Chapter 197
Chapter 197
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: Radiant Ascension Technique
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‘No choice but to poison the well.’
To safely steal the herbs and elixirs from the Medicine Pavilion, I had no option but to kill every single guard there first.
‘The Medicine Pavilion has its own well. They use the groundwater from that well for drinking.’
In this world, the higher one’s cultivation realm, the stronger the body becomes, but that didn’t mean they gained resistance to poison.
‘Unless they’ve specifically trained resistance to poison... but the Meteor Sword Sect’s warriors haven’t. Still, with their cultivation, ordinary poisons wouldn’t work.’
The Medicine Pavilion’s guards were at least at the mid-Emerging Will stage or higher. Even if poisoned by average toxins, they could expel the poison qi and overcome it.
Poisons on the level of common mountain vipers wouldn’t cut it.
‘No problem. I know a poison specialist.’
Having made up my mind, I began planning the schedule.
‘Do it tomorrow. The Medicine Pavilion follows the same routine every day, so there’s not much to consider.’
Besides, time was running out on the special mission. I needed to steal the elixirs, enhance them, consume them, and digest them.
To poison the Medicine Pavilion’s well, I had to get inside first. It was too far to throw poison from outside into the well—impossible.
‘But I have a drone.’
I was confident in piloting the drone manually, but I used Hacking anyway. With the Hacking skill, I could control objects with my will, ensuring the poison was delivered perfectly. Better than risking a mistake fumbling with the controls.
The drone flew silently toward the well inside the Medicine Pavilion. A vial of poison dangled from its underside.
‘Yuria’s masterpiece: the ultimate deadly poison, Final Twilight.’
This poison called Final Twilight left the victim fine for about six hours even after ingestion. It hid in the body during that time before rampaging to destroy the organs and brain.
‘It’s so dangerously potent that the ingredients alone cost over 10 billion won.’
The drone entered the well and dropped the poison. Preparations were complete. All that remained was waiting six hours.
‘It’ll be around midnight by then.’
I withdrew for now and had dinner with Seong Ji-gon. While eating, we wandered around to make sure others saw us. With the incident set for tonight, establishing an alibi was wise.
“The innkeeper at that rundown tavern has huge breasts. She’s in her forties, but even you’d be satisfied with her beauty, Yu-jin. Over five men have proposed to her...”
I listened to Seong Ji-gon’s chatter. Whenever we were alone, he brought up women. Seventy percent was dirty talk, thirty percent about hot milfs. The guy’s tastes were consistent.
“So, you wanna head to Hunan City today?”
“Yeah. You haven’t gone to the city lately because you’ve been practicing the Meteor Sword Technique.”
“We have servants.”
“Servants are fine, but I’m bored of them. The city has a huge population and all kinds of women.”
Seong Ji-gon had no idea about the incident I was planning at the Medicine Pavilion.
I didn’t want to share my loot with him, and I could handle it alone anyway.
“Hey, we just joined the Meteor Squad not long ago. What’ll people think if we go play in Hunan City? Show some restraint.”
“Then when are we going?”
“Next next week or so...”
I clamped my mouth shut. Someone was approaching us.
“Haha, newbies. Training late into dinner again?”
It was a member of the Meteor Squad. Short hair, scars on his neck and ears—he greeted us casually.
His name was Baek Do-heo, our senior... or rather, superior.
“Greetings, Senior Baek Do-heo.”
“Greetings, Senior Baek Do-heo.”
Seong Ji-gon and I hurriedly performed the fist-and-palm salute.
“Enough greetings. Heading to the training grounds again?”
“Yes. We want to get stronger as fast as possible.”
I answered.
In reality, I was just following Seong Ji-gon’s lead.
To maintain the routine of training with him, I had to do it even if I didn’t want to. That way, if I used auto-progress, people would see me training with him.
“Commendable. Alright, I’ll join you today.”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
No reason to refuse help from our senior. Plus, it solidified my alibi.
Midnight.
I used Illusionator to turn invisible and slipped into the Medicine Pavilion undetected.
I released the invisibility near a tree outside and launched the drone. Couldn’t just barge in. Some might not have drunk anything at dinner and avoided poisoning.
This world also had mystical artifacts called dharma tools. It wouldn’t be odd if the guards had poison-detoxifying ones.
‘Hard to scout fully with the drone. In that case...’
I used the drone to place a noisy toy at the center of the Medicine Pavilion.
If any guards were awake, they’d come check it out. But after fifteen minutes, no one appeared.
‘Pretty loud toy, and no one comes? They’re all dead for sure. Heh heh heh.’
I strolled leisurely into the Medicine Pavilion.
Plenty of time. No one would notice until the servants arrived in the morning.
I headed straight to the herb garden. It wasn’t too vast. The herbs grown here were all ingredients for spiritual pills—mass production risked quality drops.
Spiritual herbs for elixirs needed spirit veins with flowing spiritual energy to cultivate artificially.
‘Heh heh. At least a hundred, rough count.’
