Chapter 61 Poison Extraction Competition, Self-poisoning and Suicide, Part 1

Immortal Cage - Chapter 61 Poison Extraction Competition, Self-poisoning and Suicide, Part 1

Luobo Head and Lao Hu, along with a few others, watched Yu Lie, who was close by and relaxed, with complex expressions on their faces.

They never expected that Yu Lie, who had just caused them so much worry, not only turned the tables but also actively sought trouble with Du Liang.

What's more crucial is that Yu Lie now had confidence. As a Poison Master disciple who had reached the middle level, he could now compete for the position of the Poison Master's leader at any time.

This only required a certain number of Poison Master disciples as witnesses and Du Liang's agreement. The competition could start on the spot, without even needing to report to the Alchemy Hall in a hurry.

Because this was a rule set by the Alchemy Hall and the town to encourage disciples to compete.

However, starting the competition was not as simple as it seemed. Depending on the different branches, the agreed-upon competition methods varied, sometimes requiring negotiation and adjustments, as well as giving both sides a certain amount of preparation time.

But these were just minor issues. As long as Yu Lie openly challenged Du Liang, the latter would have to accept.

At the scene, as Yu Lie spoke behind him, Du Liang's movements stiffened slightly, his face showing even more intense hostility, as if he wanted to tear Yu Lie apart on the spot.

After a pause, Du Liang turned around to face Yu Lie, his expression returning to a friendly tone, jokingly saying, "Why go to such lengths, Yu Lie? Since you've broken through to the middle level, you can just inform the branch masters in the Alchemy Hall and pay a sum to get a position. Why bother targeting this Poison Master's job and competing with me for food? I don't want to ruin our relationship with you."

Yu Lie didn't respond, just clasped his hands, "Friend Du Liang, do you want to choose today, tomorrow, or another day for the competition?"

Seeing that Yu Lie didn't back down at all, Du Liang couldn't keep up his fake smile. He looked deeply at Yu Lie, not understanding why there was suddenly such animosity towards him.

Du Liang pondered, "Could it be that Gao Jian's exposure has led to this?"

Du Liang suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

After the gambling house incident, he had interacted with Yu Lie in the Poison Master's area many times, trying to probe, but he hadn't found anything wrong with Yu Lie's face or behavior.

This made Du Liang feel even colder behind his back. "This kid must not stay for long!"

He even felt fortunate for a moment, glad that his calculations had angered Yu Lie. Otherwise, with such a snake hidden in the dark, the longer it dragged on, the more disastrous it would be for him!

Thinking to himself, Du Liang suppressed his anger and put on a dry smile, "Since Yu Dao You strongly insists, then Du must agree."

Surprisingly, Du Liang readily agreed. He looked around and pointed at the scene, "Yu Dao You is right, instead of choosing a day, let's do it today and finish this."

Du Liang waved his hand, instructing his men, "You, you, and you, quickly prepare! Yu and I will show you how to extract poison and eliminate evil tomorrow."

After giving the orders, Du Liang nodded towards Yu Lie and then turned and walked towards the depths of the Poison Master's area.

It seemed like he was going to make some preparations.

At the moment he turned around, Du Liang's eyes were filled not only with hostility but also with a few strands of a sinister look as if he were looking at a dead man.

With the other party's consent, Yu Lie didn't speak up to stop him, just squinted at Du Liang's back, pondering something.

In fact, Yu Lie had no intention of challenging Du Liang on the first day. It was just that Du Liang was too good at "handling things" and "dealing with people," making Yu Lie not dare to stay longer under his hands.

Regaining his senses, Yu Lie immediately clasped his hands towards Hu Lao and the others beside him, saying kindly, "Hu Lao, you have a lot of experience, so I'll trouble you to take Radish and the others to make arrangements as well."

Hu Lao understood immediately that Yu Lie was asking him to supervise the other Poison Master disciples to prevent any interference from Du Liang's people.

Hu Lao hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement. He quickly led Radish and the others towards the Poison Master disciples indicated by Du Liang, negotiating with them.

Hu Lao even assigned a few people to ask the disciples from nearby branches to come over and watch the excitement together.

As for Yu Lie himself, after giving some instructions, he didn't enter a dark room like Du Liang to prepare but instead sat cross-legged on a wooden stake used for poison extraction, meditating and calming his mind, ignoring the surrounding commotion.

