Chapter 102 - 101: Herbal Tomb
According to the *Hundred Poison Record*, the Heart-devouring Poison was one of the most bizarre poisons in the world, refined from dozens of highly toxic substances. Victims would suffer the heart-devouring pain every day at midnight and noon, with each bout more intense than the last.
The potent poison would slowly erode the victim until their heart meridians were completely shattered and they could no longer endure it.
With Xia Wuyang’s current power, he could easily slay a First Grade Grandmaster and even had a degree of confidence against a Super Grade Celestial Human, yet he could not cure this Heart-devouring Poison.
The Imperial Physicians had also said that since the Heart-devouring Poison first appeared, no antidote had ever been created. It was currently incurable.
To resolve the Heart-devouring Poison, one would need heaven-defying medical skills, perhaps even skills that transcended the mortal realm, just for the possibility of developing an antidote.
This bizarre poison was the most advanced among Mortal Poisons; some even said it was on the verge of transcending the Mortal Level. The best Imperial Physicians in the Imperial Palace were merely Top Level mortal doctors, completely helpless against the Heart-devouring Poison.
If Xia Wuyang wanted to neutralize the Heart-devouring Poison, he would likely need to find a physician who transcended the mortal realm—a Spirit Physician. Furthermore, he would need that person to specifically research the poison, spending a vast amount of time and energy to find its antidote.
Accomplishing such a feat would be difficult even for Emperor Xia, let alone Xia Wuyang.
Since ancient times, medicine and alchemy have been inseparable. Every Spirit Physician was often also a Spirit Pill Master. They barely had enough time for refining elixirs and medicines, so why would they spend so much time and energy researching the antidote for a single bizarre poison?
In that time, they could have refined countless Spirit Elixirs and Medicines, earning immense resources and treasures.
It was said that the creation of the Heart-devouring Poison was an accident. If he had to do it again, that Mortal Alchemist would have found it difficult to refine the Heart-devouring Poison. It was a bizarre poison that had begun to exhibit some characteristics of a Spiritual Poison.
The creator later researched an antidote but was unsuccessful.
Not much time was left for Xia Wuyang—only a few years. ’In that case, I might as well do it myself.’
’My Supreme Talent not only gave me immense Spiritual Power but also exceptionally high Comprehension, and I can frequently trigger epiphanies. Under these circumstances, learning medicine won’t be a difficult task for me.’
’Besides, medicine and alchemy are inseparable. While cultivating medical skills, I can also pick up Alchemy along the way. It’s one of the most profitable Vice Positions, and I’ll be able to refine elixirs and medicines for myself. I might even be able to refine Miracle Treasures.’
’Every Top Level Alchemist is also a Top Level physician, but a Top Level physician is not necessarily a Top Level Alchemist. The orthodox Alchemy Dao requires mastery of medical skills in addition to refining elixirs and medicines.’
’I can follow the orthodox Alchemy Dao, advancing both my Alchemy and medical skills, and personally treat Pan Mo.’
’I’ll also master an extremely practical Vice Position to prepare for my future cultivation. In any case, it won’t take too much of my time and energy.’
’If I get poisoned in the future, I can treat myself. I can also use poisons and soporifics against my enemies.’
’Killing several birds with one stone. Why not?’
Xia Wuyang had considered this before, but Pan Mo’s situation was what finally pushed him to take action.
’With such excellent conditions—a powerful Spirit, astonishing Comprehension, and the ability to trigger epiphanies from time to time—how could I let it go to waste?’
Just as he made his decision, Pan Mo suddenly began to tremble violently on the bed. The Heart-devouring Poison was clearly taking effect.
Beads of cold sweat seeped from her forehead. Her hands unconsciously clutched the bedding, and she bit her lip until it bled profusely.
Yun Liyue hurriedly held down her struggling body and fed her some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to alleviate her pain. "Mo’Er, hang in there..."
