Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 38 The right choice
Inside the government office, Chen Sheng opened his eyes, a deep and unyielding seriousness settling between his brows.

As expected, the difficulty of breaking through the Marrow Transformation Realm is far greater than that of the previous two realms.

The three realms of foundation building are: clear breathing, bone forging, and marrow transformation.

The first two stages can be achieved through persistent effort. As long as one has decent aptitude and sufficient resources, one can eventually break through by following the steps. However, the stage of marrow transformation is an insurmountable chasm.

This realm concerns the tempering of the inner marrow, which is fundamental to martial arts. If one makes even the slightest mistake, the breakthrough will fail and one's vital energy will be severely damaged. In severe cases, the marrow sea will be shaken and the foundation will be completely destroyed.

Even more serious is that a Foundation Establishment martial artist has at most three opportunities in their lifetime to break through to the Marrow Transformation Realm.

Each failure not only damages the foundation of martial arts, but also drastically reduces the success rate of subsequent breakthroughs. For this reason, there are many Bone Forging Martial Artists in the world, but only one in ten can reach the Marrow Transformation stage.

[Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune] The future revealed by the celestial book serves as a constant warning.

According to its instructions, he only has two paths to take to successfully break through to the next level:
First, he must cultivate the secret technique of "Fishing Toad Strength," which enhances one's foundation and protects one's meridians, to a minor level of mastery. Second, he must find a way to obtain the Huang family's treasured artifact—the Spirit Marrow Gu.

However, neither of these paths is easy.

The "Toad-Fishing Technique" is profound and difficult, and progress is extremely slow. Without the aid of a elixir like the "Pure Essence Pill" that can cleanse the marrow and strengthen the body, one can only rely on one's own hard work to make progress as slow as a tortoise crawling.

He has devoted himself to studying for more than two months, but so far he has only barely grasped the basics.

[The Secret Technique of Fishing for Toads (Minor Success) (47/500)]

Based on this progress, it would take at least another six months of hard work day and night to reach a certain level of proficiency.

He can't wait.

The other path, the Spirit Marrow Gu, is equally complex.

I once heard Wu Kuang mention this magical object during a casual conversation on our way to his new post.

This Gu is considered a top-tier opportunity for marrow transformation in the world. Its most precious feature is that it can be passed down through generations.

An adult Spirit Marrow Gu can produce a drop of "Spirit Marrow Liquid" approximately every twelve years. When a martial artist breaks through to the Marrow Transformation Realm, refining this liquid can increase their chances of success by 30%.

It can be said that unless one's foundation is too shallow, with the help of this spiritual liquid, the chances of breaking through to the Marrow Transformation stage are extremely high.

No wonder the Huang family has become the longest-standing family in Changshan County. With this item in hand, they can continuously cultivate martial arts masters who have reached the Marrow Transformation stage, thus maintaining the family's prosperity.

Unwilling to waste half a year, the Huang family's secret spiritual marrow gu became his only and necessary goal.

However, the problem is... could it be that the Huang family's Spirit Marrow Gu is exactly at the twelfth year mark? If that's true, it can't be explained by coincidence; it's as if it was specifically waiting for him.

But if it's not true, then there are probably some things he doesn't know.

After a moment's thought, Chen Sheng got up without hesitation and headed straight for the dungeon of the North City Martial Camp.

He knew very little about the Huang family's internal affairs, but that didn't matter. There was an "insider" in the prison who knew the Huang family inside and out, and he might be able to learn something about the Spirit Essence Gu.

Ever since capturing "Bone-Melting Hand" Li Huaisheng that night, the man has been constantly begging, hoping to see Chen Sheng in order to save his life.

Chen Sheng naturally wouldn't easily trust a poison master who could take his life one moment and then kneel down and beg for mercy the next.

During this time, he had already ordered people to secretly investigate Li Huaisheng's background.

Unfortunately, this title appeared out of thin air in Changshan County without any trace. The only thing that remained was his self-proclaimed identity as a "Huang family retainer," which Chen Sheng always doubted.

Fortunately, the "Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune" celestial book unexpectedly gave him a hint: there was a way to restrain this person. However, the other party might not be willing to cooperate. Therefore, he originally planned to imprison him first to wear down his spirit before making a later use of him.

The situation is pressing, and he doesn't have much time to wait.

Stepping into the deepest part of the dungeon, a damp and putrid stench assaulted my senses.

Two guards were drinking together by the dim light of an oil lamp, while Li Huaisheng, who was firmly chained to the rack with iron chains as thick as a child's arm, was still weakly pleading with the guards, hoping to see Chen Sheng one last time.

When the two soldiers saw Chen Sheng suddenly appear, they were so frightened that they hurriedly stood up and saluted, instantly sobering up considerably.

