The entire cafeteria was startled by what they witnessed.
Such speed, such methods—Yu Shaojie, ranked third on the Northern Hunter Rankings, was completely powerless to resist!
"He's truly a Zongshi!"
"We're actually in the same freshman class as him..."
"Wait, poisoning? What does that mean?"
Everyone's faces turned sour as they stared at their food, suddenly unable to bring it to their mouths.
Jin Wanshan's mouth gaped open, his face turning green as he stared blankly at the empty plates covering the table, his stomach churning violently.
"Let him go!" Martial Heaven's figure suddenly appeared.
Frowning at Qin Yang, Martial Heaven looked deeply troubled.
Yu Shaojie's face was turning purple; if Qin Yang continued, he would be suffocated to death.
Qin Yang released him, his eyes still shining with divine light, the cold gleam undiminished.
Yu Shaojie's body collapsed onto the ground, gasping and coughing violently.
If it weren't for Martial Heaven, he would have died here today! The killing intent radiating from Qin Yang terrified him to the core.
Trembling all over, Yu Shaojie shouted, "Teacher Wu, he's framing me and trying to kill me! You have to take my side!"
"What's going on here?" Martial Heaven asked, frowning.
Qin Yang snorted. "What's going on? You should ask Yu Shaojie why he put poison in the food."
Martial Heaven's expression darkened. He scanned the spread of dishes, then approached the buffet table. His spiritual sense swept over the area, but found nothing amiss.
"I didn't poison anything!" Yu Shaojie shouted.
"Didn't you?" Qin Yang chuckled, grabbing a plate of roasted chicken and a bottle of wine. He turned to Yu Shaojie. "Then why not taste it?"
Yu Shaojie's body tensed, disbelief plain in his eyes.
"If you didn't poison it, then eat it yourself!"
"Right! Eat it in front of us!"
The students' angry shouts filled the air, their gazes burning into Yu Shaojie.
His hesitation only reinforced Qin Yang's accusations.
"This..." Martial Heaven studied the chicken and wine, still finding no trace of poison.
"I just don't want to eat it!" Yu Shaojie roared. "Who gave you the right to make me eat anything?"
"Refusing? Then I'll feed you myself!" Qin Yang grabbed the wine bottle and forced Yu Shaojie's mouth open, pouring the liquid in.
"Enough! Qin Yang!" Martial Heaven's shout cut through the chaos.
"We've drunk the wine, but the chicken's still untouched." How could Qin Yang possibly stop there?
Yu Shaojie struggled desperately, his lips clamped shut, refusing to eat the chicken under any circumstances.
"You dare claim you didn't poison it?" Qin Yang roared angrily.
"I didn't! I swear I didn't!" Yu Shaojie insisted stubbornly.
"Qin Yang, enough with the nonsense! There's no poison in this food!" Martial Heaven interjected.
Qin Yang shook his head gently. "That's true, there's no poison. In fact, these are spirit medicines."
The entire class fell into confusion, unsure what Qin Yang was trying to accomplish.
"But!" Qin Yang's tone shifted abruptly. "Qing Soul Grass and Iron Bamboo Vine have conflicting properties. Consuming them together can result in minor cases of true qi disruption and stagnant cultivation progress. In severe cases, it can lead to qi deviation and complete ruin as a cultivator."
Everyone's faces paled. If this wasn't poison, what else could it be? This was far more insidious than any poison!
Qin Yang continued, "These two spirit medicines are so well disguised that ordinary people can't detect them. They'd simply assume the cultivator's foundation was unstable, causing these issues. Even if a cultivator painstakingly rebuilds their foundation, it would take considerable time. That period alone is enough to transform a genius into an ordinary practitioner."
"This is too underhanded!"
"Who knew there was such a way to poison people?"
"No wonder Yu Shaojie was acting so suspicious today—he didn't eat a single bite!"
"If we all become ordinary, won't he stand out as a genius?"
Yu Shaojie became the center of attention, facing the crowd's anger. He shouted, "Impossible! This is just Qin Yang's speculation—he has no evidence! Why would I put Soul-Cleansing Grass and Iron Bamboo Vine in the food?"
Qin Yang laughed heartily. "You didn't put those herbs in the food, but—!"
He held up the plate of roasted chicken. "Who put the Soul-Cleansing Powder in this chicken? And not just the chicken—every dish contains Soul-Cleansing Powder!"
