The strand of Death Grass in Zhu Bufan's hand was merely two inches long, and although it wasn't enough to poison an Innate-level master to death, it was not to be underestimated either. Combined with other ingredients, its virulent nature meant that its efficacy against Innate-level masters was uncertain.

As he held the Death Grass, wrapped in leather, the moment the liquid in the cauldron turned completely black and the evaporating mist transformed into a dark fog, Zhu Bufan no longer hesitated and cast the Death Grass into the cauldron.

Sizzle sizzle...

It was like pouring water into boiling oil, eliciting a slight popping noise. Streams of faint whirlpools eerily formed within the cauldron, stirring the previously stilled black liquid into a swirling mass again.

As the liquid undulated, the black color rapidly faded away. Following the sequence of colors experienced before—green, yellow, green, purple, black—it cycled backward in the reverse order, finally turning into a colorless clarity.

Witnessing this miraculous scene, Zhu Bufan couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder.

Just after the liquid turned completely colorless, a dense, vigorous mist suddenly billowed up, sticky as though clinging entirely to the brass mirror's surface.

Picking up the mirror, Zhu Bufan gave it a light shake, and the droplets swiftly rolled off and gathered together. Under Zhu Bufan's guidance of his Inner Qi, they quickly converged into the bottle on one side. Once all the droplets entered the bottle, Zhu Bufan sealed it tightly with a cork stopper.

The Death Potion in the cauldron was divided into three portions by Zhu Bufan. He kept one on his person, and the other two were hidden in his courtyard.

The Death Potion was colorless and odorless, with fierce toxicity. Unless one was well acquainted with it, even if placed right in front, it would not be discerned, and would merely be mistaken for harmless water.

...

Swoosh~~

A piercing shriek echoed above Zhu Mansion, as a powerful Chasing Wind Bird shot urgently down from the clouds, circling overhead.

"Humm..."

At this moment, a low humming sound emanated from somewhere within Zhu Mansion, seemingly responding to the call of the Chasing Wind Bird. Guided by this sound, the Chasing Wind Bird paused, then flew directly towards the source of the noise.

Unfastening the slip of paper tied to the Chasing Wind Bird's leg, the bald man picked it up and unfolded it.

"Big brother, what does it say on it?" the scar-faced man asked anxiously.

"Take a look for yourself!" the bald man passed the paper over.

"Brother, aren't you the only one who knows the code? What's the use of giving it to me?" the scar-faced man asked, puzzled.

However, as the scar-faced man unfolded it, there was a large 'KILL' character on the paper, written with some material, crimson and glaring.

Inside the house, Zhu Yuheng was enjoying his tea, his eyes occasionally scanning this direction.

"What instructions does Lady Xu have?" Zhu Yuheng asked softly.

"The young lady wants us to deal with that kid!" the scar-faced man shouted excitedly.

"How do you two plan to go about it?" Zhu Yuheng asked with a smile twinkling in his eyes.

"I'm going to slaughter that kid now!" the scar-faced man said nonchalantly, heading out as he spoke.

"Stop right there!" the bald man's face darkened, and he barked loudly.

"Big brother, why are you stopping me?" the scar-faced man asked in bewilderment.

"Humph, just like that, you're going to charge over?" the bald man scoffed.

"Big brother, that kid's merely at the Fifth Rank, I'm enough to handle him alone!" the scar-faced man boasted confidently.

"How many times have I told you, you need to use your brain more when taking action, huh?" the bald man said as if lamenting iron not turning into steel.

The scar-faced man gave a sycophantic grin, "Heh heh, aren't you here, big brother?"

"You... really are..." the bald man sighed. "Why does the young lady want to get rid of that kid?"

"Of course, it's so that Young Master Zhengde can ascend to the Crown Prince position smoothly!" the scar-faced man stated matter-of-factly.

"Humph, a green-horn kid, how could he possibly stand in the young lady's grand schemes?" the bald man said disdainfully.

"Of course, it's that Miss Mengjie causing trouble!" the scar-faced man whispered.

"That's right. So killing that kid blatantly would give Miss Mengjie an even greater cause for complaint, wouldn't it? This would not benefit the young lady's grand plan at all!" the bald man spoke gravely.

"So, Big Brother, what do you suggest?" the man with the scarred face asked.

"Of course, we need to find a good way! We must eliminate that kid without anyone knowing, and not make a move in the Zhu Mansion!" the bald man pondered.

"Ha-ha, this old man does have a good plan!" Zhu Yuheng joined in the conversation.

"Oh, Elder Zhu, what brilliant plan do you have?" the bald man quickly asked.

Zhu Yuheng sat up straight, "Where are we?"

"Obviously, we're in Nanli City!" the man with the scarred face immediately replied.

"Ha-ha, outside this Nanli City lies one of the four great deadly places, the Endless Ice Field! Killings and bloodshed on the Endless Ice Field are nothing out of the ordinary. If that kid Zhu Bufan were to disappear without a trace there, who would know?" Zhu Yuheng said with profound meaning.

"You mean..." the bald man nodded, then asked, "But if he won't go to the Endless Ice Field, we can only stare blankly, unable to do anything!"