The sound of footsteps continued.

More and more people came and went in the Poison Master's area, and all the Poison Master disciples were happy to come and watch, even some hurried out to bring back the disciples on vacation.

Apart from the Poison Master disciples, disciples from other branches also came and went in front of the Poison Master's area.

From time to time, discussions could be heard, "No wonder this person is here to work, he even wears a hat on his head, he must have just completed the 'Bronze Muscle Iron Bone' transformation."

"Just completed the transformation and dares to challenge Du Liang, it seems he is quite confident!"

"Speaking of your Poison Master competition, what is it about? Poison extraction? How good is Du Liang at extracting poison?"

The noisy discussions enveloped Yu Lie, with various gazes falling on him, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

But Yu Lie remained calm and composed, just meditating quietly.

He was reviewing the content of the Blood and Flesh Dan technique in his mind, preparing himself mentally.

Time passed.

Occasionally, notes were sent from Du Liang's side to Yu Lie, and then back, as the two negotiated the details of the upcoming competition.

With more and more people watching the excitement in the Poison Master's area, a few unfamiliar middle-level disciples also appeared, and all the arrangements were finally ready.

Du Liang, dressed in a magnificent black robe, of excellent quality, walked out of the room with his men carrying a pile of tools.

Yu Lie suddenly opened his eyes, surveyed the crowd around him, jumped off the wooden stake, took the bloody robe hanging nearby, draped it over himself, and carried a sharp knife used for fish dissection and poison extraction, standing upright, and bowed to the crowd.

In Yu Lie's eyes, there were heads crowding around him, numbering no less than a hundred.

Among them, four heads sat high up, as if in a theater box on the second floor, with someone handing them tea.

These four were middle-level disciples from other branches, specially invited to watch the show.

The four middle-level disciples calmly observed Yu Lie and Du Liang, and slowly, some showed subtle hostility towards Yu Lie and nodded to Du Liang, while others greeted Yu Lie actively, showing goodwill, with different reactions.

Clang, clang!

Several large wooden stakes in the Poison Master's area were moved by strong disciples and assembled together to form a facing table.

Yu Lie and Du Liang walked over and stood facing each other.

On both sides of their hands, various poisonous materials were already laid out, including herbs, minerals, and buckets of fish and flesh.

Almost all the materials waiting to be extracted were brought closer, categorized, making it convenient for Yu Lie and Du Liang to use.

Seeing Yu Lie and Du Liang standing still, the atmosphere at the scene became restless and expectant, yet remained calm.

Lao Hu walked to the middle, chest puffed out, and respectfully said, "Two leaders, have you discussed the rules? If there are no objections, we can begin."

"Okay," both Yu Lie and Du Liang nodded.

Upon hearing this, the onlookers couldn't help but become more agitated.

Some disciples from other branches wondered aloud, "Is it starting already? The rules haven't even been announced, and there's no one to oversee it!"

Immediately, someone shushed them, saying, "This is the Poison Master's area, where all the materials are poisonous. Naturally, whoever falls first, whoever can't bear it first, loses!"

The crowd saw Du Liang and Yu Lie bow, and Du Liang immediately pointed to something in the field, and a disciple walked over and picked up two portions of materials.

Then Yu Lie pointed to something and a disciple walked over.

In this way, they took turns selecting batches of materials that needed to be extracted, placing them on the table.

Onlookers could clearly see that Du Liang mainly chose a type of beast called "Musk White Stinky Weasel," while Yu Lie selected various fish, with the most common being the Black Snake Spirit Fish.

According to the order of the materials selected by both, they needed to complete them one by one, with the option to discard or skip, but each action would be recorded.

At that moment, a disciple with a hand gong walked into the field and struck it, "Please, two leaders! Extract the poison and eliminate the evil as an example!"

Immediately, someone cheered, "Du Head is mighty! Show this little white face a lesson!"

Radish and others also cheered Yu Lie on, "Yu Head, steady and not in a hurry."

As the gong sounded, Yu Lie and Du Liang immediately lowered their heads, bent over the table, and began their meticulous movements.

They inspected bones, extracted toxins, removed impurities... with Poison Master disciples standing by their sides, holding record books, writing and drawing.

In the field, one was a Poison Master leader who had managed the area for years, while the other was a rising star with great potential, working together, creating a scene of meticulous work.