"Soul-Cleansing Powder? Soul-Cleansing Pill... Isn't that the Yu Clan's exclusive medicine?"
"The Soul-Cleansing Pill can repair hidden spiritual injuries, but you can't cultivate while taking it."
"Once you start cultivating, your true qi will go out of control."
In an instant, everyone accepted Qin Yang's explanation.
Even Martial Heaven couldn't find any reason to doubt it.
Yu Shaojie continued to struggle, "Everyone has just endured the demon-hunting assessment. We're mentally exhausted. This Cleansing Soul Powder will help us rest properly. Moreover, the dosage is minimal. Apart from feeling energetic, there won't be any side effects whatsoever!"
For a moment, all classmates exchanged glances. They did indeed feel invigorated. By this logic, wasn't Yu Shaojie actually looking out for their best interests?
"That's true, the Cleansing Soul Powder mixed in the food would indeed be in small quantities," Qin Yang sneered. "But when combined with the Iron Bamboo Body Tempering Pills in the wine, that's where the problem lies."
"Body Tempering Pills? Aren't those exclusive to the Yu Clan? While different from Body Tempering Pills, they still enhance physical constitution. Aren't they beneficial for cultivation?"
"The Iron Bamboo Body Tempering Pill is considered one of the better Body Tempering Pills available!"
Qin Yang explained, "The Iron Bamboo Body Tempering Pill stimulates physical potential and refines it with true qi. In other words, it enhances true qi. The Cleansing Soul Powder weakens a cultivator's control over true qi, while the Iron Bamboo Body Tempering Pill continuously stimulates it..."
"You don't need me to spell out the consequences, do you?" Qin Yang said slowly.
Everyone paled at these words, including Martial Heaven himself.
"Everything you're saying is baseless! The medicinal effects are too weak to pose any real threat!" Yu Shaojie protested.
Qin Yang nodded. "True, the current dose is harmless. But if you could poison once, you could do it again—twice, thrice. This time it's light, but next time might be fatal! The journey from Northern Plains to Central Province is long. Such hidden dangers, once ingrained, become impossible to reverse!"
Yu Shaojie's body trembled, his face draining of color. How did Qin Yang know everything?
Everyone was awed by Qin Yang's vast knowledge, even Martial Heaven himself. The martial artist hadn't even detected the Cleansing Soul Powder or Iron Bamboo Body Tempering Pills in the food and wine.
"How did you discover this?" Martial Heaven demanded. "And how did you know?"
"I Qin Yang know all things and can accomplish anything. Do you think such petty schemes could deceive me?" Qin Yang laughed heartily.
As for how he discovered it? Qin Yang could now replicate any formula and technique by simply observing the final product. He hadn't anticipated that a single glance at the pork hock Jin Wanshan had eaten would reveal the formula for the Cleansing Soul Pill...
"Yu Shaojie, I never imagined your heart could be so venomous!" Martial Heaven glared at Yu Shaojie, fury burning in his eyes.
Yu Shaojie, on the brink of despair, pleaded, "No, it wasn't me! I didn't mean it—I knew nothing about it..."
"Reflect on your mistakes properly!" Martial Heaven declared. "Don't come out until you return to Celestial Academy!" With a wave of his hand, he imprisoned Yu Shaojie in the Imprisonment Tower.
The tower's multiple levels ensured Yu Shaojie wouldn't be confined with Qin Yang's beast.
Basking in the crowd's admiring gazes, Qin Yang approached Lou Mengyu with a grin. "Well? Isn't your man impressive?"
His meaningful look flushed her cheeks crimson.
"Answer me—impressive or not?" Qin Yang pressed.
The thin-skinned Lou Mengyu refused to respond. Admitting his prowess might invite trouble, while denying it could provoke Qin Yang's "evening retribution."
"Qin Yang, am I doomed?" Jin Wanshan whimpered, nearly in tears.
The panda clicked his tongue. Antidote conflict? Not for this lord. The meaty aroma only intensified his salivation.
"One meal won't harm you," Qin Yang announced.
Relief flooded the cafeteria.
Jin Wanshan's face lit up. "Thank the heavens!"
Qin Yang rolled his eyes. "But that single meal equals ten of theirs!"
"Huh?" Jin Wanshan's face fell.