"You two may leave now," Chen Sheng waved his hand.

"Yes, sir!" The two men, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, quickly left.

With disheveled hair and emaciated frame, Li Huaisheng struggled to raise his head. A sudden, intense light flashed in his cloudy eyes, and his voice was hoarse and excited:
"Commander Chen, Commander Chen, I am truly willing to surrender and serve you with utmost loyalty!"

Chen Shengxing walked up to him, calmly scrutinizing the prisoner, and spoke in a low voice:
"I've come here to give you a chance, and now it's up to you... whether you know what's good for you."

"You're wise, Commander Chen! I'm the most sensible one!"

Li Huaisheng quickly responded. "You're not from Changshan County, are you?" Chen Sheng asked bluntly.

Li Huaisheng knew that he must have been investigated, his expression darkened, and he shook his head:

"……no."

"Would you be interested in telling me about your background?"

Li Huaisheng understood that this was the first step in gaining trust. If he didn't explain his background, he would have no chance of survival. After a brief silence, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice:
"I... come from the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect of Nanzhao Prefecture. Later, my family suffered a great calamity and was wiped out. I had no choice but to flee alone. After many twists and turns, I finally ended up in Changshan County two years ago. Because my poison skills were decent, I was recruited by the Huang family and made a retainer..."

"So, you were able to abandon the Huang family without any burden?"

"That's not entirely true."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaisheng revealed a bitter self-deprecating expression: "In my actions, I have always followed the principle of equivalent exchange. Whatever resources the Huang family gives me, I will contribute my share of effort."

"They expect me to die for them with such meager offerings? What a joke! Besides… I, Li, bear a blood feud, my revenge unavenged. Even with a sliver of hope, I absolutely refuse to die."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng nodded slightly.

That makes sense.

Why risk your life for a mere act of offering?

His gaze swept over Li Huaisheng's open shirt, revealing a strange black snake tattoo on his chest, though the design seemed somewhat incomplete.

"Is this black snake the mark of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect?"

"Exactly."

Why is it incomplete?

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Huaisheng's face:
"In his early years, he was too radical in his study of poison techniques and accidentally introduced poison into his body, which eroded his skin and flesh and damaged some of his skin texture."

Chen Sheng stopped asking for details, abruptly changing his tone and becoming cold:

"You surely know why I don't trust you. If you want to live, you need to meet two conditions: first, offer a sufficiently substantial 'pledge of allegiance'; second, hand over something that will allow me to completely control you."

Li Huaisheng's heart sank, knowing the crucial moment had arrived, and he asked in a trembling voice:
"My lord... how do you intend to control me?"

Chen Sheng raised the corners of his mouth slightly and slowly took out a piece of paper as thin as a cicada's wing and dark in color from his sleeve. A faint, sweet and pungent smell wafted from it.

"This item is a fragment of the 'True Skill of a Hundred Poisons.' According to its contents, practitioners like yourself must use your own essence and blood to nourish a 'natal poisonous insect' within your body."

This insect is bound to your life; most of your poisonous abilities reside in it. Once the insect dies, the host will suffer a severe backlash, with a significant loss of power being the least of your worries.

His gaze was piercing as he stared at Li Huaisheng's face, which had turned deathly pale. He said, word by word, "If you want me to believe you, hand over your natal poisonous insect so I can control it."

"How...how do you know about the 'Hundred Poisons True Skill'?! And how did you know it was hidden in the lining of my black robe?!"

Li Huaisheng was horrified, his eyes filled with disbelief and fear. This page of the technique was very important to him, so he had kept it close to his body and hidden it in an extremely secret place. In addition, its thinness, like a cicada's wing, meant that it could be easily destroyed, but it was impossible for it to be easily discovered.

"You don't need to know that."

Chen Sheng's tone was indifferent, yet carried an undeniable authority: "You only need to answer, whether you are willing or not."

"If I don't want to... then am I destined to stay in this dungeon?"

Li Huaisheng's voice was dry.

Chen Sheng first nodded, then slowly shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the grim instruments of torture around him, his meaning self-evident:

"You will leave, but... in another way."

The dungeon was deathly silent, save for the crackling of the burning torches and Li Huaisheng's heavy breathing.

His expression shifted rapidly, clearly indicating a fierce internal struggle. Seeing Chen Sheng's patience waning and his intention to leave, he finally shouted hoarsely:
"Commander Chen... wait a moment."

Li Huaisheng seemed to have all his strength drained away, slumped on the rack, and said dejectedly:
“I…I am willing to hand over my natal poisonous insect.”

Chen Sheng's lips curled into a smile that seemed to confirm his expectations.

"very good."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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