At the very least, the disciples from other branches who came to watch the show were momentarily stunned.

They saw Du Liang make a cut with a knife, then tear with his hands, and the animal skin of the poisonous material was peeled off. He then made another cut and removed a foul-smelling substance, placing it in a dish.

The whole process was smooth and flowing.

In less than a hundred breaths, a whole Musk White Stinky Weasel was delicately placed on a porcelain plate by Du Liang, looking quite artistic.

After completing the first item, Du Liang felt a sense of accomplishment. He looked around with some pride.

Onlookers only knew that as a Poison Master leader, he didn't need to do it himself, but Du Liang had still put in a lot of effort.

He mastered all kinds of poison extraction techniques, and with his middle-level cultivation, Du Liang was confident that his efficiency in extracting poison was among the top in the Poison Master's area.

Glancing at Yu Lie, who was carefully working, Du Liang chuckled, seemingly kindly advising, "Yu Ge, you're not very familiar with this material. You need to be careful, or else if you waste five sets of materials, you'll be eliminated on the spot."

But Yu Lie continued to focus on his task, ignoring Du Liang's words, which made Du Liang's smile freeze on his face.

Du Liang could only snort inwardly, take the second fish material, and start processing it.

Fish wasn't Du Liang's specialty, so his usually smooth movements slowed down, but he didn't discard it on the spot.

On Yu Lie's side.

Yu Lie wasn't very familiar with the Musk White Stinky Weasel, but he had come into contact with it over the past few months. After carefully dissecting it, he finished cutting it and placed it on the plate.

Yu Lie breathed a sigh of relief.

Among the onlooking Poison Master disciples, someone shook their head, "It seems experience still matters!"

"This poison extraction technique seems easy to understand at a glance."

But a Poison Master disciple responded, "Let's watch a bit more..."

After resolving the first beast medicine, Yu Lie casually picked up a black snake fish and lightly tapped it with his sharp finger, smoothly turning it around on the fish's body.

With a crisp sound, the nearby Dao disciples widened their eyes in astonishment.

They saw the black snake fish in Yu Lie's hand; with a flick of its tail, the tail fell on the porcelain plate; a shake of its body, the fins came off, the organs spilled out, and the gallbladder slipped into the plate; then a shake of its head, the skull was slowly split open, the gills blooming like red flowers from the two openings...

In just thirty breaths of time, a black snake fish was neatly dissected by Yu Lie, with its flesh and scales separated, organs arranged neatly, clearly displayed on the plate.

Signaling the nearby Dao disciple to take away the snake fish, Yu Lie picked up the next medicinal ingredient and began working.

At this moment, all the Dao disciples watching his craftsmanship, whether they were novices or experts, were all amazed and speechless.

Luobo and the others stood by, rubbing their eyes. Lao Hu muttered, "This skill, compared to my decades of experience, is no less."

On the other side, Du Liang was frowning while preparing the black snake fish, finding it somewhat tricky. He usually enjoyed eating this thing, but he wasn't skilled at preparing it.

Upon hearing the murmurs around him, Du Liang didn't immediately look up but suppressed his thoughts and continued dissecting the fish.

When he was just about to finish, Du Liang looked towards Yu Lie. But with just one glance, his eyelids twitched as he found Yu Lie had already caught up with his speed and even surpassed him.

"This guy, has he really only practiced for a few months!?" Du Liang found it hard to believe.

Crack!

What shocked him even more was that his hand slipped, and just as he was about to finish the last step, the black snake fish suddenly twitched on its own, and he failed to hold it. Half of the fish's body jumped off the cutting board.

Du Liang quickly bent down, grabbed the black snake fish, and decisively split it in half with a swift strike. But even with his timely reaction, he only saved half of the fish meat. The other half was already oozing with blood, full of toxins, and couldn't be salvaged.

A nearby Dao disciple recorded this mistake and deducted half a point from Du Liang's score.

Du Liang cursed inwardly, "Damn it!" He then looked at Yu Lie and saw that Yu Lie was meticulously preparing another musk-scented stink badger, paying no attention to the commotion on his side.

Just at the beginning, Du Liang made a mistake, finally revealing some clues to the novice Dao disciples from other branches.

They whispered, "It seems that this Dao disciple surnamed Yu has slightly better skills, calm and precise in his actions."

