That evening.

I trained in martial arts deep in the mountains, away from my residence. Even after leaving the sect, I devoted myself to training whenever I had spare time.

At first, Duke Dok looked at me with suspicion, thinking my training might be for show, but soon, seeing how I didn’t waste even the smallest moments, he shook his head, calling me ruthless. Did I train like an ordinary man?

A person must change for their martial arts to change.

This is one of the ultimate truths of martial arts as I see it, but there is one condition. Even while striving to change, you must train to the point of exhaustion. If the mind races ahead but training doesn’t follow, even if the person changes, their martial arts will not.

First, I trained the Thunderclap Palm Technique, then honed the Wind God’s Four Steps, and did not neglect the Flying Sword Style.

Finally, I combined these three martial arts in my training. When facing a truly strong opponent, how efficiently I can use these three techniques will be the key to victory or defeat.

With the Pill of Ultimate Poison Extermination, my internal energy rose, and its quality changed. My internal energy felt deeper and purer. As a result, even when using the same amount of internal energy to execute techniques, their power became stronger.

At last, standing on a high rock, I finished training watching the setting sun.

After finishing my training, Geom Mugeuk stopped by the marketplace.

The place he entered was the home of an old woman reputed to be the most skillful craftsman in this town.

“Is it all done?”

“It’s all ready here. How does it look?”

Geom Mugeuk smiled as he checked what the old woman handed over.

“Very well done.”

After paying the agreed price, Geom Mugeuk left the place.

Back at his residence, he headed to Duke Dok’s room.

Duke Dok was pacing alone in his room, lost in thought. Suddenly, as if he recalled something, he rushed to his desk and picked up a brush.

He wrote something with effort, then seemed stuck again, rising and pacing. Then he fell into deep thought once more, suddenly jumping up and scribbling something.

“Still not asleep?”

When Geom Mugeuk entered, Duke Dok closed the book he was writing in.

“It’s late at night. What brings you here?”

“I came to give you something.”

Geom Mugeuk handed him what was made at the old woman’s place.

It was a pair of gloves.

“What is this?”

At a glance, the gloves radiated an unusual aura.

“They are gloves made of Avoid-Poison Heavenly Silkworm Thread (Pidok Cheonjamsa).”

Duke Dok was surprised.

“Avoid-Poison Heavenly Silkworm Thread?”

Pidok Cheonjamsa was a fabric far superior to ordinary poison-blocking green leather gloves. If the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread was strong against external impact, this thread was resistant to poison.

“Where did you find such a precious thing?”

“I discovered it in Jisaeng’s secret warehouse. I entrusted it to the most skillful old woman in the town to make into gloves. Try them on. They were made the same size as the gloves you wore in the Poison Forest, so they should fit well.”

The green fabric wrapping the fake Supreme Night Bright Pearl was Pidok Cheonjamsa. To protect the energy of the Pill of Ultimate Poison Extermination inside the Night Bright Pearl, it had been wrapped in this thread. The deceased who hid the Pill inside the Night Bright Pearl was undoubtedly [N O V E L I G H T] someone who built their legacy through poison.

“Why give such a precious thing to me?”

“Because it’s precious. It’s strange that you, Duke Dok, never had something like this until now.”

“Have you seen a master calligraphy artist refuse a brush?”

“A brush doesn’t kill people. Use these gloves whenever you handle deadly poisons from now on.”

He also gave Duke Dok the remaining fabric.

“I thought you might need the leftover fabric for something else, so I brought it separately.”

After generously handing over the remaining Pidok Cheonjamsa, Geom Mugeuk turned to leave.

“Then rest well. We’ll depart early tomorrow.”

Geom Mugeuk bowed and left the room.

The event had happened so suddenly that Duke Dok couldn’t even properly thank him.

He stared blankly at the gloves and fabric, then noticed something embroidered on the gloves.

On the back of one glove was:

“Heaven Above, Earth Below (Cheonsang Cheonha, 天上天下).”

