Declan's eyes shot open in immense pain. He noticed how he was currently naked as Xue Mo kept feeding him pills while he felt his body continually changing.
He didn't know what was happening, but he couldn't move a muscle; only his eyes that were staring at Xue Mo in horror reacted. He knew that Xue Mo was probably helping somehow, but the pain he was under was truly horrible.
"Don't worry. Once he finishes, you will become much stronger, and the trashy potential you had before would blossom, making you a supreme genius!" Lu Yao, who noticed him waking up, relayed.
"You're a big boy; if you can't endure this little pain, then you won't achieve much later on," Lu Yao kept going, encouraging and taunting him. The method seemed effective as she saw a fierce look appear in Declan's bloodshot eyes.
Nodding her head at how smooth her plan worked, Lu Yao watched Xue Mo's work. She decided to ask what he was doing. That way, she and Declan would know what Xue Mo was doing to the patient's body.
Xue Mo finished reinfusing the poison into the delicate parts of Declan's body, showing his physiology and healing expertise. Poisons could, after all, be used in healing if used correctly.
"I am just changing Declan's physique. There was one technique that would perfectly help in Declan's situation. It won't only make him stronger, give him poison immunity, and strengthen his body. It will also give him a poison physique. Depending on the poison used, the effects vary, but with Declan's poisoned body getting used to the Meridian Poisoning that he lived with all this time, the technique's effects would be many times greater. Though this might also result in race mutation, the effects, if that happened, would be even better!" Xue Mo rambled stuff that confused Declan and Lu Yao. "Anyway, once I finish, Declan's body and blood would become poisonous material that can hurt and destroy Meridians if he wished!"
Finally, understanding what Xue Mo meant when he said the last part, Declan thought, 'couldn't you say that from the first place? Why say stuff I don't know!'
With newfound resolve and excitement to see how his new body and power would be like, Declan's Will got strengthened, and his face eased. He felt his pain tolerance increase, which would greatly help him later.
Lu Yao, who watched Xue Mo having fun playing with Declan's physique, had a happy smile. She enjoyed these little moments where she could watch Xue Mo have fun. She knew that there wouldn't be many like this in the future, and she treasured every one of them.
It took Xue Mo two whole days to finish. In which Declan retained his body functions and screamed inside the Formation before getting used to the pain. Once he got up, Declan felt the changes. His whole body felt different.
His skin became sickly, his old looks turned young, and finally, his body, as if he went through a metamorphosis, had a poison gland in his throat. Declan felt as if he had become some poisonous creature.
"It will take you some time to get used to your new body. In the meantime, you should stay here and practice with it. Also, I added some features using my knowledge and your excess unneeded tissues. Some of these are poisonous and need extra control, so until you get the hang of them, don't go near anyone!" Xue Mo added seriously before getting up and stretching his limbs.
Remembering to give the technique that he talked about before to Declan, Xue Mo said, "don't panic!" Declan didn't know what Xue Mo meant, but he suddenly felt his mind getting an influx of information. Some of it contained uses of his new body, a Cultivation Method, and a few books about poison and healing with toxins!
Xue Mo ordered Infinite Darkness to modify the technique by adding some features of the new power-system he was creating into it while also trying to find a way to improve Declan's new attributes of power.
Obeying the order, Infinite Darkness went through countless calculations and simulations before finishing. In the end, Declan's technique and body got an improvement in which he would be able to store more poisons in his body. Although these poisons won't become part of him like the Meridian Poison, he could still keep them and use them later.
Declan thanked Xue Mo heartily before leaving to find a secluded place to train. He won't come back unless Xue Mo ordered him or he finished controlling his new body!
Watching the leaving Declan, Lu Yao suddenly asked, "are we the crazy ones because we like sadistic things? Or is it the others who are crazy because they don't know how great these things are?"
Xue Mo's answer came immediately, "of course it's them. Even though our life experiences made us like this, but we should never question ourselves. This is a part of our individuality, so we shouldn't try to change for others and stay true to ourselves. It is also one of the things that make others halt in their path of getting to the peak, and we won't be like them!"
Her Partner's solemn and weighty words resonated deep within Lu Yao and renewed her conviction to get to the peak. 'I will definitely save you!' Xue Mo felt Lu Yao becoming slightly melancholic before feeling her drive for power increase.
'It's been a few years already. I think it's about time we have that talk,' Xue Mo thought while looking at Lu Yao with gentle looks that he wouldn't give anyone else.
Lu Yao felt a gaze on her, which made her turn her head to see Xue Mo staring at her will a love-filled look that warmed her stone-cold heart. 'Sigh, he is the only one who can spark such feelings in me.'
Lu Yao and Xue Mo stared at each other intensely before Lu Yao had an idea that made her feel as if she were stupid. "How did we forget this?!"
Xue Mo gave Lu Yao curious looks asking what she meant. Her answer left him stupefied. He felt that all his knowledge, experience, memory, and intelligence we for not. He felt utterly stupid!
"We have bodies with a perfect and unshakable foundation. Then, why the hell are we taking our sweet time going through the lower realms?!! Did we forget that so easily? I don't know how I got this perfect foundation, but you made your body! You made it specifically for things like these, and we both forgot. Are we dumb?"
Lu Yao berated both herself and Xue Mo. They were both so distracted and busy with things that they forgot one of the essential aspects. Though neither of them wanted to admit this, so Xue Mo found an excuse to use, "I just remembered. We are taking things slowly to give us and Infinite Darkness time to merge and simulate the best way to advance in realm. This way, we won't have bottlenecks!"
Lu Yao knew that they didn't have this conversation, but she also wanted to wash the shame she felt for not realizing this, so she made herself accept this as the absolute truth. "That's true, that's true. I must have forgotten it!"
After Lu Yao said that, both of them felt embarrassed and awkward. Xue Mo seeing the situation still uncomfortable even after several minutes, suggested, "should we go and breakthrough all the way into Foundation Opening already?"
Nodding her head, Lu Yao jumped on his shoulder as they made their way back to Hesroth's residence.