The Might of Deadly Poison

"It's here—the obligatory trial arc in a fantasy novel."

Ever since he had seen this training ground, Chen Ming had been mentally prepared. After hearing Qin Ming's words, he instead felt that this was only natural.

Chen Ming cupped his hands toward the three Education Committee Members beside him, then moved to roughly twenty paces away from Qin Ming. He summoned his Martial Soul and assumed a guarded stance.

One yellow and one purple Soul Ring emerged around him, fully exposing the aura that only a top-tier Martial Soul could possess. Seeing this, the three Education Committee Members quietly exchanged a few words, their faces full of satisfaction.

"Teacher Qin Ming, please be careful. My Jade Scorpion King possesses deadly poison. My first two Soul Rings both came from top-tier poison-type soul beasts, and the mixed poison produced by combining them is extremely potent. You must be exceedingly cautious. If you feel any discomfort, be sure to tell me immediately. Once the poison spreads, it will be very difficult to remove."

As he spoke, Chen Ming gathered Soul Power at the tip of his scorpion tail to condense a tiny droplet of venom. He then controlled the droplet and let it fall to the ground.

Under the horrified gazes of the other four, the specially made floor was easily corroded by that single drop of venom, emitting a sizzling sound. Within only a few breaths, it had left behind a hole roughly the size of an adult man's fist. The corroded area glimmered with a dark green light and continued to sizzle faintly. A closer look revealed that the stone was still slowly melting.

Yet as he looked at that fist-sized hole, Chen Ming felt somewhat emotional instead.

In his memory, his venom should not have been this weak. Back when he had practiced against stones, a single drop like that could corrode an opening nearly thirty centimeters wide.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy truly deserved to be called a royal academy. They were rich and lavish, and even their stone was far sturdier.

Looking at the pit corroded into the ground, Qin Ming, who had originally wanted to maintain the bearing of an expert, could not help swallowing. He immediately raised his vigilance to the utmost.

Was this really Jade Scorpion poison, and not something like magma?

Why did he feel that, despite both of them using poison, Chen Ming, a Soul Grandmaster, was more than a level above Dugu Yan when she had first enrolled? Who exactly was Poison Douluo's successor?

"Alright. If anything happens, I'll say so," Qin Ming replied honestly, not daring to underestimate him.

After briefly observing Chen Ming's movements, Qin Ming took a deep breath.

"Student Chen Ming, be careful. I'm attacking."

"First Soul Skill, Fire Wolf Transformation! Second Soul Skill, Wolf's Fire!"

Qin Ming used two enhancement-type Soul Skills in one go, applying both to himself. As his first and second Soul Rings lit up, his aura visibly rose, and the flames around him became even more violent.

If possible, Qin Ming did not want to use his Soul Skills either. After all, even with his Soul Power suppressed, the gap in physical ability and experience between a Soul King and a Soul Grandmaster was still enormous.

But looking at the smoking pit on the ground, Qin Ming had no desire to test how that poison would affect a living body with his own flesh. He could only use his Soul Power in combat to increase his firepower and keep himself from being contaminated by the poison.

After activating his Soul Skills, Qin Ming "charged" toward Chen Ming. Under his deliberate suppression, the speed a Soul King of the Agility Attack System could unleash was less than thirty percent of his true speed, leaving him only at the level of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster.

Watching this absurdly slow speed, Chen Ming felt somewhat helpless, but he did not let it distract him.

Facing Qin Ming's charge, he took up a defensive posture. The scorpion tail behind him swayed slightly, as though he intended to wait for his opponent to make the first move.

Just as Qin Ming closed to within three steps of Chen Ming, Chen Ming moved. The long tail behind him swung before his body and lashed out horizontally like a whip. At the same time, his first Soul Ring lit up, and dark green poisonous mist rapidly surged out from around him.

"First Soul Skill, Poison Cloud." Only after releasing the Soul Skill did Chen Ming's voice arrive a beat late. By then, Qin Ming had already fully entered Chen Ming's attack range.

The scorpion tail's strike was powerful enough that Qin Ming could not ignore it, while the suddenly rising poisonous mist was even more perilous.

Qin Ming's flame-wreathed palm had only just blocked the tail-whip when he was swallowed by the poisonous mist. Although blazing flames covered his entire body, waves of stinging pain still spread through him.

The raging flames neutralized part of the poison, while the Soul Power covering his body offset more than half of what remained. But even the small amount left possessed intense corrosive power. Within a few breaths, holes appeared in Qin Ming's formal attire. Even the beast-like skin produced by Martial Soul Possession could not withstand it, and his long fur visibly began to shrink.

A small amount of poison entered Qin Ming's respiratory tract along with the air. Even that tiny amount caused him excruciating pain.

As a soul master with a fire-attribute Martial Soul, this was the first time Qin Ming had felt the agony of his internal organs being set ablaze. No matter how strong his will was, his body still convulsed on instinct. He nearly collapsed to the ground, his body curling up like a shrimp.

Seeing that Qin Ming, a Soul King, had run into trouble after just one exchange with him, Chen Ming's expression changed at once. He violently flicked his tail, sending Qin Ming flying far away from the area covered by his Soul Skill. Then he dismissed both his Soul Skill and Martial Soul and hurriedly reached into his inner clothes to retrieve the antidote he had prepared in advance.

Qin Ming did not fall to the ground after being sent flying. Instead, he was caught midair by the Sky Blue Vine Martial Soul summoned by Education Committee Member Zhi Lin, which skillfully dispersed the impact.

Gentle, dense Soul Power filled with Life Force flowed into Qin Ming's body through the Sky Blue Vine. Even the blazing flames burning on his body did not leave the slightest scorch mark on the vine.

As the Soul Power entered him, Qin Ming felt his consciousness clear slightly. However, his internal organs still ached, and his skin still felt as though it had been burned. For a time, he could not gather his strength.

Chen Ming covered the distance in a few quick strides, reached out to pry open Qin Ming's mouth, and poured the medicinal powder from a small gourd into it.

Though there was no water, Qin Ming's saliva-filled mouth still swallowed reflexively, quickly carrying the powder into his stomach.

As a cool sensation rose from his lower abdomen, Qin Ming finally felt the pain in his internal organs ease somewhat. After taking a moment to recover, he finally had the energy to pay attention to his current condition.