On the other glove was:

“Solely I Am the Poison Lord (Yu-a Dokjon, 唯我毒尊).”

It was the phrase “Dokjon” (독존), where the original character for “alone” (독, 獨) was replaced with “poison” (독, 毒).

A surge of emotion crossed Duke Dok’s face.

Becoming the Poison Lord was his dream. And he had never revealed that dream to anyone. Not even to Sangseon, his most devoted attendant.

Finally, Duke Dok shook his head.

“So that’s why everyone was tricked despite knowing. Truly, poison with no antidote.”

Yet he could not hide the pleased emotion flashing in his eyes.

The snake tattoo engraved on the man’s chest extended up to his neck, its long tail curling once around.

The man whose neck was wrapped by a snake.

He was Aecha, one of Yalyulhan’s Four Elite Guards. There was a reason he chose the snake among many animals. He had snake-like eyes. If you looked only at his eyes, you could easily mistake them for a snake’s. Moreover, his cold and ferocious aura made him even more snake-like.

Aecha read the scroll and said,

“Jisaeng is dead.”

The person startled ahead was the True Poison Master.

“How so?”

The True Poison Master wore scholar-like neat clothes, but his skin was dark and wrinkled, betraying any scholarly appearance. His voice was also a harsh rasp.

“As you know, that person had long been represented by a fake. But that fake killed Jisaeng and fled with his fortune.”

He spoke calmly, without emotion, merely stating facts.

“That person was very cautious and not someone who would die easily.”

Jisaeng’s death was truly unexpected. Even if others died, he was not someone who would fall easily.

But the investigation by the alliance confirmed that the fake was responsible. Since the deceased was Jisaeng, the investigation had been thorough.

Listening quietly, the True Poison Master unexpectedly said,

“Perhaps it was inevitable.”

He spoke Aecha’s unspoken thoughts.

“That person pretended to be a great mystic while acting like a coachman, but to me, he was nothing but a coward. A coward’s end is never good.”

A strange smile appeared on Aecha’s lips.

“Now that he’s dead, the true evaluation comes out.”

It was mockery full of reproach, like “Are you saying that now?”

True Poison Master’s irritation flared.

“If you’re going to say what you want, don’t spit while you’re at it.”

It was always like this. Aecha always said unpleasant things in these situations.

The True Poison Master thought it was a twisted desire for control.

Someone who binds others with negative words to gain superiority in relationships. This was how he handled his subordinates.

Hiding his discomfort, the True Poison Master smiled.

“Isn’t it only the dead who are pitiful?”

Aecha was cruel by nature, and he had seen many fall dead after once being out of favor. But he never thought of being intimidated.

Flare— Aecha burned the scroll in the lamp’s flame. Not a word of condolence until the end.

When the scroll turned to ashes and vanished, Aecha suddenly asked,

“Have you still not caught the side effect?”

The True Poison Master’s eyes twitched. It’s hard to consistently annoy someone so much. This guy must have three lives at least.

“I’m working on it.”

“Catch it soon. Recently, an incident happened on the heretic sect’s side. If the families of important figures from the heretic sect or Martial Alliance get hit, it will be troublesome.”

In truth, Aecha was not afraid of the heretic sect or Martial Alliance. What he feared was Yalyulhan’s reprimand because of the aftermath. The only person in the world he feared was Yalyulhan.

“I will resolve it as soon as possible.”

“How long will you need?”

“Give me six months.”

“I’ll give you one month.”

The True Poison Master’s expression hardened.

He had expected the deadline to be shortened and called for six months, thinking they would say three. But one month? That was blatant disrespect.

Tense silence filled the space between them.

The True Poison Master felt the urge to poison that face immediately. What nerve— Aecha wasn’t afraid of his poison at all. Well, Yalyulhan probably assigned him exactly because he could control Aecha.

“I will solve it as fast as I can.”

“Let’s do that.”

For now, the True Poison Master withdrew. But he needed to know this—he was stepping back not because he feared Aecha, but because of Yalyulhan.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Trust in the great deed.”

