Just as the Great Herb King was wondering how Physician Bai would deal with the three Vice Hall Masters and the numerous elders, he heard the other party's reply. At this moment, he could almost see the grim future which awaited him.
The Golden Poison Heart Token bore testimony to the identity of the envoy, and it was natural that the other party would request to see it. There was no problem with their words at all.
Yet, to ask if they were qualified...
The old Hall Master had died, and the three Vice Hall Masters and the numerous elders were already the top leaders of the Poison Hall. If even they weren't qualified, who could be?
No matter how noble the position of an envoy is, there should be a limit to your arrogance. To act so haughtily... You will surely be beaten be death!
"Envoy must be pulling our legs!"
As the Great Herb King expected, Vice Hall Master's smiling face crumbled upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words. "I am the first Vice Hall Master of the Red Lotus Branch. Now that the Hall Master isn't around anymore, I have become the highest ranking person here, so naturally, I am qualified!"
"I already know that your Hall Master is dead, and the reason why I am here is to decide on the next Hall Master. Otherwise, why would I come to such a rundown place?"
"Before deciding on a new Hall Master, all of you have the same standing. If you think that you're qualified, don't tell just tell me with your mouths... prove it to me through your mastery and understanding of poison."
Zhang Xuan flung his sleeves, and he stared at the group authoritatively. "What our Poison Hall needs are capable poison masters, not a bunch of useless fools!"
"Mastery of poison?" Liao Xun was taken aback. "Envoy wishes to test us?"
"That's right. I have no time to squander on you, and I don't want to waste my breath. The value of a poison master should be determined by the poison they can create. You will all concoct a poison while I observe by the side, and whoever is able to concoct a poison that I've never seen before or speak of a theory I've never heard before, will be qualified to see the Golden Poison Heart Token and become the next Hall Master!"
Zhang Xuan glanced at the crowd with an indifferent gaze. "Otherwise, rather than handing over this branch to any useless fool, I might as well destroy it myself!"
"Yes..."
Upon hearing the straightforward words of the envoy, the group looked at each other with grim expressions.
In the past, as long as they served the envoys well, the envoys would satisfy their demands.
But from the looks of it, this method would not work on this envoy.
As soon as he reached, this envoy established his dominance, and declared that the top seat would be granted based on nothing else but capability!
And those who didn't possess the capability should stop spouting nonsense.
...
"As expected of the man who managed to remove the Poison Gu from me, incredible!"
Seeing how 'Physician Bai' resolved the crisis with a few words, the Great Herb King heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, he felt completely impressed with the other party's ability.
This Physician Bai wasn't just capable in the Way of Medicine, he also possessed a precise understanding of the human heart.
Aware that the three Vice Hall Masters were vying for the seat of the Hall Master, he used it as a bait very conveniently.
They had already been fighting for the seat for a long time now, and none of them was willing to submit to anyone else. Now that there was a charter to resolve the conflict, they were determined to make use of this opportunity to surpass the other candidates.
Even if they doubted his identity, they weren't in any position to make the verification. If any of them insisted, it would mean that... he was incapable, and wasn’t able to establish dominance!
With a single word, he turned the arrows back at the three Vice Hall Masters and forced them to fight it out.
He is indeed incredible!
However...
In order to test the three of them, you yourself must be adept in poison as well. Given how you don't even know what a poison master is just half a month ago, how do you intend to test them?
If you aren't able to recognize any of the poison the three Vice Hall Masters concoct, it would be clear that you are a fake without even having to check on your Golden Poison Heart Token!
Upon thinking of this, the Great Herb King's face turned bitter.
He felt that his life was truly hanging by a thread, and a single mistake would send him crashing straight down.
...
After settling this matter, the three Vice Hall Masters led the duo to the grandest building in the city.
"Envoy, please enlighten us on how you intend to conduct the examination!"
As soon as everybody was seated, Vice Hall Master Liao asked.
"Simple, my test will consist of two stage. In the first test, each of you will display your capability and concoct a poison you are adept at. In this stage, whoever who concocts the highest grade poison wins! As for the second stage, each of you will concoct a poison that you have created through your own research. Whoever can create a poison that is the most lethal and complex, such that even I am unable to discern it, will be declared the winner!"
Zhang Xuan said calmly.
Hearing the contents, the three Vice Hall Masters nodded their heads simultaneously.
Just like the apothecaries, the grade of the poison a poison master could concoct was directly proportionate to his tier. At the same time, the more incredible the poison one could create, the more likely one could reach greater heights as a poison master.
Thus, the first test assessed their abilities while the second one assessed their talents. If any one of them could stand out in both tests, no one would be able to object to him becoming the new Hall Master.
"Alright, I'll give you four hours to prepare!"
Casually waving them away, Zhang Xuan stood up. "Right, where's your book collection vault? I've received orders from the headquarter to look for a certain book."
"Look for a certain book?"
Everyone was perplexed, but upon hearing that it was an order from the headquarter, they hesitated for a moment and decided against asking.
"Envoy, the book collection vault is over there. I'll send my man to lead you there right now!" Liao Xun hurriedly said.
"There's no need, I can walk over myself. You all should start preparing for the examination. The position of the Hall Master is at stake, and I hope that you can give me a satisfactory performance so that I can account to the headquarter!"
Placing his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan said.
"Yes!"
Liao Xun and the others nodded.
Ignoring the others, Zhang Xuan started walking toward the book collection vault.
The Red Lotus Range Poison Hall had been established for several millenniums, and they had a vast collection of books. The number of books here was nowhere inferior to that of the Beast Hall.
Upon entering the vault, a huge array of books placed neatly on bookshelves appeared before Zhang Xuan. The other end of the room could not be seen with just a single glance.
There were bamboo scrolls, papers tied together with strings, and even engravings on porcelain and animal bones.
Due to the secure location of the Poison Hall, it had not been through any war and the books were able to be maintained in good condition.
"To think that I would be able to enter so easily..."
After checking that there was no one behind him, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
His purpose at the Poison Hall was to browse through these books, and he thought that he would encounter a lot of trouble along the way. He didn't expect to succeed so easily.
But thinking about the matter, it wasn't that surprising either. While the others doubted his identity as the envoy, they didn't dare to challenge him openly.
After all, if Zhang Xuan turned out to be the real envoy, it meant that he represented the headquarter himself. It was completely possible for the entire branch to be destroyed if they were to get on his bad side.
On the other hand, if he were a fake, giving himself away was a matter of time and they would be able to get even with him then.
"I shouldn't care that much for now, reading the books and resolving the poison aura in my body is the priority at the moment!"
Even though the poison aura in his body had been suppressed by Heaven's Path zhenqi, Zhang Xuan knew that it was a matter of time before it rebounded. Once that happens, his life would be in grave danger. If not for this tangible threat he felt, he wouldn't have risked his life to barge into the Poison Hall.
Since he has managed to enter the Poison Hall's book collection vault, it was imperative that he made good of his time.
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