Jade Toad

Before Li Shuidao lay a murky darkness; he could barely make out the outlines within the Five Poisons Cave.

He slowly stepped inside, placing each foot down gently. A soft rustling sounded beneath his feet, as though something were crawling.

He definitely couldn't stomp down hard!

The insects in the Five Poisons Cave were all first-rank Demonic Insects, capable of poisoning an entire village of mortals to death.

Within the isolated system of the Five Poisons Cave, the five poisons restrained one another, like five armies wary of each other. None could swallow the others, and so a state of relative peace was maintained.

When harmless mortals entered the Five Poisons Cave, this balance would not be disrupted.

But if cultivators entered, the five great armies would begin slaughtering one another, and the cave would erupt at once.

Of course, mortals entering were not entirely without danger. What if they accidentally stepped on an insect and killed it?

That insect's dying scream would be the signal for an all-out melee.

Careful and cautious.

Just then.

A Golden Centipede crawled over.

It looked lethally venomous. Li Shuidao's face lit up with delight, and he stopped, waiting quietly for the poisonous insect to bestow its favor upon him.

The centipede did not even spare him a glance before swaggering away.

Li Shuidao continued onward in disappointment. The cave was extremely damp, the ground wet beneath his feet, and even his shoes were soaked through. Yet he saw very few poisonous insects.

Before long, Li Shuidao discovered a "corpse."

Upon approaching, he saw that it was Li Shuilang. A golden scorpion rested on his forehead, while a faint blood-red glow enveloped both the scorpion and Li Shuilang.

Not bad luck—he had actually encountered a venomous scorpion.

Li Shuidao continued forward carefully. Beside Li Shuilang, another corpse lay sprawled in a corner.

Li Shuiting lay flat on her back, an dark-red venomous snake coiled around her body.

A venomous snake!

Not bad. Sister Shuiting's luck was pretty good too.

Wait!

According to his theory, every isolated system would tend toward Yin-Yang Balance, with the five elements generating one another.

The metal-aspected scorpion was about to leave, so the fire-aspected snake venom that restrained metal seemed somewhat redundant.

If the snake venom were to leave, then Water Poison, which restrained fire poison, would become somewhat redundant.

If his theory was right, the next poisonous creature should be a toad.

"Croak!"

A toad the size of a washbasin blocked Li Shuidao's path.

It really was a toad!

The toad glared at him with eyes as large as bells, its skin covered in ugly warts.

A huge ugly toad.

Th-This was just too ugly.

Disgust appeared on Li Shuidao's face.

"Croak!" The toad hopped a step forward.

Don't come any closer!

Li Shuidao almost turned and fled.

Plop!

A Jade Toad beat it to the punch and landed on Li Shuidao's forehead. The deadly venom entered his body, and he instantly lost consciousness.

Thud.

Li Shuidao fell stiffly to the ground.

Beside a clear little stream, a tadpole was wrapped in an egg membrane. It struggled with all its might, trying to break free from within.

At last, it bravely fought through obstacle after obstacle, broke free of the egg membrane, and became a tiny, green, tender tadpole.

The little tadpole lived among the shallow grasses of the stream, constantly devouring plant debris from the bottom while evading attacks from passing fish, shrimp, and birds.

Before long, the little tadpole became a small green frog. The mosquitoes and flies circling above the weeds were its favorite food.

It devoured wild Spirit Grass, its bloodline continuously awakening, until it finally transformed into a Jade Toad, croaking beneath the moon...

Li Shuidao abruptly opened his eyes. All around him was a sinister darkness, with only a streak of golden light at the exit.

His mind was blank, chaotic thoughts churning through his head. For a time, he could not even tell whether he was a man or a toad. In his daze, his consciousness seemed able to split in two—one human, one toad.

This was the Five Poisons Cave. His name was Li Shuidao, and his Spirit Companion was the Jade Toad.

Croak...

A Jade Toad no bigger than half a palm, its body crystalline as jade, leaped onto his shoulder.

By the light from the cave entrance, Li Shuidao looked at the toad.

It was actually rather cute...

He steadied himself slightly and headed for the entrance.

