Leaving Plant Academy!

Lin Xia immediately dispelled the winged form and drew the vines back into his body.

The faint dizziness brought on by the Soul Power consumption reminded him of this form's cost.

But it had undoubtedly opened the door to an entirely new tactical dimension—air combat, rapid advances, and swift retreats!

"Perfect extension... Toxic... ultimate reshaping... it can even fly..."

Lin Xia slowly rose to his feet and clenched his fists. His palms seemed to retain the feeling of absolute control he had felt while commanding the vines, along with the cold killing intent contained within the Life Poison.

Though this soul bone had no soul skill, it greatly compensated for Lin Xia's shortcomings in close-range burst power, sustained combat ability, defense, and mobility!

That pair of luminous wings in particular held limitless potential!

"Bulbasaur was born alongside me with life and poison, while this soul bone... is the sharpest spear and toughest shield born from that foundation to protect this power."

Lin Xia silently gave this unexpected gain a name in his heart, deciding to call it the Poison Vine Bone Wings.

After finishing all that, Lin Xia checked his Soul Power. It had reached level fourteen—not bad!

He had officially stepped into the realm of Soul Masters.

The only thing Lin Xia could not see through was his own eyes.

His eyes had changed, and Lin Xia always felt that some kind of energy was hidden within them. Yet no matter how he stimulated them with Soul Power, they showed nothing unusual.

After experimenting for a while, he gave up.

When he looked again at Bulbasaur sleeping beside the bed, the worry in his heart completely dissipated.

"Wake up soon. Once you wake up, we'll leave."

After saying this in his heart, Lin Xia sat cross-legged and began consolidating his current realm.

Meanwhile, in a secret chamber within Plant Academy, Yue Hongsheng finished recording all the changes in Lin Xia and Bulbasaur over the past few days. A trace of anticipation flashed through his eyes.

"Perfect, perfect! Simply the perfect vessel!"

"Just wait a little longer. Grow stronger, quickly!"

After saying that, Yue Hongsheng suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit. Before long, he coughed up a pool of black blood!

Three days later, on a quiet morning at Plant Academy.

When the first warm ray of sunlight passed through the window lattice and gently fell beside the curled-up Lin Xia, his eyelids twitched and he instantly woke.

His gaze landed precisely at his side—Bulbasaur's seed bulb was faintly opening and closing beneath the sunlight. A crystalline grass-green glow flowed along the veins at its edge, brimming with vitality.

"Bulbasaur!"

Lin Xia's voice carried uncontrollable ecstasy.

Its emerald eyelids slowly lifted, and those iconic bright red pupils focused once more—clear, sharp, and even deeper than before it had been injured.

Bulbasaur let out a clear, resounding cry:

"Bulba!"

Lin Xia immediately bent down and gently stroked its tough blue-purple skin.

The cold gloom of weakness and poison that had once lingered around it had completely vanished, replaced by vigorous, resilient life force like newly sprouted vegetation after rain.

With a thought, he deepened his perception through their mental link.

Balance! A perfect balance unlike anything before!

Within Bulbasaur's body, the immense life energy and deep-purple Toxic essence, which had once been clearly divided yet intertwined and restrained each other, were no longer locked in a dangerous confrontation. They had harmoniously merged, becoming two poles that supported one another.

Deep within the seed on its back, the Life Seed brimmed with vitality, while the poison contained in its Vine Whip had become even more condensed and pure.

"It worked!"

The great weight in Lin Xia's heart finally fell away, and his smile came from the depths of his soul.

This brush with death had not only allowed Bulbasaur to endure the erosion of the Life Poison, but the pressure and fusion it brought had instead achieved the ultimate transformation of Bulbasaur's physical foundation—a perfect balance of "Life-Poison Unity"!

Once the joy faded, Lin Xia's expression gradually turned solemn. He lowered his voice and swept his gaze across every corner of the room, as if trying to see through invisible barriers.

