Chapter 42: Centipede Poison

"Indeed, Fellow Daoists of Xuandao Sect, leave this matter to us!" Some Inner Sect Disciples also agreed, thinking Wang Zhuo was right.

The Xuandao Sect members were quite hesitant. The man surnamed Liu was about to decline, using his seniority as an excuse, but just then, the middle-aged man standing at the very back casually coughed. The man surnamed Liu's expression shifted, and he nodded, saying, "Since that's the case, we'll trouble you, Senior Brothers of Hengyue School."

Wang Zhuo smiled, turned around towards Wang Lin's direction, and loudly said, "Junior Brother Wang Lin, this chore of feeding the Thousand-footed Centipede is entrusted to you. You must be extra careful!"

Upon hearing Wang Zhuo's words, all the Xuandao Sect Disciples looked towards Wang Lin, their expressions strange. How could they not understand the trickery involved by now? This Wang Lin must have offended Wang Zhuo.

At this moment, an Inner Sect Disciple of Hengyue School sneered, "I was just wondering who Wang Zhuo was talking about. As expected, it's Junior Brother Wang Lin!"

"This job really suits him. With his talent, Cultivating is truly a waste of time, and participating in exchanges is simply impossible," someone nearby chimed in.

"Besides this good-for-nothing, truly no one else can handle such menial work. Junior Brother Wang Lin, you can do a good job, don't disgrace our Hengyue School."

The sounds of mockery were incessant. The various Disciples of Xuandao Sect thoroughly understood that Wang Lin had not only offended Wang Zhuo but also, due to his lack of talent, had become the target of the Inner Sect Disciples' ridicule.

Such things happen in any School and are not a big deal. Thus, in the minds of all Xuandao Sect Disciples, Wang Lin was immediately categorized as a good-for-nothing.

The woman surnamed Zhou, sitting beside Wang Lin, frowned and looked at Wang Zhuo with disgust. She whispered to Wang Lin, "Junior Brother Wang Lin, if I hadn't come over, he wouldn't have targeted you. I…"

Wang Lin shook his head. Wang Zhuo targeting him was not a matter of a day or two. Since their first meeting, Wang Zhuo had always enjoyed sarcasm and ridicule. The entire Inner Sect Disciple group looked down on him even more because of the rumors that he entered the School by attempting suicide and curried favor with Elders by doing despicable things.

Most importantly, he was only at the third layer of Qi Condensation, the lowest level among these Inner Sect Disciples.

Strength determines everything. Wang Lin glanced at the ferocious Thousand-footed Centipede lying on the ground and didn't mind, pretending not to hear.

Before long, Wang Zhuo arranged for several Disciples to lead the Xuandao Sect members to the guest rooms to rest.

The man surnamed Liu, who possessed a single Water Spiritual Root from Xuandao Sect, swept his gaze over Wang Lin before leaving and gently said, "This must be Junior Brother Wang Lin. Our Xuandao Sect's Thousand-footed Centipede is untamed. You must be extra careful when feeding it, don't get too close, and don't let it injure you."

Wang Zhuo coldly glanced at Wang Lin a few times, then ignored him. Before long, everyone outside the main hall dispersed.

The woman surnamed Zhou frowned and spoke a few more words with Wang Lin before also getting up and leaving.

Looking at the empty plaza, Wang Lin stood up and walked towards the Thousand-footed Centipede. He stopped ten zhang away, carefully examining this Centipede Spirit Beast.

Viewed up close, this Thousand-footed Centipede was a colossal creature. Its body was composed of many segments, each with a pair of dark feet, dense like countless sharp daggers. Its bamboo-like body faintly revealed traces of black light spots. Especially its head, with two huge, ferocious pincers protruding, made one feel awe.

Besides that, what was most striking were the two long red feelers on its head, moving without wind, twisting and swaying like two long snakes.

As if knowing Wang Lin was observing it, it opened its closed eyes and swept a cold gaze over Wang Lin. A chilling sensation quickly enveloped him.

Wang Lin's body grew cold, but then the Spiritual Qi within him circulated, easily dispelling the cold Qi.

The Thousand-footed Centipede showed surprise in its eyes, looked deeply at Wang Lin once, then closed its eyes and ignored him. Wang Lin showed an interested expression, thinking to himself that this centipede truly lived up to its name as a Spirit Beast, capable of showing expressions just like a human.

He pondered for a moment, then lightly walked away from the area. He strolled around the mountains, spreading his Divine Sense, and easily caught a few small beasts, which he carried back in his hands.

Along the way, he encountered several Xuandao Sect Disciples, accompanied by several Senior Brothers from the Inner Sect, who were introducing interesting anecdotes about the School. These Senior Brothers laughed heartily upon seeing the small beasts in Wang Lin's hands, drawing the attention of the Xuandao Sect Disciples.

Among them, a delicate-looking female Disciple from Xuandao Sect, with a complexion as flawless as water, giggled, "Junior Brother, the small beasts you caught won't be enough to feed the Thousand-footed Centipede. You'd best find a larger 'long worm'; that's the Thousand-footed Centipede's favorite."

"Junior Sister Ouyang, this silly boy is usually like a mute. You don't need to bother with him. You don't know, he originally didn't even qualify for Cultivation. All his tests were failed. After much fuss, the Senior Martial Uncles reluctantly took him in as a Named Disciple!" someone from the Inner Sect immediately flattered and said.

Wang Lin recognized the speaker; it was Sun Hao, who had mocked him with Wang Zhuo in the back mountains.

"A Named Disciple? But I see him wearing red robes, so he should be an Inner Sect Disciple of Hengyue School, shouldn't he?" someone from Xuandao Sect immediately questioned, puzzled.

"I haven't finished yet. This good-for-nothing boy somehow used some despicable method to win the favor of a Junior Martial Uncle and was soon accepted as a true Disciple. But even so, with his talent, besides being laughed at, he'll never make any progress in this life!" Sun Hao laughed loudly.

Wang Lin calmly glanced at these people, said nothing, and quickly left. In a short while, he returned to the Thousand-footed Centipede, throwing the small beasts he held beside it.

The two small beasts, upon seeing the Thousand-footed Centipede, were immediately terrified, trembling as they lay on the ground.

The Thousand-footed Centipede opened its eyes, not even glancing at the small beasts beside it, and opened its mouth to spit out a wisp of black qi. As soon as this black qi touched the two small beasts, a sizzling sound erupted.

In the blink of an eye, the two small beasts turned into a pool of blood, which the Thousand-footed Centipede sucked in, transforming into a pillar of blood that entered its mouth.

Wang Lin retreated a few steps, his eyes flickering. Centipedes generally contain venom, and this venom is their strongest means of attack.

He had once read in a book when he was young that the toxicity of centipede venom is greatly related to its size. Simply put, the larger the individual, the stronger the venom.