"Something's happening!"

"They're coming out, they're coming out."

Li Shuidao walked out of Five Poisons Cave. A group of Li Family clansmen stood in a tense circle around him, their expressions solemn.

Li Shuilang, Li Shuiting, Li Haoze, and Li Yijun were all waiting outside. It seemed he had been unconscious the longest.

A massive scorpion hung from Li Shuilang's shoulder; a little venomous snake coiled around Li Shuiting's wrist; a centipede wrapped around Li Haoze's wrist; and a dusty-gray gecko lay curled in Li Yijun's palm.

Li Shuidao looked at his own shoulder. Together, they made up the Five Poisons exactly.

"Come over here," Li Tianliang called.

Li Shuidao hurriedly joined Li Shuilang and the others.

Li Tianliang then announced the next batch of clansmen entering Five Poisons Cave.

"How long was I unconscious?" Li Shuidao asked instinctively.

"About half a shichen. We only just woke up ourselves."

Roughly two shichen later, every clansman had obtained their own Spirit Companion.

Twenty-three fourteen-year-old Li Family cultivators stood together, awaiting the family's final judgment.

Li Shuidao was the elder brother in his household. Under the rule that brothers in the same family had to be separated, the elder brother would enter the sect; his Spirit Companion was a toad, with the weakest innate Divine Ability; and on top of that, he kept a low profile and was little known. Naturally, Patriarch Li Haimo marked his name with a check.

"Li Shuilang, Li Shuidao, Li Yijun, Li Yicheng, Li Shuilong, Li Yiqing, Li Shuilin, Li Haotang, Li Yixin... follow this old man up the mountain. The rest of you, return to the family with Li Tianling," Patriarch Li Haimo announced loudly.

"Brother! I don't want to be separated from you." Tears shimmered in Li Shuiting's eyes as she spoke. She was already fourteen, yet she still had that petite, delicate frame, pure and innocent beyond description.

Li Shuilang, on the other hand, seemed far more mature and steady. He stroked his little sister's head and said with a smile, "Why are you crying, sis? The family doesn't have that many cultivation resources. Your brother is just changing places to cultivate."

"Mm-hmm, Brother, I understand." Li Shuiting nodded.

Afterward, Li Haimo led Li Shuilang, Li Shuidao, and the dozen or so disciples up the mountain along a narrow path.

The remaining clansmen returned the way they had come. Li Shuiting wiped the tears from her cheeks, then turned around as well, preparing to follow everyone home.

Siblings had to be separated!

With Li Shuiting as the bond of family affection, once Li Shuilang reached the sect, even if he had to work like an ox or a horse, he would have to endure it.

Still, there was no need to be so pessimistic. What if Li Shuilang won his Master's favor? Not only might he avoid labor, he could even inherit his Master's mantle.

Li Shuidao: Why did I say "what if"?

Jade Toad: Croak, croak.

Li Haimo led the clansmen through the forest, following the winding path uphill. At last, before night fell, they reached the Five Poisons Sect's Ascension Platform.

The so-called Ascension Platform was simply a large cluster of residences.

"Hide all your Spirit Companions. Do not leave them exposed," Li Haimo warned.

Everyone promptly tucked their Spirit Companions into their sleeves.

Before long, a round-faced cultivator came over to welcome them with a smile. "No need to be restrained, fellow disciples. Having arrived at the Ascension Platform, you are already disciples of our Five Poisons Sect. In a little while, the sect's Wide Black Robes will be delivered."

"You must all be hungry as well. I'll have someone bring you some food shortly."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Hehe... no need for such courtesy."

Everyone entered the small courtyard.

Soon, someone delivered twelve Wide Black Robes.

Once they put on the Wide Black Robes, they would become official disciples of the Five Poisons Sect.

Li Shuidao naturally put one on as well. The robe had many cords sewn into its lining, allowing it to fit any body type.

With a single leap, the Jade Toad burrowed into the broad sleeve of the Wide Black Robe and vanished in an instant.

Everyone else's Spirit Companions also nimbly slipped into their Wide Black Robes, leaving no trace visible outside.