A cold smile on his face, Wei sat down and began to meditate, focusing his consciousness inward. The warm current of spiritual energy from the Corpse Blossom was still circulating within him, nourishing his spiritual sea. He needed to understand the system's full capabilities.
"System," he projected with his thoughts. "Explain the use of Sovereign Points."
[Sovereign Points are the primary currency of the Venomous Sovereign System. They can be used to purchase items from the System Store.]
A mental image bloomed in his mind: a vast, scroll-like interface filled with categories.
[System Store]
- Poison Recipes (Common, Rare, Legendary...)
- Cultivation Techniques (Poison Arts, Concealment Arts...)
- Artifacts (Needles, Cauldrons, Venomous Beasts...)
- Miscellaneous (Antidotes, Body Refinement Elixirs...)
Wei's eyes, even in his mind's eye, widened slightly. This was a treasure trove beyond his wildest dreams. He browsed the 'Poison Recipes' section. The 'Tasteless Demise' he had received was listed under 'Common' for 5 points. The next level, 'Rare', contained recipes like 'Crimson Tear', a poison that could induce heart failure in a Foundation Establishment cultivator, costing 100 points. The 'Legendary' section was greyed out, marked with [Insufficient Authority].
His 10 points felt meager. Killing a Qi Condensation disciple was a drop in the ocean. To acquire anything of real value, he needed more points, which meant more, and likely stronger, targets. A pattern of outer disciples dying from 'cultivation deviation' would eventually draw unwanted attention. He needed a different approach.
Just as he was contemplating his next move, a powerful, steady spiritual signature approached his pagoda. The visitor didn't try to hide his presence, a sign of respect among the elders. Wei recognized it immediately. It was Elder Jin, the stoic body cultivator.
Wei rose and opened the doors to his courtyard just as Jin was about to knock. Jin was a mountain of a man, his simple robes barely containing his bulging muscles. His face, usually an unreadable mask of stone, was etched with a rare hint of concern.
"Brother Wei," Jin said, his voice a low rumble. "I need your help."
"Brother Jin. It is rare to see you leave your training grounds. Come in," Wei said, gesturing towards a stone table in the courtyard.
They sat, and Wei poured two cups of plain, unadulterated tea. Jin was a man who appreciated simplicity.
"One of my disciples, an inner court boy named Liu Feng, has fallen ill," Jin began, getting straight to the point. "He was my most promising student in the Iron Bone Fist style. Now, he can barely stand. His spiritual energy is draining away, his life force is weakening. The sect physicians are useless. They say it's a wasting sickness, but I know the boy. His will is like iron. This is something else."
"You suspect poison?" Wei asked, his expression calm.
"I do," Jin confirmed. "But it's nothing I've ever seen. There are no marks, no discoloration, no scent. It is slow, insidious. I thought if anyone in this sect could identify it, it would be you."
Wei's mind began to churn. This was an opportunity delivered to his doorstep. A legitimate reason to investigate, a potential target, and a way to curry favor with a powerful ally.
"I will look at him," Wei said simply.
Elder Jin led him to the inner disciple dormitories, to a private room where Liu Feng lay. The boy was pale and gaunt, a shadow of the vibrant disciple Jin had described. Wei placed two fingers on the boy's wrist, sending a subtle strand of his spiritual energy into his body.
He immediately felt it. This was no poison. It was a parasitic entity, a microscopic spiritual worm latched onto the boy's dantian, slowly siphoning his energy. It was a type of curse, an art far more esoteric than common poison craft.
"This is not a poison," Wei stated, withdrawing his hand. "It is a curse. A 'Spirit-Devouring Worm'. It is slow-acting and notoriously difficult to detect."
Jin's face darkened, his fists clenching. "A curse? Who in the sect would use such a foul art?"
Wei feigned a moment of thought, his mind already racing through the files of the inner disciples. He needed a scapegoat. Someone with a motive, a reputation for dabbling in unorthodox arts, and whose death would not be a great loss. A name quickly surfaced.
