0019 Innate? Acquired?

Time passed bit by bit.

The charcoal in the brazier was nearly spent, and the sand pot was wreathed in thick white mist, emitting an alluring fragrance.

Zhuifengzi and Azi had felt their stomachs rumbling for quite some time, yet they didn't even spare the food a glance. Their four eyes were fixed intently on Jiang Mingzhe, not daring to blink.

"Hoo—ha—"

Amidst a long, steady breath, Jiang Mingzhe pulled his hands, which had been pressed against his lower abdomen, up to his chest before slowly pushing them back down. With his lips slightly parted, he exhaled a thick puff of purple vapor. Before it could dissipate, he inhaled sharply, like a great whale drawing in the sea, and the purple mist vanished back into his mouth and nose.

"He's done!" Zhuifengzi and Azi whispered in unison.

Jiang Mingzhe’s eyelids fluttered as he opened his eyes. The room seemed unexpectedly bright, and when he turned to look out the window, he saw the faint white light of dawn.

*Have I been practicing for that long? Why does it feel like only a moment has passed?*

Jiang Mingzhe was struck by a sense of bewilderment, much like the first time he had played League of Legends; he felt as though he had barely started, only to realize his all-night gaming session had already come to an end.

Azi asked impatiently, "Big Ginger, how many acupuncture points did you open?"

Zhuifengzi let out a scoff, as if hearing something utterly absurd, and shook his head repeatedly. "Although Junior Brother Jiang’s talent is astonishing, he is not an immortal. For disciples of our sect, it is considered fortunate to open their portals after two years of cultivating Qi. Only you and the Senior Brother managed it within a year. Even with the aid of the Five-Treasure Nectar Wine, for Junior Brother Jiang to have cultivated enough internal energy to fill half a finger in a single night would be terrifyingly impressive."

Jiang Mingzhe arched an eyebrow.

Zhuifengzi smiled at Jiang Mingzhe. "Junior Brother, it is not that I am jealous or wishing you ill; it is just that after drinking this wine, the hurdle of finding the sensation of Qi becomes easy, and cultivating Qi becomes much simpler. However, if internal energy grows too rapidly, it becomes difficult to control. I suspect that all night long, you were mostly struggling to rein in that energy, right?"

Jiang Mingzhe thought for a moment and nodded. "A senior brother is truly a senior brother; your insight is as clear as a mirror."

They say that truth comes out after drinking, but for Jiang Mingzhe, the wine was merely the beginning of the performance. Even though Zhuifengzi had treated him to a glass of the precious Five-Treasure Nectar Wine, Jiang Mingzhe had no intention of revealing the truth.

During his cultivation, he had followed the path described in the *Qi Cultivation Chapter*, using his intent to guide the energy. He felt countless tiny but very real threads of energy rapidly merging into his flow, which quickly grew from the thickness of a hair to that of a little finger. After circling a few more times, it had swelled to the thickness of a small wine cup! It was only then, as the energy along the path grew sparse, that the rate of growth slowed down.

Although his internal energy had grown far beyond the "half-finger" thickness that Zhuifengzi imagined, Jiang Mingzhe did not find it difficult to manage at all. He secretly mused that it must have been due to his level of focus.

He recalled his days of grinding through test papers, where he could remain hunched over for hours without looking up, completely absorbed in his work. He had maintained that same high level of focus while controlling the flow of Qi.

There was only one small mishap later on... but he decided to ask Azi about that in private later.

As soon as he thought of her, Azi stood before him, her small face taut with extreme seriousness. "Big Ginger, remember one thing: never let any of the other disciples see you practicing!"

Jiang Mingzhe blinked. Azi did not beat around the bush and told him exactly what she had seen—the purple vapor appearing on his face.

She continued, "Actually, when we practice internal arts, it happens to us too, but it’s usually a smear of yellow or, at best, white mist. Master once said: purple, crimson, cyan, white, and yellow—the colors represent how compatible you are with our sect’s techniques. For instance, when I practice, my face shows white mist."

