Chapter 156: Corpse Spots
Chapter 156: Corpse Spots
Eating live snakes.
This was one training method for mastering Poisonous Hand Fist, as well as the technique known as “Poisonous Person Art.”
After swallowing this low-toxicity grass snake, he drank a large cup of special medicinal liquor. This liquor could kill germs and neutralize toxins, but its primary purpose was to forcefully push down any unwillingly eaten live creatures when swallowing became difficult.
Next, he pulled a croaking toad from another bamboo basket and swallowed it whole again.
It felt like eating a chunk of foul mud; biting into it produced disgusting squelching sounds.
Then, steeling himself, he separately consumed a spider, a scorpion, and a large centipede.
The revulsion from swallowing live creatures had to be completely discarded. Fang Jing understood this was the easiest “hurdle” he must overcome during training.
“Normally, the next step requires boiling a medicinal liquid daily, using toxins and herbs. Coat both hands with it every day—similar to practicing Iron Palm Technique. First prepare medicinal paste, store it in a vat, and pound it day and night. With prolonged practice, replace the medicinal paste with fine sand. Continue tirelessly. After a year, switch to gravel, and the following year, to pulverized iron sand.”
This was the method for training “Poisonous Hand Fist, External Method,” involving a complete set of martial movements, breathing techniques, and mental focus exercises.
For further progress, practitioners must persistently devour various toxins in gradually increasing doses. They start with less-poisonous grass snakes before focusing on deadlier creatures. This persisted consumption practiced “Internal Method.” Only by alternating between both secret techniques could one’s power slowly grow.
At seven-month intervals, select a moonless night to encase oneself in a coffin filled with poisonous insects. Then, at the hour of midnight, have it buried in a graveyard. Attach a tube aboveground for coffin breathing. Spend the entire night resting inside calmly. This was called “Nurturing Poison Method.”
Apart from that, “Bathing Poison Method” existed too. Practitioners must endure medicinal baths of toxin-laced liquid, tempering both body and mind.
Only after a decade-long intense cultivation could someone barely master Poisonous Hand Fist and “Poisonous Person” art at a preliminary level.
Kuki Muen also informed Fang Jing that his Poisonous Hand Fist training wasn’t complete. After becoming a high-ranking executive in the Black Devourer Syndicate, mundane duties crowded his schedule. He never had time to perfect the technique.
“Furthermore, this is dangerously risky. Its essence surpasses regular martial arts.”
Kuki Muen had personally experimented with this secret art and ordered disciples to practice it. Some collapsed dead. Examination revealed poisoning as the cause.
“Poisonous Hand Fist fundamentally links to Ancestor Genzo’s Demonic Implant Secret Art. Records in Outer Demon Gate clearly state Poisonous Person Art leans towards ancient witchcraft…”
After some time training, Kuki noticed faint corpse spots emerging on his hands. Unliving stench also gradually oozed from his body.
That incident led him to halt training during the latter half of Poisonous Hand Fist.
A week later, while vacationing in Southeast Asia, he encountered a shaman from a local tribe. This strange old man pulled Kuki aside urgently in surprise, confiding that heavy curse blood stained Kuki’s face.
Kuki, puzzled, explained some trickier aspects of his fist technique.
The shaman shockingly declared this was no martial art—growing uneasy—adding that its truth lay in witchcraft.
Many sorceries bear curse traits. ‘Curses’ meant to harm others with wicked thoughts. Poisonous Hand Fist’s training itself formed a curse—only unlike normal curses targeting others.
The curse cultivated through Poisonous Hand Fist clearly targeted oneself.
The shaman advised quitting. Such fist technique equated to vile sorcery.
Instead, gulping toxins or unorthodox practices treated his body as an amplifier for lethal poisons.
Sealing oneself alive in death-graveyard coffins blurred life-death boundaries to awaken ‘Witch Curse’: fusing vessel and creator into one.
Not all survived such arts. Success concentrated self-imposed malice internally like ancient poison curses. Once saturated beyond capacity, deadliest venom erupted outward…
Others might abandon this path after hearing such warnings. But Fang Jing’s will shone steel-hard. Minor risks wouldn’t stop him.
