The Way of Poison!

Lin Xia withdrew his hand, and the crystal ball's glow swiftly receded.

He picked up Bulbasaur at his feet, its head held high and its back seed still carrying a faint gleam. Gently rubbing its smooth forehead, he calmly nodded at the speechless test instructor and stunned onlookers.

"It was all thanks to Bulbasaur. Thank you, Teacher."

Before the commotion could settle, a vigorous voice rang out from beyond the crowd.

"What are you all gathered here for? Hm? Lin Xia?"

The crowd parted like a tide, revealing Yue Hongsheng at the entrance.

He looked at the crystal ball's recorded reading in the test instructor's hand, then at Lin Xia holding Bulbasaur with an unruffled expression. Extreme delight first erupted in his deep eyes, before turning into understanding and a fervent desire to explore.

"Level ten! Good! Good! Good!"

Yue Hongsheng strode up to Lin Xia, saying "good" three times in a row, his face openly filled with approval and excitement.

"Little one, your partner's talent and potential may far exceed even this old man's original estimation!"

His gaze upon Bulbasaur was filled with indescribable eagerness.

"Come with me!"

Yue Hongsheng grabbed Lin Xia's wrist and, without allowing any objection, led him away from the crowd and straight toward his private courtyard deep within the academy.

Yue Hongsheng pushed open an ancient wooden door covered in green moss at the back of the courtyard and led Lin Xia inside.

With a soft creak, the scene before Lin Xia changed dramatically.

An aura completely different from Sunlight Hall and Emerald Black Soil rushed toward him—slightly chilly and thick with sweet fragrance, yet beneath it lurked a heart-pounding pungency and bitter stench.

By the hazy light, Lin Xia saw the courtyard clearly. His steps halted, and his pupils contracted slightly.

There was no lush green lawn or fragrant ornamental flowers here. In their place was a bizarre and dangerous sight.

Dark-purple datura flowers bloomed quietly in the corners. Brilliant scarlet Ghost Poppies swayed in the wind. Black Jade Vines, their leaves seemingly flowing with metallic luster, crawled across the stone walls. A faint purple mist filled the air, visible to the naked eye and carrying tiny colored particles that refracted an eerie sheen beneath the light.

Poison! Everywhere he looked were strange flowers and exotic plants, yet every single one was a poisonous plant containing deadly toxins!

"Gasp..."

Lin Xia sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively held Bulbasaur tighter.

Bulbasaur seemed to be provoked by the environment as well. The seed on its back closed slightly, and its originally adorable crimson eyes became wary. It let out a low "Bulba" sound as purple poison-type energy fluctuations faintly radiated from its body, seemingly resisting the toxins permeating the air on its own.

"Hehe, did that scare you?"

Yue Hongsheng's voice carried a trace of knowing amusement. He walked over to a cluster of pitch-black plants whose leaves resembled savage ghost claws and extended a withered finger. A faint dark-purple aura, originating from the same source as the surrounding poisonous mist, actually curled around his fingertip.

As though nourished, the Ghost-Claw Poison Grass happily unfurled its leaves, and darker ink-black patterns emerged across them.

Yue Hongsheng turned around. Light fell across his face, where fanaticism and solemnity mingled, and his voice was low but clear.

"There is no need for surprise. Little Xia, this is where I cultivate—my martial soul is not an ordinary plant-type martial soul, but the Evil Shadow Nether Poison Chrysanthemum!"

As his words fell, a powerful, cold Soul Power fluctuation silently spread through the air.

Above his palm, the phantom of an unusual chrysanthemum the size of a fist slowly condensed into shape.

Its petals were long and twisted, nearly transparent and dark purple. Its center was pitch-black, continuously emitting wisps of deep-purple toxic gas. The gas seemed alive as it spiraled under Yue Hongsheng's control, carrying intense corrosiveness and bone-chilling cold.

The poisonous mist throughout the courtyard seemed drawn toward its core, slowly gathering in his palm.

"Throughout my life, this old man has studied not only the mysteries of plant vitality, but also the ultimate truth of 'poison' between heaven and earth! To ordinary people, poison means destruction and suffering, but for those suited to it, it is also supreme energy that tempers life and unlocks potential!"

Yue Hongsheng's sharp gaze shot toward Bulbasaur and the instinctively emerging purple haze surrounding its body as it resisted foreign toxins.

"This old man has been observing in secret these past days."

Yue Hongsheng's tone became extremely serious.

"At first, I brought you in because I valued your martial soul's miraculous photosynthesis and rooting abilities, which align with the true path of vegetation. But I soon discovered—your Bulbasaur's talent in the path of poison is far more astonishing and natural than its talent in ordinary plant arts!"

Yue Hongsheng gently pointed at Bulbasaur. The faint purple toxic gas curling around the seed on its back instinctively contracted, only to surge and churn even more fiercely, carrying a hint of excitement.

"Its instinct for potent poison was not acquired through later cultivation. It is more like an innate talent embedded deep within its bloodline! When it releases toxins, its purity and control far surpass those of Soul Masters its age with poison-attribute martial souls! More importantly..."

Wisdom and the desire to explore gleamed in Yue Hongsheng's eyes.

"It can actively absorb and refine toxins through contact with poison or by being in an intensely poisonous environment!"

"The Soul Power within its body, especially its poison-attribute portion, grows abnormally actively under such stimulation. This is completely different from other poison-type Soul Masters, who must carefully control and passively defend themselves against toxins!"

"It is not defending against poison. It is more like... enjoying poison! Devouring it! Transforming it! Turning the poison of the outside world into nourishment for itself!"

Yue Hongsheng's voice carried unquestionable certainty.

"This is absolutely not an ability an ordinary martial soul could possess! More than half of its potential may lie in this path of poison!"

"This poison courtyard of mine contains the essence of extraordinary poisons gathered over my lifetime. It is a perfect place to cultivate the path of poison."

"Little Xia, Bulbasaur... needs this place! And only here can its poison-type talent truly be awakened and tempered, reaching a realm equal to—or even surpassing—its grass-type talent!"

"It will bring immeasurable benefits when you absorb Soul Rings in the future!"

Yue Hongsheng stared intently at Lin Xia.

"So, Lin Xia, tell me—and ask your partner as well—whether it is willing to begin its cultivation in the path of poison here, in this courtyard filled with extraordinary toxins?"

"Will it allow the poison of this world to become the foundation of its path toward strength?!"

The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze.

The dense, dangerous fragrance, the faint calls of poisonous insects, and the icy aura radiating from the sinister poison chrysanthemum in Yue Hongsheng's palm all formed a silent pressure.

Yue Hongsheng's words were like a bombshell, revealing a terrifying talent within Bulbasaur that even Lin Xia had never understood so deeply.

Lin Xia lowered his head and looked at the Bulbasaur in his arms, which had quieted as well.

There was no fear in those crimson eyes. Instead, a familiar gleam flickered within them—a restless eagerness for new things and powerful energy.

Lin Xia recalled the endless poison-attribute attacks that had emerged when Bulbasaur first awakened its skills—Poison Powder, Sludge Bomb, Venoshock... When these moves were used, their fluency and power had far surpassed the still-immature grass-type Vine Whip.