"Bulbasaur, even though you've only just recovered, I'm afraid we can't stay at the academy any longer."

Bulbasaur's bright red eyes instantly sharpened like blades. It sensed the vigilance and resolve within Lin Xia's mental fluctuations.

"Bulba? Bulba?"

Lin Xia lowered his voice further, and a chill entered his tone.

"Yue Hongsheng is too calculating, too dangerous, and far too good to us!"

"You remember what happened in the Emerald Forest, right? Four lives were used as tolls, and he did not even blink. Those four people's conditions also seemed very wrong. It was as if they had no concept of death at all, like they were being controlled!"

"When he brought us to the Emerald Forest, he was probably not simply helping us find soul rings. The way he looked at us... was like he was looking at exceptional materials that were still growing."

"The more help he gives us, the more uneasy I feel. This time, you were injured and on the verge of death. I forcibly absorbed the vines and fused the poison, yet in the end I was fine and even gained an opportunity?"

"A miracle like this will probably only make his interest in us even more fervent. I refuse to believe he has not secretly examined the changes in my body!"

"At this academy, we are birds in a cage. As long as he wants to, he can make a move against us at any time."

A trace of determination flashed through Lin Xia's eyes.

"Rather than wait in constant fear for him to finally reveal his dagger, we should take advantage of the fact that he may still be immersed in the successful results of his research, believing that we are still under his control... and leave immediately!"

After hearing him out, Bulbasaur showed not the slightest hesitation in its eyes.

Compared with the academy's safe environment and abundant cultivation resources, it cared more about Lin Xia and freedom.

Bulbasaur nodded without hesitation, its Vine Whip gently wrapping around Lin Xia's arm.

"Bulba! Bulba!"

"Bulbasaur, since you agree too, we'll find an opportunity and leave directly!"

"Bulba?"

"Where should we go? The Heaven Dou Empire won't work. It's too close, and Yue Hongsheng has the strength of a Soul Sage. His pursuit range is too great."

Hearing Bulbasaur's question, Lin Xia immediately ruled out Heaven Dou City, even the entire Heaven Dou Empire, and instantly set his sights on the Star Luo Empire!

Crossing between the two great empires, geographical distance would be their greatest cover.

The relatively independent intelligence systems between the empires would also be a natural barrier.

"The Star Luo Empire!"

A cold gleam flashed through Lin Xia's eyes.

"There's no time to lose, Bulbasaur. Let's pack up and be ready to leave at any time!"

Over the next few days, Lin Xia behaved no differently from usual. He diligently practiced the newly acquired soul skill, Life Poison, seriously studied the academy's foundational Soul Master courses, and occasionally went to seek Yue Hongsheng's guidance. His words were full of gratitude and satisfaction with his own growing power, making him appear wholly immersed in improving himself.

Lin Xia declined every unnecessary visitor and only made the most basic purchases.

On the surface, Yue Hongsheng was greatly pleased by Lin Xia's progress. He offered words of encouragement, seemingly immersed in the satisfaction of nurturing a monstrous disciple.

Yet Lin Xia never let down his guard against the occasional probing look Yue Hongsheng cast his way, nor the depths hidden beneath his gentle smile.

Finally, before dawn several days later, while Plant Academy was steeped in the deepest silence before daybreak.

The window of Lin Xia's room quietly opened a crack, without the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power.

Dressed in ordinary gray fitted clothes, with a light pack on his back and Bulbasaur in his arms, Lin Xia nimbly climbed out like a shadow blending into the night.

He deliberately avoided every area that might be patrolled by spiritual power, choosing an inconspicuous blind spot along the academy's outer wall.

After taking one final, deep look at Plant Academy's main building, its outline blurred in the faint pre-dawn light, Lin Xia's eyes held no trace of attachment—only resolve.

Holding tight the companion linked to his heart, he turned around and slipped into the dark alley beyond the wall with light yet firm steps, stealthily heading east without looking back.