"Senior Brother shows cyan mist when he practices. Master says his talent is one in a thousand, making him perfectly suited for the *Crossing Tribulation Sutra*. That is why, even though he is younger than many of the other brothers, his martial arts are the strongest. As for the crimson color, that is one in ten thousand; it is said that one year of practice with that aptitude equals ten years for others. But your purple vapor? It is even rarer than crimson. Master once said such a person could not possibly exist in this world."

Crimson was already one in ten thousand, so the rarity of the superior purple hardly needed mentioning. No wonder Azi told him not to show it to others.

A surge of secret joy welled up in Jiang Mingzhe: So, I am the one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy!

Feeling smug, he was also puzzled. "Senior Sister, if such a person doesn't exist in this world, why was it even included?"

Azi blinked, momentarily lost for words. "Anyway, anyway, that’s just what Master said..."

"I happen to know a little about this," Zhuifengzi interjected.

"Our sect’s *Crossing Tribulation Sutra* is not particularly outstanding in terms of raw internal power. Its true strength lies in the fact that the internal energy we cultivate can incorporate all kinds of toxins. With the enhancement of poison, its power is second to none! However—" Zhuifengzi’s tone was thick with envy. "The amount of poison each person can withstand varies greatly."

"Purple, crimson, cyan, white, and yellow represent the upper limits of the toxins one can integrate. For example, I can only integrate common snake venom, while Azi can handle the venom of some exotic snakes. Zhaixingzi is even more formidable; he once integrated the venom of the Gold and Silver Blood Snake. That snake is a freak of nature, one of the deadliest things in existence. But your purple color is known as the 'Innate Poison Body'—there is no poison in the world you cannot integrate!"

"Innate Poison Body?" Jiang Mingzhe murmured.

Though it sounded impressive, upon closer reflection, it seemed to be just that. It seemed that only by practicing this *Starry Crossing Tribulation Sutra* could one be considered a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy... No, a poison-cultivation prodigy.

Zhuifengzi continued, "I once heard Master mention in passing that the human body naturally contains various toxins—cold, heat, dampness, and turbidity. Only when the body itself holds a higher level of toxin can it better withstand the refining of external poisons. Someone with an 'Innate Poison Body' like yours... according to Master, should have died before the age of three... Wait!"

Zhuifengzi seemed to have realized something and exclaimed, "Could it be that your poison body wasn't something you were born with, but something cultivated after birth?"

As soon as he said it, his own face changed color. He felt as though he had stumbled upon a shocking secret!

The Old Thief had reached such an advanced age, so how did he suddenly come up with a son? Could it be that he had discovered some secret method to cultivate an Innate Poison Body, but was limited by his own age and unable to complete it, so he simply had a son and personally groomed him into a peerless talent capable of rivaling an Innate Poison Body?

Jiang Mingzhe’s expression was also extremely strange. A guess was slowly forming in his mind—

*I always wondered how someone like me, who never won more than ten yuan in the lottery, could suddenly possess such rare talent.*

*Damn it, this "Innate Poison Body" of mine is most likely the crystallization of modern industrialization!*

From the air to the water, from food to daily necessities—gutter oil, smog, Sudan red... Modern people were already immune to all poisons! Moreover, these bizarre toxins were integrated into the body little by little in infinitesimal amounts. Wasn't this exactly the body-refining secret method Zhuifengzi dreamed of?

*I fear that even a true 'Innate Poison Body' wouldn't have as diverse a collection of toxins in their system as a modern human!*

Having realized this, Jiang Mingzhe let out a breath of melancholy.

Zhuifengzi, playing the role of the good guy, patted him on the shoulder solemnly. "Remember what your Senior Sister said: don't reveal this to anyone."

He then smiled. "We will all keep this secret for you. Now, let’s eat. The chicken and snake have been stewed until they're tender—let's fill our stomachs first."

Upon hearing the word "eat," a thunderous rumble erupted from Jiang Mingzhe’s stomach.