Poison God's Heritage

Xuan Fei's eyes widened in alarm as he stared at the portal that opened in front of him, a seamless gateway leading into the vast, white space of the Lord of Lords Pagoda. Its infinite expanse held a faint glow, one that seemed to emanate from every corner of the strange world inside. His surprise quickly turned into something colder, almost resentful.

"What… what is that?" he asked, his voice a mixture of suspicion and disbelief.

I scuffed, barely sparing him a glance. "None of your business," I replied, letting the words fall with an intentional bite. I turned to Master Tonfa. "I'll be resuming my research inside. I'd appreciate a detailed report on your progress thus far to avoid duplicating our efforts."

Tonfa nodded, unbothered by the tension growing in the room. "Of course, Master Shen Bao. Master Fei, please send over the relevant reports." He glanced at one of the young men in the room, a slight smile forming as he continued, "And Shen Bao, if you need any resources or materials, feel free to call upon Xuan Fei… or better yet," he shifted his attention to the three young cultivators standing nearby, "you three can handle material requests directly."

The tallest of the trio, a young man with a surprisingly humble demeanor, stepped forward. "We're siblings from the Son family, Master Tonfa." he said, bowing respectfully.

"Good, If Shen Bao requires anything, you can come to me directly," Tonfa said, his tone holding a hint of finality.

Xuan Fei's hand twitched, his expression souring. "I can handle material distribution myself." He was clearly wanting to hinder our progress.

Tonfa raised a placating hand, cutting him off. "No need. You'll have enough to handle already. I'd hate to further burden you," he replied smoothly.

I couldn't help but smirk. Tonfa's diplomatic maneuvering was impressive—he'd managed to neutralize Xuan Fei's interference without causing a scene. Xuan Fei fumed in silence, but there was little he could do. I nodded to Tonfa and walked through the portal, sealing it behind me to ensure Xuan Fei wouldn't interfere.

The three Son siblings trailed behind me, eyes wide as they took in the inside of the Pagoda's research facility. I couldn't blame them for their reaction; the Pagoda's interior, with its expansive white laboratory and towering, translucent walls that seemed to stretch into infinity, was awe-inspiring even to those familiar with it. However, my attention quickly shifted as I noticed one of the Son brothers gawking a bit too openly—not at the laboratory but at the Blue Sun, who was already inside, waiting with Tao Yang.

I reached over and gave him a quick smack to the back of the head. "Eyes on the task," I said, suppressing a grin.

He stammered an apology, looking sheepish, but before I could say more, the Blue Sun glanced up and asked, "Who are these three?"

"Minions," I replied dryly, casting a scrutinizing glance over the three of them. "Unless they prove otherwise, they're just that—minions."

I walked over to the dissection table, where the captured Rakshasa—a Noble Silver and a Noble Black—were securely restrained. Each was bound within powerful formations that weighed heavily on their grotesque, monstrous forms, preventing any movement.

The brothers gasped in unison as they took in the sight of the Noble Rakshasa, their eyes darting from the formations to the creatures themselves. "That… that's a living Noble Silver!" one of them said, his voice trembling.

"And that one," his brother chimed in, his voice laced with fascination and a bit of fear, "it's a Noble Black… in perfect condition. They're both still alive…"

I arched an eyebrow. "It's not like you've never seen them before," I said, moving to my workstation.

The eldest sibling, Dan Son, shook his head, his expression one of awe. "We've seen the Fallen race, but only severely injured ones, barely clinging to life. Capturing even a weakened Noble requires immense resources, and yet here, they're held in place with just… weight formations?"

I stopped what I was doing and looked at him more carefully. "You, what's your name?"

"Dan Son, Master," he replied, bowing slightly.

"Good eye for formations," I said, tossing him a small jade containing details of the weight formations used in the Pagoda. "Study this, learn it well. If you can, you might just earn yourself a spot at the big boys' table." Experience more on empire ṜἁꞐo͍ꞖƐꞨ

The other two brothers watched enviously as Dan Son absorbed the jade. "As for you two," I continued, "before I bother to remember your names, you'll have to earn it. Your first task is simple: kill one of those Rakshasa without using anything from your holding bags. Only use the materials in this lab."