Soon he faced obstacles. Seven days of persistence failed to establish Poisonous Hand Fist basics.
On the eighth day, chewing a spider abruptly triggered his skill interface.
“Yes! Poisonous Hand Fist… finally initiated!”
He hadn’t expected such low compatibility; eight days merely opened its gate.
Now, to advance it using Growth Value!
He inhaled sharply. Something fiery surged inside him as accumulated Growth Value’s flame ignited instantly.
(Poisonous Hand Fist, Elementary Level, Progress 0%)
Good! Now this art was safe from stagnation.
Without hesitation, he poured continuous mental focus as Growth Value rushed the skill upward.
After spending 7 points on Growth Value, Poisonous Hand Fist reached Advanced Level.
Rolling his sleeves back, Fang Jing observed obvious transformations: arms thickened slightly, skin gained reptile-like scaly textures.
Clenching fists made joints crackle. Burning heat instantly flared across both palms.
“Poisonous Hand Fist’s deadliest trait bursts from fingertips.”
Stretching his palms forward, Fang Jing saw dark blue-black hues—the mark of grand mastery. Far surpassing Kuki’s proficiency now.
“Yet lacking impact beyond minor toxin attacks, utterly failing Demonic Implant Secret Art’s predicted heights.”
Unsatisfied, he grinned upon discovering something amidst his skill interface.
Ah! Poisonous Hand Fist held unexplored potentials; this toxin-art could evolve further.
Symbols for ‘Deduction’ shimmered. Proof this skill could still transcend.
Fang Jing immediately poured Growth Value beyond to transcend Poisonous Hand Fist.
“Ting!”
His interface echoed strangely.
Now mutated into…
(Secret Luo Hand, Layer One, 0%)
Huh? Name changed? This was what emerged now?
His brief surprise turned into horror—seeing his hands made him freeze.
Yellow rotting blights tracked both arms. Faint decaying stench seeped off him—not typical cadaver odor.
“Crap! Process failure? Secret Luo Hand toxicity backfired?”
Searing agony intensified, liquid-like substance searing beneath both palms.
Trouble brewed; these hands couldn’t bear witness publicly.
Could Poisonous Hand Fist itself hide severe flaws?
Wasting concern proved futile—solving this was priority.
“Kuki’s guidance never steered me wrong.”
Suspicion faded. Kuki consistently remained him until his end.
Then realization struck: normal fighting arts divided into Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced levels. Yet Secret Luo Hand proclaimed “Layer One.”
“Maybe…?”
Fang Jing pushed Yin Energy-fueled Growth Value deeper. Secret Luo Hand ascended instantly to Layer Two.
Stranger still: yellow spreading darkened into spreading black spots. Skin deterioration worsened.
“Corpse spots… Leveling worsened matters?”
He could only laugh grimly… then paused. Unpleasant stench somehow lessened?
No. He froze. Perhaps this was right instead.
Steeling resolve, he poured more into Secret Luo Hand Layer Three.
Instantly though air fouling reduced significantly. Visible decay faded too.
“Ha! Correct indeed. Onward!”
Focusing wholly, he drove more Growth Value inside. Next second—painless light ripples unfolded. Yellow-brown patterns shifted visibly into stark tattoos.
Layer Four mutations manifested calmly.
Then darkness swallowed his vision as shockwave tore through his consciousness.
Thud!
Every muscle and vein pulsed violently like bursting hearts.
Side effects resurfaced—brain-wracking stabbings etched his skull.
Collapsing weakly, he slumped nearly paralyzed…
Half an hour later his strength trickled back. This upgrade proved exhausting beyond ordinary limits.
“Stench weakens further now. Perhaps…”
Driving essence, blood simmered wildly—something threateningly sinister broke skin surface from both palms.
“Cadaveric Toxin. Exactly recorded in Demonic Implant Secret Art: Poisonous Person strongest state—extracting Corpse Toxin Aura.”
Cadaveric Toxin—more dreadful than mundane poisons. Modern medicine dismissed it as myth; merely germs decaying bodies produce.
True Cadaveric Toxin equaled otherworldly curse-born poison. Secret Luo Hand revealed the core truth: Demonic Implant Secret Art consuming living casings wholly. Ancient poison curses were forged upon its bearer.