"Ha-ha, leave that to me! As this special envoy, organizing an ice field training exercise is nothing difficult. To ensure Lady Xu's big plans, this old man will bleed some, coughing up some items as rewards for the training exercise!" Zhu Yuheng casually glanced at the bald man.

"Ha-ha, for the miss's big event, how can we let the Elder bleed? I have two Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills and several Replenishing Qi Pills!" The bald man was extraordinarily astute, instantly understanding the hidden implication in Zhu Yuheng's tone, and immediately declared his stance.

However, Zhu Bufan, who was sitting cross-legged and concentrating on his cultivation, had no idea that a deadly scheme targeting him was being stealthily carried out.

...

"Have you guys heard? Those who pass through will go to the Endless Ice Field for training. I heard that those who perform well in the training might even receive rewards like the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill!"

"Yeah, I've heard about it too, but the Endless Ice Field is full of dangers, and countless Fierce Beasts lurk inside. It's extremely dangerous."

"Pfft, what do you know? It is said that the training this time will be led by an elder from the main house in You State, and the area for the training is relatively safe."

"Yes, although we are next to the Endless Ice Field, we can only enter within a hundred miles radius. In this hundred miles radius, almost all potential dangers have been cleared. I've never been deeper into the ice field for decades. Heh, it's quite a pity when I think about it!"

"Cut it out, you? If you don't care about your life, then just go!"

"Joking, just joking..."

...

"Training in the Ice Field?" After hearing this news, Zhu Bufan only felt a bit strange but didn't think too much about it. Instead, he looked forward eagerly to the training on the ice field.

Zhu Bufan himself was unaware that ever since he started practicing the Hanhai Tide Skill, he began to crave meat, and the thirst for blood in his bones was becoming increasingly dense.

Craving blood-food was a demand of the body.

Cultivating the Cold Ice Technique, once finished, was refreshing and exhilarating, as if he had soaked in a hot spring and was completely relaxed.

However, cultivating the Hanhai Tide Skill was like experiencing a form of torture, with both body and mind exhausted. As impurities were continuously expelled from his body, a large amount of water was also expelled, which of course included various energies. Therefore, before practicing, Zhu Bufan would always prepare food and drinks. As soon as the cultivation session ended, he would immediately gorge himself to replenish his body's consumption.

...

This time, including Zhu Bufan, a total of twenty-nine people passed the selection, more than any previous year. For this, Zhu Zichu had boasted greatly.

What surprised Zhu Bufan was that he wasn't the youngest among these people. The youngest was named Zhu Wei, whom Zhu Bufan had never met. It was said that he had been living at his maternal grandfather's house and had just returned after his tenth birthday, shortly before the selection.

Although Zhu Wei was only ten years old, his performance in the selection outshined Zhu Bufan, revealing his peak Fifth-Rank Late Stage strength, shocking the audience. Such a talent, even among the entire Zhu Family, was enough to rank in the top ten.

...

Two days later, Zhu Bufan and the others were gathered together.

"Tomorrow, we will enter the Endless Ice Field for a month-long training. Although you have passed the selection and earned the chance to study deeper in the main house, you must not be proud nor show any hint of arrogance. I can tell you plainly that just speaking of the Zhu family alone, with eighteen branches, ten of the Zhu lineage and eight of different surnames, our branch here in Nanli City barely ranks around tenth, relatively weaker. But when all eighteen branches are combined, their strength is at most equal to that of the main house in You State. Therefore, you should be able to correctly position yourselves! In cultivation, you cannot afford to slack off for a moment!" Zhu Zichu admonished everyone before they set off.

Hearing this, the originally noisy crowd instantly quieted down. Reflecting on the past few days, they had reduced their cultivation time somewhat to celebrate passing the selection. Now, after hearing a brief analysis of the outside world from Zhu Zichu, the vastness of the outside world inspired a sense of awe in them, and their slight pride from passing the selection swiftly dissipated.

Zhu Zichu was pleased to see that after his speech, the somewhat immature faces of the younger generation now showed a hint of firmness.

"This time, Elder Zhu Yuheng will be in charge of your training, and your destination is the Tanqiu Domain. There, descendants of our Zhu family are stationed all year round, and you can get food and other kinds of support!" Zhu Zichu explained.

"Now, among you, there are eight of Fifth Rank, nineteen of Ninth Rank, and two of Seventh Rank, totaling twenty-nine people. Thus, the nineteen of Ninth Rank will be divided into groups of eight, the two of Seventh Rank will each lead four of Fifth Rank, still forming two groups, making a total of four groups. After the training ends, we will determine the ranking based on the Wild Beasts you have hunted, and the group that ranks first will receive generous rewards, even the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill!" Zhu Zichu exaggeratedly announced.

"Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill!" Hearing this, everyone gasped. The renown of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill was well-known to all.

Seeing the red glow erupting in everyone's eyes, Zhu Zichu was very satisfied. This training exercise proposed by Zhu Yuheng, along with the two Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills he provided, plus the accumulation of several decades, amounted to nearly ten pills, enough to reward everyone.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.