Chapter 201: Absorbing A Hundred Poisons, The Ten Thousand Heart Sutra Evolves!

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[Thank you for your purchase in the Hunter Market! Have a great day!]

The golden message faded with a soft, cheerful chime, leaving Riven alone in the quiet room with the heavy crates he had just bought. He exhaled slowly and began unpacking the first one. Inside lay a messy pile of poisonous monster carcasses. None of them were larger than a medium-sized dog, yet every single body was a monstrously ugly insect or hybrid creature, their limbs twisted and their shells still leaking dark fluids.

Riven forced a tight smile as he stared down at the first disgusting, still-bleeding corpse of a small insect-type monster. The sight made his stomach turn slightly, but he had paid good money for these specimens, and he could not afford to waste them.

He closed his eyes and began to consume everything with his Aura. Wave after wave of dark energy wrapped around the carcasses, drawing them into his body. He gained no skills and no direct stats from the process, yet the poisons he specifically aimed to absorb were rapidly assimilated into his bloodstream and organs.

Every single little poisonous monster—Venomous Dragonflies with translucent wings that still twitched, Shadow Fang Monkeys whose saliva burned the air, Scorpion-Tailed Lions with barbed tails still dripping toxin, and even the strange Poisonous Dryad Plants whose leaves released invisible spores—carried a different, unique type of poison and toxin. His body accepted each one without rejection.

His Ten Thousand Poison Heart Sutra developed at a rapid pace, growing stronger and denser with every absorption. The technique drank in the toxins greedily until every crate had been emptied and the floor was bare once more.

"It’s done!"

BA-DUM.

BA-DUM.

BA-DUM!!!

His heart began beating faster and harder. Dozens upon dozens of distinct poisons swirled around his chest, spiraling inward until they were swallowed by the serpent mark etched over his heart—the ouroboros that was eternally eating its own tail. As the mark fed, Riven’s body changed. Poisonous ki flooded his veins, reinforcing muscle, bone, and organ until he felt capable of enduring almost anything the world could throw at him.

Ding!

[Congratulations, you have successfully absorbed 100 Different Poisons.]

[The Cultivation Method: [Ten Thousand Poison Heart Sutra – Poison Accumulation Phase: Stage 1 (100/100)] has Ranked Up to Stage 2.]

[Your Vitality has increased by +800,000.]

[Your Mana has increased by +500,000.]

[Your Strength has increased by +800,000.]

[Your Endurance has increased by +800,000.]

[Your Agility has increased by +500,000.]

[The Skill [Ten Thousand Poison Fang – Level 3] has Leveled Up to Level 5.]

[The Skill [Venom Production – Level 7] has Leveled Up to Level 8.]

[Next Stage Requirement: 100/500.]

"Four hundred more?! Are there even enough poisons in this world?" Riven muttered, taken aback by the steep requirement for the next stage. After a moment he forced himself to calm down. "No... there has to be something else to this process. The System wouldn’t set an impossible goal."

He slowly began to control the new Poisonous Ki circulating inside him and deliberately made it clash against his Poisonous Mana Nature. The two forces pushed against each other in a controlled collision while his Titan Mana Heart reacted at the same time. Because he had already bonded the Titan Mana Heart to this particular Cultivation Method, any growth in one caused the other to advance as well.

The Titan Mana Heart greedily absorbed the Poisonous Mana. Fine cracks spread across its surface like a spiderweb. Beneath the fracturing shell, a new Mana Heart was already forming, glowing with a deep, ominous purple light.

Crack, crack...!

CRASH!

"!!!"

In mere seconds the old Titan Mana Heart shattered completely. A brand-new core emerged in its place—purple in color and radiating noxious, venomous Poison-Attribute Mana that filled the air with a faint acidic scent.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have successfully advanced in your Cultivation of your Titan Mana Heart.]

[Your Titan Mana Heart has progressed to Level 3.]

[Your Control over Mana, Dexterity with Mana, Mastery over Magic, and also Spiritual Power, has increased from 400% to 800%.]

[Your Mana Stat has increased by +800,000.]

[Your Spirit Stat has increased by +500,000.]

[Your Intelligence Stat has increased by +300,000.]

[Your Link with Elisa has grown, and she is now sharing 25% of your Mana and 10% of your Spirit and Intelligence Stats.]

A fresh wave of power flooded through Riven’s body. His maximum Mana Pool expanded massively—something he had already sensed the moment the Ten Thousand Poison Heart Sutra advanced—but the new numbers still left him slightly breathless. More importantly, the link with Elisa had deepened. Knowing that she now shared a portion of his mana, spirit, and intelligence filled him with quiet satisfaction. Every step he took also strengthened her.

Ding!

[It is now possible to bind a second Mana Cultivation Method to your Titan Mana Heart.]

[Three Compatible Cultivation Methods have been found. Which Method do you wish to Connect with the Mana Heart? It is recommended to choose only one for now to not overwhelm your Titan Mana Heart.]

[Option 1]: [Divine Frost Emperor’s Legacy – First Step]

Increases Mana Regeneration and Cultivation Speed by 400%. Imbues Cultivated Mana with Divine Frost Essence. Enhances the growth of this Cultivation Method.

[Option 2]: [Asura Blood Sea Scripture – Level 3]

Increases Maximum Mana Capacity by 200%, Spirit Energy Capacity by 150%, and Vitality by 100%. Imbues Cultivated Mana with the Blood Essence drained from foes and corpses, boosting the growth of your Blood Sea greatly.

[Option 3]: [Netherworld King Swordsmanship – Level 4]

Increases Maximum Mana Capacity by 300% and Strength by 100%. Imbues Cultivated Mana with Netherworld Fire, capable of Cultivating Mana, Soul, and Nether together, and shapes Mana into the form of a Ghostly Blade.

"Two new options appeared?" Riven muttered in surprise. "And both of them are Skills... but they’re so advanced that the System is treating them as full Cultivation Methods. Hmm..."

He sat down on the edge of the bed and began carefully analyzing the three choices, weighing which one would benefit him most in the battles that still lay ahead.

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