Chapter 28: Metamorphosis

A flash of murderous intent flickered in Lei Yan's eyes, vanishing in an instant. In his previous life, he would have killed anyone who posed a threat to him without the slightest hesitation. But now, he had to endure, for he lacked the strength to protect his own life.

He sighed helplessly and turned to walk in the direction of the Ghost Physician Sect. He had no worries about Qing Ling; the rules of the Ghost Poison Sect strictly forbade its disciples from killing each other. Although Qing Ling was from the Valley of the Poison King, that valley was under the jurisdiction of the Ghost Poison Sect, and besides, Qing Ling’s current mastery of poisons posed no real threat to him.

“Hey, boy, don’t even think about escaping! Today I’ll make you see what I’m capable of!” Qing Ling, seeing Lei Yan turn to leave, grew anxious. A green glow flashed in her palm, and a one-eyed toad, about the size of a baby’s hand, appeared in her right hand.

“Go!” With a low shout, she sent the toad leaping toward Lei Yan as if it understood her command. This toad was a young Green-Eyed Toad she had spent three days capturing from the mountain. She had invested much effort into taming it, all for the sake of dealing with Lei Yan.

Hearing movement behind him, Lei Yan instinctively turned to look. He saw a one-eyed toad, its body shimmering in vibrant blue, leaping toward him.

“Blue all over! One eye! Green-Eyed Toad!” Lei Yan frowned, immediately recognizing the creature. “Wait, this is a juvenile Green-Eyed Toad!”

The difference between a young and an adult Green-Eyed Toad was not great; the only distinction lay in the back. Adult toads had several venom sacs capable of spraying poison, whereas juveniles did not. Clearly, the toad before him lacked these sacs. Lei Yan’s surprise quickly turned to delight. The entire body of a juvenile Green-Eyed Toad was precious; if used in medicine, it could neutralize toxicity—a quality he needed right now.

As the juvenile toad approached, Lei Yan broke into a run. Not out of fear, but because dealing with the toad required attacking its sole weakness: the eye. He needed to find a branch suitable for striking.

“Ha ha ha! Scared, are you?” Qing Ling gleefully clapped her hands as she watched Lei Yan flee in apparent panic.

“No, this one’s too short! That one’s too thin…” Lei Yan searched frantically for the right branch as he ran. He needed one sturdy enough and longer than the toad’s reach. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—a branch as thick as his arm lay ahead. With a sprint, he snatched it up and spun around, gripping the branch tightly, facing the pursuing toad.

“Stop!” Not far away, Qing Ling seemed to realize what Lei Yan was about to do, shouting as she ran toward him. But the toad ignored her command, leaping high. Its tongue shot out like an arrow. Lei Yan, his ability locking onto everything around him, calmly stepped back, just beyond the toad’s attack range, then brought the branch down with all his strength.

A dull thud echoed.

The Green-Eyed Toad was slammed to the ground. As a light cloud of dust rose, the toad lay motionless, its sole eye sunken from the blow. At that moment, Lei Yan drew a pill from his waist, crushed it into powder with a squeeze, and patted his hands together to coat them evenly. He knew that after death, the Green-Eyed Toad would release a corrosive toxin on its skin, so he needed to protect his hands before handling it.

“Ah!”

Qing Ling’s heart ached as she saw her toad lying weakly on the ground. She dashed forward, but Lei Yan was quick. He pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his inner pocket and stuffed the toad inside, then turned and ran.

“Give it back!” Qing Ling cried, her voice trembling. She had spent three days capturing the toad and suffered numerous injuries taming it, all for Lei Yan’s sake. Now that he had taken it, she felt utterly wronged.

“Get out of my way!” Lei Yan glared at Qing Ling, his eyes filled with murderous intent. Unnerved, she stepped back two paces. “You’re bullying me, you’re bullying me… I’ll tell Master!” she sobbed, running toward the Valley of the Poison King.

“A grudge has been formed now,” Lei Yan sighed as he watched her retreat, shaking his head helplessly.

Returning to the secret chamber, Lei Yan began preparing medicinal ingredients. With the Green-Eyed Toad, his medicine’s purity would double.

As time passed, Lei Yan’s body improved steadily. Although he still couldn’t cultivate internal energy, he could now engage in strenuous activity. Meanwhile, the stimulation from the poison caused his ability to break through its bottleneck; what had once ceased to grow now began to advance slowly once more. Yet despite its growth, Lei Yan found that his ability remained unchanged—it could only lock onto things nearby.

A year passed.

Lei Yan was now eleven years old.

On the mountain path of the Ghost Poison Sect, Lei Yan’s eyes were fixed ahead as he ran at full speed, his strides broad and powerful. Both his legs and arms bore sandbags weighing five kilograms each—a weight he had increased four times, adding a kilogram with each change. Even his back carried a sandbag weighing twenty kilograms. If the Lei clan knew of this, they would surely be astonished.

Lei Yan raced onward without the slightest intention of stopping.

“Huff… huff… so exhilarating… huff…”

The burning pain in his muscles from running with such weight was almost addicting.

In no time, Lei Yan reached the mountaintop. Looking down, his eyes shone with excitement. The results of the past year had exceeded his expectations. Though he couldn’t cultivate internal energy, the extreme self-abuse he endured had conditioned his meridians for the stimulation of strenuous exercise. His muscles, bones, and flexibility had all increased greatly.

“Keep pushing forward!” Lei Yan shouted to the mountain.

Another year passed.

Day after day of training, and as he grew older, Lei Yan’s body developed rapidly. At twelve, he stood over one meter sixty tall, and his strength had multiplied several times.

Dressed in a blue brocade robe, Lei Yan stood before a tree, eyes closed in concentration. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and with a low shout, he punched the tree before him.

A cracking sound echoed.

The tree fell at once, and a faint smile appeared at Lei Yan’s lips. Now he believed that even without relying on poison, he could use his ability and strength to escape from innate martial artists. To prove his theory, Lei Yan stepped out of the Ghost Physician Sect.