One of the brothers exchanged a glance with the other, hesitant. "A… a Rakshasa?"

"Yes," I said. "We call them that where I'm from. Consider it a test of your ingenuity."

The Blue Sun raised an eyebrow as she watched the young men deliberate. "What's the point of this little minigame?" she asked through Divine Sense, sounding amused.

"It's not just a game," I replied, leaning over my workbench. "It's a trial. By challenging them to solve an impossible problem without guidance, I get a read on how they think, how they improvise. I need them to understand this lab, its tools, and its resources if they're going to be of any use. If they can't work without me hand-holding them, they're useless."

The two brothers set to work with renewed determination, darting about the lab to examine the available tools and materials. Meanwhile, I turned my focus back to the Broodmother's tissue sample on the dissection table. I had already sliced it into multiple sections, experimenting with different poisons, but nothing had yielded results. Every poison I tried, every trick I pulled, was absorbed without consequence. Qi was equally ineffective, dissolving before it could touch her cells. The only thing that had shown any potential was Soulsteel, but the sheer amount needed to inflict even the slightest damage made it practically worthless.

Days passed in this grueling deadlock. My frustration grew with each failed experiment, the sense of hopelessness thickening like a fog around us.

"There's just not enough Soulsteel to make a dent in that thing," the Blue Sun murmured, breaking the silence as she leaned back in her chair. "It's as if every trick we know is worthless against her."

Tao Yang, who had been working just as tirelessly, nodded in agreement. "We've exhausted every option," she said with a sigh.

Behind us, the two unnamed brothers finally made some progress. One of them—after studying the weight formations in the lab—was able to tweak the field on a Noble Rakshasa, increasing it until the monster's body was crushed under its own weight. It wasn't groundbreaking, but it demonstrated a keen understanding of how to manipulate existing resources. Satisfied, I finally granted him his name, learning that he was called Ban Son.

The second brother took a more unconventional approach, stuffing every poison he could find in the lab down the throat of the Black Noble Rakshasa. The creature convulsed violently, its veins turning black as the array of lethal toxins overwhelmed it. He grinned triumphantly, bowing in my direction as he waited for my response.

"Well done," I said. "It's not the most subtle solution, but you followed my instructions to the letter. You used the resources around you to eliminate the target. What's your name?"

"Fan Son," he replied proudly.

With all three now formally recognized, I felt a bit more confident in their abilities. However, the core issue—how to eliminate the Broodmother—remained. My frustration deepened as I cycled through countless ideas, none yielding any progress. It was maddening, a thorn in my mind that refused to be dislodged.

Dan Son, who had been quietly studying nearby, approached me one afternoon with a thoughtful look. "Master Shen Bao," he said, his voice tentative, "I was thinking… seeing as this entity is weak to the material you call Soulsteel, would it be possible to amplify its effects?"

I frowned, intrigued despite myself. "Amplify… how?"

He hesitated, then continued, "I could be mistaken, but isn't Soulsteel technically a metal? Could it be transformed into a type of poison, something that attacks on a deeper level?"

His words were like a key turning in a lock, sparking a chain reaction in my mind. "That… yes! If we could modify the Soulsteel, change its structure somehow… make it liquid, perhaps?"

My thoughts raced, spinning in a hundred different directions as I considered the possibilities. "What if I could melt it? No, that would weaken it… but maybe… infuse it with something that destabilizes her cells?"

I muttered to myself, my mind racing faster than my hands could follow. Ideas clashed, interwove, and shattered, only to reform into something new. This was it—a real breakthrough. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I barely noticed the Blue Sun's approving smile or Tao Yang's nod of encouragement.

Dan Son had planted a seed, and from it, a plan was taking root.

"We've been looking at this all wrong," I muttered, pacing back and forth, too energized to sit still. "Soulsteel isn't just a weapon—it's a foundation. If we can engineer it into a poison, create a compound that bonds with her cells and destabilizes them…"

The words spilled out, faster and more fervent with each sentence. Finally, I looked up, grinning with a thrill that had been absent for far too long.

"This," I said, my voice carrying through the lab, "this might be the key to eliminating the Broodmother once and for all."

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