"Tsk tsk, it seems that the big shot has been in charge for too long, and his skills have indeed deteriorated. In this case, the competition system established in the town is not without reason... After all, without good skills, how can one manage a branch well!"

"Exactly! Except for the branch responsible for seeking medicines in the alchemy room, the other branches are all in a mess. To stand firm, you need either people or skills."

Amidst the discussions, poisonous beasts, poisonous fish, poisonous sands, poisonous herbs, poisonous liquids... various medicinal ingredients.

In just a couple of hours, both common and rare poisonous substances in the alchemy room were handled by Du Liang and Yu Lie, and as they progressed, the less common ingredients appeared more frequently, with increasing toxicity.

This was because Du Liang's level was completely exposed. Apart from being skilled in slaughtering musk-scented stink badgers, his skills with other medicinal ingredients were average at best, unable to match Yu Lie's meticulous and thorough approach.

Therefore, Du Liang specifically chose obscure ingredients to try to drag down Yu Lie. After all, Yu Lie had only been in the alchemy room for a few months and couldn't match his breadth of knowledge.

This also led to Yu Lie being careful, but due to his unfamiliarity, his opportunities gradually decreased, leaving only one chance to waste in the end!

But Du Liang's situation was even worse; he was only half a step away from defeat and elimination!

Du Liang's fingers trembled, cursing inwardly, "Damn it! How can this guy have such good skills after just a few months!"

He looked at Yu Lie with suspicion, feeling a sense of being suppressed.

Especially after continuous rapid poison extractions, with a variety of toxins, Du Liang was already subtly poisoned, affecting his physical body. He had to take breaks from time to time to invigorate his blood and qi.

On the other hand, behind Yu Lie, he pretended to have a flushed face and trembling fingers, indicating that he was also poisoned, but in reality, he was relaxed.

As for the impression he gave to others, it seemed like Yu Lie was risking his life for the competition, not daring to rest at all.

Du Liang took a deep breath, watching Yu Lie, steadying his trembling fingers, and gazing at a piece of poisonous material.

It was a mottled pink leaf, named "Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass," extremely poisonous, causing throat closure and internal bleeding upon ingestion.

However, the method to prepare it required actively chewing the grass, extracting the toxins with warm saliva, and then spitting it out. The chewing method was unique, involving three tongue shakes, seven tooth taps, nine foams... various intricate steps that only a person could master.

Due to the extreme danger of this grass, it was usually handled by forced laborers, but for some reason, it was included in the alchemy room's medicinal ingredients today.

Du Liang gestured for someone to bring over two stacks of Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass, placing them in front of himself and Yu Lie.

Among the observing Dao disciples, some recognized the Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass, their gazes slightly focused.

Old Hu behind Yu Lie's side had a slight change in expression and quickly walked over to Yu Lie, whispering a few words.

Yu Lie immediately realized, "It seems that this surnamed Du is finally resorting to dirty tricks!"

He squinted towards the opposite side.

At this moment, Du Liang made a gesture, pointing at the ghost grass, and smilingly said to Yu Lie, "I choose this item for poison extraction. Will Yu Lie dare to continue the competition? If not, then forfeit now, after all, life is at stake."

Before Yu Lie could respond, the Dao disciples from the alchemy room started clamoring, understanding Du Liang's intentions:

"Just for a competition, is it necessary to be so ruthless? The poison of Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass can only be alleviated by antidote made by Dao disciples, and it must be taken immediately!"

Discussions arose, with many suspecting that Du Liang chose the Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass intentionally to scare off Yu Lie. It was possible that Du Liang had prepared the antidote in advance, feeling confident.

Facing Du Liang's scheming, Yu Lie instantly realized, "This person is quite cunning!"

As it was a competition, Yu Lie couldn't easily obtain the antidote. Therefore, if he refused, it would mean admitting defeat. If he agreed, he would be risking his life.

In the arena, Yu Lie neither accepted nor refused, but showed a hesitant expression on his face, picking up a piece of ghost grass and playing with it in his hand.

But in reality, Yu Lie was laughing inside.

Yu Lie had the detox pill, and he had already ingested blood poison early on, so he could detoxify himself. However, for safety reasons, Yu Lie took the opportunity of hesitation to secretly prick his fingertip, dripping a drop of blood on the ghost grass to test its toxicity.