"Does Liu Feng have any rivals?" Wei asked.
"Many," Jin grunted. "He is competitive. But there is one... a boy named Chen Kai. He practices the 'Shadow Whip' technique. They had a public duel a month ago, and Liu Feng humiliated him."
Wei nodded slowly. Chen Kai was perfect. He was known for his sullen demeanor and his interest in ancient, forbidden texts. Rumor had it he'd acquired several dark manuals from a black market auction.
"I will need to investigate this Chen Kai," Wei said. "But I must be discreet. If he is the one, he will be paranoid."
"Do what you must," Jin growled, his eyes promising a painful death for whoever had harmed his student.
Wei left, but his plan was not yet in motion. First, he needed confirmation. A frame-up was only perfect if the frame fit. He made his way to the inner disciple residences, his presence concealed by a simple technique that bent light and sound around him. He was a ghost walking in plain sight.
He found Chen Kai's courtyard and extended his spiritual sense, a tool far more delicate than any eye. He felt the lingering traces of a dark, resentful energy clinging to the residence—the residue of forbidden arts. Peering into the room, he saw Chen Kai pacing anxiously, his face a mask of frustration and anger. On his desk, an ancient, moldering scroll lay open. It was enough.
Satisfied, Wei retracted his sense and proceeded to the sect's kitchens. Using his authority as an elder, he requested a list of the meal delivery assignments for the inner disciples. As he expected, Chen Kai had his meals delivered to his room, a common practice for dedicated cultivators.
That night, Wei prepared the 'Tasteless Demise'. It was laughably simple to create, but its subtlety was its strength. He didn't just brew the poison; he wove a tiny, almost undetectable trace of the Spirit-Devouring Worm's aura into the liquid—an aura he had sampled from Liu Feng.
Disguised once more as an inner disciple, he intercepted the kitchen boy delivering Chen Kai's dinner. A simple illusion technique and a swapped tray later, the poisoned meal was on its way.
Wei returned to his peak and waited. An hour later, a notification chimed in his mind.
[Target confirmed deceased. Cause of death attributed to Host's poison.]
[Mission Objective Met. Calculating Rewards...]
[Target Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Realm, Stage 3.]
[Host has received: 150 Sovereign Points.]
The jump in points was significant. Killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator was far more profitable. But Wei wasn't finished.
The next morning, he went directly to Elder Jin. "I have found the source," he said, his voice grim. "Chen Kai. I placed a tracer on him, but it seems I was too late. The curse he used on your disciple must have backfired. He is dead in his room."
When Jin and the sect's law enforcement hall burst into Chen Kai's room, they found him dead at his table, his face peaceful. An initial examination suggested a sudden, unexplained heart failure. But when Wei, the "expert," examined the body, he pointed to a faint, almost invisible mark on Chen Kai's teacup.
"The residue," Wei explained softly. "It is the same parasitic aura I found in Liu Feng. It seems in his haste, he poisoned himself with his own foul creation."
The discovery of several forbidden texts on curses in Chen Kai's room sealed the case. Chen Kai was posthumously declared guilty. The matter was closed.
Later that day, Elder Jin came to Wei's pagoda. "Brother Wei, I am in your debt," he said, bowing deeply. "As for my disciple..."
"The worm will die without its master," Wei lied smoothly. "Liu Feng will recover in a month's time."
It was true, but not for the reason he stated. With Chen Kai dead, Wei had no more use for the worm. During his "examination" of Chen Kai's body, he had subtly sent a pulse of spiritual energy back through the curse's connection, killing the parasite in Liu Feng's body.
Jin left, his gratitude absolute. Wei was left alone in his courtyard, 150 points richer, with the trust of a powerful ally secured, and his reputation as a peerless poison expert enhanced. He had solved a problem, punished a "villain," and profited immensely, all while remaining a ghost in the shadows. He opened the system store, his eyes now set on the 'Rare' recipes. The game had changed.