Aecha watched True Poison Master leave with his snake eyes.

“Too much pride for no reason.”

If the side effect of frenzy wasn’t caught, frenzy would have to be abandoned. But since most income came from frenzy, giving up was impossible.

“Old man, isn’t it better to admit mistakes first?”

The True Poison Master had yet to admit any error in creating the problem.

Aecha had his own grudges.

True Poison Master asked a subordinate waiting outside,

“How many subjects remain for the experiment?”

“Seven remain.”

“The next subject?”

“On the way.”

The Satan Alliance sent mindless soldiers for experiments to True Poison Master. They were all people imprisoned in the Satan Alliance’s brain prison. People who had crossed all limits, so much that even the Satan Alliance locked them up — the worst scum in the world.

“Estimated arrival?”

“About twenty days.”

“Too slow! Go and bring them as fast as possible. Use any means necessary to bring them within ten days!”

“Understood.”

The subordinate rushed out.

The subordinate faithfully did his duty—except he failed to notice someone watching him.

Ten days later.

“Ughhhhh!”

A man was rampaging madly, bleeding from his eyes and nose.

Watching this, True Poison Master sighed again.

All seven remaining subjects had failed. No matter how the herb combinations changed, side effects couldn’t be prevented.

The problem was tolerance.

At first, one pill was enough to get the effect, but the more they took, the more tolerant they became, needing higher doses. As the dose increased, side effects began. Now, among hundreds who overdosed, about one in a hundred experienced this. If tolerant subjects increased, it could be one in tens, turning the martial world into chaos.

Then a subordinate came to report.

“New subjects for experiments have arrived.”

“How many?”

“Twenty.”

True Poison Master stepped outside with the subordinate.

Two large carriages stood in the yard, prisoners unloading. The carriages had no windows — they were carried like cargo. Moreover, the prisoners wore black bags over their heads. Their internal energy was suppressed, making the suffocation unbearable.

The mindless soldiers removed the bags. The prisoners looked around. Though the surrounding soldiers radiated fierce energy, none showed fear.

As always, when around twenty hopeless lives gather, some naturally dared to act without fear.

“You bastards! I am Yang Gung of the Blood Snake!”

He was once a notorious villain in the heretic martial world.

“No matter how fallen the martial world’s morals, is this how you treat your seniors?”

He was furious at being carried like cargo. Moreover, what would normally take twenty days was done in ten, so their hardships were extreme.

Due to the shortage of experimental subjects, such complaints were overlooked.

But he was unlucky—many misfortunes piled on him.

First, True Poison Master had just failed another experiment and was in a bad mood; Aecha was watching this from the opposite side.

The last bad luck was that his nickname contained “snake.”

True Poison Master walked toward him.

“You are the infamous Blood Snake, senior.”

“Yes, that’s me. Who are you?”

“I am such a person.”

True Poison Master waved his hand dismissively.

As everyone watched wondering what was happening—

“Ughhhh!”

Suddenly, the Blood Snake screamed.

Unable to endure the pain, he rolled on the floor. It was a pain no human could bear.

Most present were scoundrels who had committed countless crimes, but none had ever seen such agony. Nobody could imagine what was happening inside his body.

“Kill me... please!”

The Blood Snake begged.

True Poison Master looked down coldly.

“...Kill me!”

True Poison Master waved his hand again.

The Blood Snake’s body began to melt. With a simple gesture, the man turned into a pool of blood and disappeared. This was the skill of the heretic world’s top poison master.

No one there dared to breathe heavily.

True Poison Master glanced at Aecha far away and bowed slightly. His attitude was polite, but the message was clear: Mess around, and you’ll end up like this.

Aecha snorted dismissively and turned back to his residence.

Watching his retreat, True Poison Master smiled with satisfaction.

“Anyone else want to announce who they are?”

No one dared step forward.

But True Poison Master did not know. At that very moment, someone wanted to reveal who he was.

The mindless soldiers took the prisoners to the building.

Among those scared and dragged was Geom Mugeuk and Duke Dok.