the swordsman’s skill.

A child holding a sharp sword can kill an adult, but only if the adult fails to dodge. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to even injure them.

Such was the gap between Nurtured Strength and External Refining Copper Skin.

It wasn’t that a kill was impossible, but the difference in power was substantial. For a person at the Nurtured Strength level to kill an External Refining Copper Skin expert, many conditions had to be met.

Of course, the same held true when a Nurtured Strength expert faced an ordinary person; they held a massive advantage.

After Yang Chan raised his Demon Suppressing Swordsmanship from the Beginner Level to Tier Two Entry, he ran out of Potential Points for further upgrades. Doing so had consumed all the points he had accumulated over the last few days.

This level of Demon Suppressing Swordsmanship was sufficient for now. Advancing to Tier Three Mastery would cost a great deal of Potential Points, which he currently lacked.

Furthermore, when choosing between upgrading the Ox Demon’s Mighty Fist and the Demon Suppressing Swordsmanship, Yang Chan leaned toward the former. Improving the Ox Demon’s Mighty Fist would make him significantly more powerful. If his External Refining Copper Skin reached the third stage—Ancient Bronze—his strength would take another qualitative leap.

In this regard, the Demon Suppressing Swordsmanship simply couldn’t compare.

Improving the Demon Suppressing Swordsmanship was more about refining the Sword Techniques, allowing him to execute them more smoothly. He also gained an intuitive understanding of various related moves and applications, giving him actual combat capability.

If he encountered danger after leaving the sect, his Tier Two Demon Suppressing Swordsmanship should be enough to handle it. If it wasn’t, then his fundamental strength was simply insufficient.

Though Yang Chan had improved his Demon Suppressing Swordsmanship, he kept it hidden. When practicing in the Instructor Hall, he only displayed a Beginner Level of Swordsmanship. ’It’s best to hide my true abilities for now!’

’The more trump cards I have, the better my chances of survival.’

’If someone comes after me, they’ll underestimate my strength, and I’ll at least have a chance to turn the tables and kill them.’

If he had a choice, Yang Chan really didn’t want to leave the sect. He didn’t know which of the Three Major Sects Zhao Ziqing was a spy for, but his capture was undeniably linked to Yang Chan.

If someone from the Three Major Sects wanted to avenge Zhao Ziqing, they would definitely cause trouble for him. He would have nothing to fear if he could stay in the Cyan Yuan Sect, but now that he had to leave, Yang Chan was forced to consider this possibility.

’I only have one life, so my safety has to come first.’

Thinking of this, Yang Chan mentally cursed Xu Gaocen yet again. ’If I’d known, I would have found a more cautious Pharmacist and avoided this whole mess.’

’After I comprehended Power, escaped the threat of being expelled from the Cyan Yuan Sect, and worked so hard to become a Pharmacist, the trouble never stopped—and Xu Gaocen was the source of it all.’

’Whether it was Li Junhao, Shu Yu, or Zhao Ziqing, all the trouble came from Xu Gaocen. In fact, after becoming his Pharmacist’s Assistant, I’ve barely received any help from him or learned anything useful. I’ve had to rely on my own abilities and Potential Points.’

’You could say that I’d still be a Pharmacist today, even without Xu Gaocen.’

’In fact, if I hadn’t become his Pharmacist’s Assistant, none of this trouble would have found me. I wouldn’t be forced to leave the Sect; I could have stayed inside the Cyan Yuan Sect.’

When he added it all up, the real source of his problems was Xu Gaocen. ’It just goes to show how important your choices in life are,’ Yang Chan realized.

"Sigh! Since I have to leave the sect, I’d better make more preparations."

Thinking this, Yang Chan let out a sigh.

His departure was not delayed. Yang Chan felt like he’d barely had a few days of peace before it was time to leave the Cyan Yuan Sect.

Before leaving, Yang Chan thought for a moment and decided to spend most of his money in Cyan Fish Street. He bought some simple-to-use hidden weapons, poisons, and other such items. It was better to have lifesaving measures and not need them; having more was always a good idea.

Previously, items like hidden weapons and poisons weren’t so readily available. It was only after the Cyan Yuan Sect went to war with the Three Major Sects that these things became much more common.

Before buying anything, Yang Chan consulted Shi Gaoshun. This man, who ran a stall in Cyan Fish Street, was well-informed and knew which hidden weapons and poisons were best to carry and use.

With Shi Gaoshun’s enthusiastic help, Yang Chan purchased two hidden weapons: the Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrow and the Flying Claw.

The Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrow was hidden inside a sleeve, offering excellent concealment. It could be loaded with six small arrows at once—one in the center and five surrounding it in a plum blossom pattern—and could be fired in succession.

They were all Ten Refinement items and extremely sharp.

In a pinch, it could be used to turn the tables on an enemy.

As for the Flying Claw, it was made of steel and shaped like a hand. It had five steel claws, each with three articulated joints, allowing them to open and close. The tips of the foremost joints were sharp, like a chicken’s talons.

The Flying Claw contained a mechanism to control each claw. It was very helpful for either grappling people or for scaling walls and roofs.

If he encountered a powerful enemy, he could use the Flying Claw to aid his escape.

Yang Chan stopped buying hidden weapons after acquiring these two. Both were highly effective, but they weren’t cheap. If not for his various rewards, his monthly stipend, and the advance he received for leaving the sect, he might not have been able to afford them. The purchase cost him nearly half of his silver coins.

Seeing that Yang Chan had bought hidden weapons, Shi Gaoshun gave him a manual titled >. It sounded impressive, but it was actually a collection of insights on using hidden weapons—specifically on how to deploy them without attracting attention.

It even used practical examples to illustrate the techniques, making it well worth reading.

Yang Chan also bought several types of poisonous medicinal ingredients in Cyan Fish Street, planning to concoct the poison himself.

After becoming a Pharmacist, he naturally also knew how to concoct poisons.

Previously, inside the Cyan Yuan Sect, he had no need for them. But now that he was leaving the Sect, he had to make some preparations.

He now had hidden weapons, so of course the poisons could be applied to them.

Experts in Martial Arts Cultivation had incredibly tough skin, flesh, muscles, and bones, making them difficult to injure with ordinary blades. But poison was a different matter. It targeted the internal organs. Unless one was an Inner Master, anyone afflicted would suffer a bitter death if they failed to find an antidote in time.

’Five Poison Powder... I hope you’re more potent than your name suggests!’

Yang Chan had now collected five poisonous ingredients: Golden Leaf Chrysanthemum, Black Heart Lotus, Poisonous Peach Blossoms, Cold Pool Purple Vine, and Jade Silkworm Gu. He would then use supplementary herbs to interfere with their medicinal properties, making it difficult for anyone to balance out the toxins.

Ordinary antidotes would be completely useless against the Five Poison Powder.

This was a virulent poison, lethal upon contact with blood. The faint green glimmer on the poison was enough to make one’s skin crawl and feel instinctively unwell.

With all these preparations, Yang Chan felt he finally had some reliable ways to save his own skin.

Even if he faced an External Refining Expert, he wouldn’t be completely powerless to fight back.

He had also concocted two vials of antidote. One was a general-purpose antidote effective against a wide range of poisons, while the other was specially formulated in case he accidentally poisoned himself.

Although he wasn’t the type to lick his hidden weapons after applying poison to them, he still had to prepare for accidents.