I pulled a hoe and sack from my inventory and started digging in earnest. The sack filled with herbs as I worked.
‘This one seems immature...? Eh, whatever. Dig first, sell later if needed.’
Even if immature, I had the Radiant Ascension Technique. It could transform them into fully mature herbs.
‘Selling these alone would let me live worry-free forever.’
Of course, no plans to sell. I wasn’t short on cash.
After harvesting all the herbs, I entered the pavilion’s buildings. The air smelled of medicine.
“......”
I found a man collapsed on the floor. A corpse with blood around his mouth. Dead from the well poison I’d dumped.
No pity stirred.
I searched his pockets. As a Medicine Pavilion guard, maybe he carried an elixir.
‘Tch. Penniless.’
I moved past him and thoroughly searched the pavilion.
Elixirs were scarce. The only unsearched spot was Pavilion Lord Seong Do-chun’s room.
‘He manages the elixirs personally, huh.’
Made sense. Elixirs were treasures. Even the guards couldn’t be fully trusted from his view.
Entering Pavilion Lord Seong Do-chun’s room, I looked around.
First thing I saw: Seong Do-chun on the floor. He’d died clutching a medicine box—likely trying to detox and failing.
I searched his body first. Maybe he carried top elixirs on him.
‘Why’s this guy holding a bead?’
His left hand gripped a bead, visible on close inspection. A black one that didn’t look valuable, so I ignored it. Aside from the bead, he had nothing.
‘In the medicine box?’
I opened it. Pills inside, but not elixirs. Probably antidotes.
‘Take them anyway. Figure out what they are later.’
I rummaged through his room. Opening the ornate medicine chests revealed the elixirs I’d craved.
Spirit Binding Pills, Fragrant Vermilion Pills, Success Summer Pills.
Ten each of Fragrant Vermilion and Success Summer, three Spirit Binding. The Spirit Binding Pills were the best.
‘Want to pop them now... but enhance with Radiant Ascension Technique first.’
That was most efficient.
With all elixirs secured, I was about to flee when I spotted the study and paused.
‘Pill refinement books? Learn that, and I can make my own elixirs. Grab these too.’
I stuffed all the expensive-looking ones into my inventory and escaped the pavilion.
Back in my room, a satisfied smile crept across my face.
‘Days like this feel the best.’
I fed a Success Summer Pill into the Radiant Ascension Technique first. Spirit Binding would take forever, so I’d use the quicker ones to aim for Entry Stance 6th stage.
‘From my current state, enhanced Spirit Binding could push me to Entry Stance 7th... no, even 8th.’
I planned to raise my realm slowly via elixirs.
The Medicine Pavilion tragedy was fresh; suddenly skyrocketing would make anyone suspect me unless they were idiots.
‘This world has plenty of elixirs, so I’ll stock up some for my character here... and take a few to reality. Grab some for Yuria too.’
Gazing contentedly at the Radiant Ascension Technique, a thought struck me.
There was an event in the original story I loved. It was coming up soon.
‘...Damn, no exact date given. But I know the rough location, so set up surveillance cams and check daily.’
The next day.
As expected, the Meteor Sword Sect was in uproar.
All Medicine Pavilion guards dead from poison, elixirs and pill recipes stolen. It’d be weirder if there wasn’t chaos.
Sect Leader Seong Go-dan declared an emergency. Security tightened drastically, entry and exit restricted to his permission only.
In this unprecedented crisis, everyone went about their duties with tense faces. Work couldn’t stop entirely.
The servants working in the sect trembled as they moved, cautious to a fault—every step calculated to avoid suspicion.
Seong Ji-gon and I couldn’t train. We were assigned to guard a sect area.
‘Better than others combing the mountains and even Hunan City for searches.’
Seong Ji-gon eyed me gravely from beside me.
“This Medicine Pavilion incident... you didn’t do it, right?”
My face soured instantly.
“Are you insane? Even I’m not that low.”
Surprised at his sharp intuition.
“Right? Just checking.”
“Realistically, how would I get poison to kill the Pavilion Lord?”
“You got sleeping powder before.”
“Sleeping powder equals Pavilion Lord-killing poison?”
“True. No way to easily get extreme poison for Five Qi realm. But when does this end?”
“No idea, but at least three months.”
“......Three months without Hunan City?”
“Minimum. And forget Hunan—don’t touch the servants.”
“Servants... occasionally wouldn’t hurt?”
“That ‘occasionally’ could be your funeral. Hold back.”
“Sigh. Who the hell’s the culprit? Ruining everything.”
I replied calmly to his venting.
“No kidding.”
A few days later.
I heard unbelievable news.
‘Pavilion Lord Seong Do-chun is alive...!’
I wanted to call it a lie, but I saw him myself, moving with the elders.
Finding out why was easy—the sect buzzed about his survival.
‘...He had a Blood Poison Pearl? That bead in his hand was it?!’
The Blood Poison Pearl had absorbed the poison qi.