After careful examination, the result relieved Yu Lie. With his current physical strength, he could resist the toxicity of Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass. As long as the quantity wasn't excessive, it wouldn't cause fatal harm.

Although he felt relieved, Yu Lie still wore a conflicted expression on his face.

Seeing this, Du Liang goaded him, saying, "As members of the alchemy room, we face life-threatening situations every day. But as long as we are careful, we can avoid fatal mistakes. What's wrong, Brother Yu, are you afraid?"

Yu Lie sneered inwardly, showing a provoked expression, and replied, "Why would I be afraid?!"

Reaching out, Yu Lie grabbed the poisonous grass in his hand, as if he was about to swallow it, drawing the attention of everyone present.

Du Liang looked slightly stunned, showing a clueless expression. But deep down, he was filled with joy.

In the next moment, to Du Liang's amusement, Yu Lie suddenly pointed at a portion of poisonous grass in front of Du Liang and said, "Let's exchange half of our poisonous grass!"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers immediately understood Yu Lie's intention, fearing that their own ingredients might have been tampered with.

In no time, Yu Lie and Du Liang mixed their poisonous grass, each taking half.

But as they watched the mixed Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass, Du Liang touched a detox pill in his sleeve, still coldly smiling inside:

"Overconfident. Daring to challenge me, you're asking for death!"

Du Liang's eyes turned sharp as he gestured towards Yu Lie, saying, "Please!"

He immediately grabbed the Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass and began chewing it vigorously.

In the midst of all eyes, Yu Lie also bit into the Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass.

However, at the moment of ingestion, Yu Lie immediately felt something was wrong.

Yu Lie realized that the Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass in his mouth, after just a few chews, felt like steel needles piercing him. Even with his current robust physique, a few more bites would pierce his oral membranes.

The Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass that both of them were supposed to detoxify had indeed been tampered with by Du Liang.

The fibers of the poisonous grass hardened, especially in the portion Yu Lie had picked. No matter how careful he was, the grass would pierce his tongue and mouth, introducing toxins into his body.

Du Liang agreed to compete with Yu Lie not just to win over him but to attempt to poison him on the spot!

It was known that there were risks in extracting poisons and evils, and it was normal for someone to die during a competition!

A Dao disciple noticed that both of their expressions were not right, and their hearts tightened. But those who were watching were more excited, murmuring, "It seems we might see a result before lunch!"

Yu Lie and Du Liang stared at each other, both waiting for the other to succumb to the toxins and collapse.

But after a dozen breaths passed, Du Liang's complexion became more and more pale, his fingers trembling, his eyes filled with suspicion, "Why hasn't this guy fallen yet?"

With a brave face, Du Liang accompanied Yu Lie and continued to chew for another dozen breaths, spitting out several large mouthfuls of bloody saliva in succession.

However, after just a few more breaths, Du Liang's face changed drastically, his whole body trembling, feeling unbearable abdominal pain.

Du Liang was shocked, "Oh no, the toxins have entered my stomach."

Immediately, Du Liang took out a wax-sealed pill from his sleeve.

But to Du Liang's surprise, Yu Lie suddenly swayed and rushed towards him.

This disrupted Du Liang's action of taking the pill, causing him to step back repeatedly.

Boom! A sudden change in the competition caused the surrounding Dao disciples to stand up, wide-eyed and astonished.

Someone exclaimed, "Are they both poisoned?"

"Seems like it, they're both reaching for the antidote!" Discussions erupted.

In the arena, Yu Lie and Du Liang dodged each other's attacks. Du Liang, being a seasoned mid-level Dao disciple, managed to avoid Yu Lie's pounce.

But Yu Lie's intention was to snatch the antidote pill from Du Liang. Seeing this, Du Liang spat out the ghost grass in his mouth, shocked and angry, shouting at Yu Lie, "You, poisoned and trying to steal my antidote?!"

However, Yu Lie coldly smiled and suddenly opened his mouth, forcefully spitting out a mixture of Peach Blossom Ghost Tongue Grass towards Du Liang's face!

Du Liang was greatly alarmed and quickly dodged by shaking his head.

He narrowly avoided the attack, but in the next round, Du Liang's face turned pale with horror.

Because when he looked down, he found that the detox pill in his hand had disappeared without a trace.

The blow from Yu Lie had crushed the wax-sealed pill into powder on the spot.

This left Du Liang dumbfounded!