Watching from the shadows, Xia Wuyang’s heart twisted in anguish. Unable to watch any longer, he quietly headed to the Inner Treasury, preparing to find a suitable Alchemy Scripture.
Led by Cao Zhenghe, Xia Wuyang soon entered the depths of the Inner Treasury. The Royal Treasure Vault was as vast as a sea of clouds, and the collection of scriptures treasured within was encyclopedic.
"Lord Emperor, the alchemy-related scriptures are all in the C Library," Cao Zhenghe said respectfully, leading the way. "It contains all sorts of scriptures on alchemy and medicine refining. The collection is vast, and there are quite a few unique copies."
After passing through several heavy gates, a massive library appeared before them. Rows upon rows of bookshelves, dozens of meters high, were neatly lined with various scriptures. The air was filled with the distinct, inky scent of old paper.
His Mental Force Field spread out silently, covering an area of over a hundred meters like a spider’s web. Information from all the scriptures flooded into his Sea of Consciousness, most of which were basic texts like Mortal Level Pill Scriptures and Medicinal Manuals.
"Based on Your Lordship’s needs, there is one scripture here that might be suitable," Cao Zhenghe said in a solemn voice. "It is called the *Herbal Tomb*. It is an Alchemy Dao Treasure Manual that focuses primarily on healing the sick and saving lives, following the most orthodox path of an Alchemist. However, it is exceedingly difficult to cultivate; simply getting started is a huge challenge. Furthermore, since the content is mostly about healing, it has been ignored for many years, even though it is a Middle Level Spiritual Scripture and the highest-Level Alchemy Dao scripture in the Inner Treasury."
Xia Wuyang’s expression faltered. "A Middle Level Spiritual Scripture? One that leads directly to the realm of a Middle Level Spirit Pill Master?"
"Correct. And not just a Middle Level Spirit Pill Master, but a Middle Level Spirit Doctor as well. It unifies medicine and alchemy, giving equal weight to healing the sick and refining elixirs. In fact, most of its content is related to healing," Cao Zhenghe confirmed.
Xia Wuyang nodded. "Take me to see it."
"Yes, My Lord." Cao Zhenghe led Xia Wuyang into the depths of the C Library and opened a small, secret chamber. Inside lay the *Herbal Tomb*, which was also the highest-Level Alchemy Scripture in the Inner Treasury. However, most people considered it to be a medical scripture.
Opening the Jade Box revealed a yellowed scripture lying within. Its pages were made from some kind of medicinal herb, and though ancient, they were still tough. Two large words were written on the cover in Ancient Seal Script.
Herbal Tomb!
"This scripture was supposedly written many years ago by a miracle-working physician who entered the Alchemy Dao through medicine. It leads directly to the realm of a Middle Level Spirit Pill Master and Middle Level Spirit Doctor. But because it emphasizes medical skills, with alchemy being merely supplementary, and because of its astounding difficulty, no one has ever pursued it," Cao Zhenghe explained.
Xia Wuyang flipped open the pages, and his eyes instantly lit up.
This was indeed a Middle Level Spiritual Scripture. It recorded not only methods for alchemy and medicine refining but also encompassed a complete medical system, including diagnostics, pharmacology, acupuncture, the Poison Dao, and the Dao of soporifics.
The book placed special emphasis on the concept of entering the Alchemy Dao through medicine, stating that only by mastering medical principles could one refine the most suitable elixirs. This was a stark contrast to the philosophy of most alchemists, who only pursued Elixir Quality, or even just Alchemy itself, while ignoring medical arts.
But the difficulty was indeed astonishing. Xia Wuyang skimmed through it for a while but couldn’t understand a thing. He had no idea where to even begin his cultivation.
’It seems just comprehending it will take a considerable amount of time, let alone cultivating it.’
’However, my Spiritual Power will soon reach a multiple of ten again, granting me an epiphany. I should be able to grasp it then.’