Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

"Xiao Ming, this poison of yours is truly intense. Where exactly did you obtain it? The Emerald Scorpion doesn't possess such toxins at all..."

Qin Ming staggered to his feet, barely using his soul power to nurture his internal organs. He felt pain coursing through his entire body, from the inside out. His already weakened senses had suffered severe irritation.

As a Soul King, Qin Ming was no stranger to soul beasts and soul masters who wielded poisons. He had resolved countless challenging encounters with poisonous soul beasts and soul masters in the past.

He had been poisoned before during his travels across the continent, but no poison had ever brought him such an overwhelmingly intense feeling.

If Chen Ming had not immediately removed him from the range of the poison and provided an antidote right away, but instead left him in the toxic mist, Qin Ming had no doubt he would have been unable to withstand it. In a life-and-death battle, one moment of carelessness could have led to his death in that toxic fog.

And this was no small matter—Qin Ming was a Soul King and possessed the powerful variant beast Martial Soujl, the Inferno Grey Wolf. While agility-type soul masters like him were not as resistant to abnormal statuses as power-attack or defense types of the same rank, he should never have been brought down by a mere Soul Grandmaster using poison.

If all poison-attribute soul masters were this strong, everyone would be scrambling to find ways to add poison to their abilities.

The three academy elders were equally curious about the source of Chen Ming's poison. Though they realized Qin Ming's questioning was somewhat bold, they did not stop him, instead silently turning their attention to Chen Ming.

Faced with their inquiries, Chen Ming thought for a moment, then showed a somewhat awkward smile.

"Teacher Qin, elders, my poison comes from a fortuitous encounter—it can't be replicated."

Seeing Chen Ming avoid giving details, the three elders were slightly disappointed but didn't press further. The source of a soul master's soul rings and skills was a personal secret, and the fewer people who knew, the better. Revealing such secrets could lead to being countered by others.

They were mainly curious because, apart from the poison displayed by the Poison Douluo, they had never encountered such potent toxins. This level of poison seemed entirely beyond what a Soul Grandmaster could wield.

"Qin Ming, go rest for a while. If you feel any discomfort, speak up immediately," Zhilin said, using his Skyblue Vine to gently move Qin Ming to the side, where he could sit and recover. Then he turned to Chen Ming.

"Xiao Ming, we've witnessed the potency of your poison. It's truly extraordinary, fitting for a genius who could absorb a thousand-year soul ring as a second ring. But there's something we must clarify now: your poison is far too strong for most soul masters to resist."

"Most of the students in our academy have soul power around the Soul Grandmaster level. Your poison is lethal to them. Even if detoxification is swift, there will be consequences. Most importantly, these students are either wealthy or come from prestigious families. Such potent poison could easily bring you unnecessary trouble."

At this point, Zhilin glanced at Meng Shenji and Bai Baoshan. The two nodded knowingly.

Meng Shenji opened and closed his hand, and with a slight fluctuation of soul power, he retrieved a token from his soul storage ring and levitated it to Chen Ming with his soul power.

"Xiao Ming, take this token. If anyone in the academy gives you trouble, show them this token or use it to find a nearby instructor. Under no circumstances should you use your poison on regular students unless necessary. Do you understand?"

Chen Ming accepted the token and nodded to the three academy elders.

"I will remember the elders' instructions. I won't use my poison recklessly."

"Good, that's reassuring."

Meng Shenji cast a subtle glance at the spot where Chen Ming had just used his Poison Cloud Technique.

Even now, the area was still covered in a layer of green poison. The specialized stone surface, designed to withstand the aftermath of battles involving Soul Ancestors and above, was sizzling audibly in the night as the remaining toxin corroded it.

In just a few breaths, the toxic mist had dissolved a thin layer of the platform, and it continued to corrode slowly but persistently.

If it had been flesh and blood instead of stone, a regular person's bones would likely have already started dissolving. For Soul Masters below level 30, except for a few rare cases, the outcome wouldn't be much better.

For low-level Soul Masters, this soul skill was effectively a pure weapon of slaughter.

The students of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy came from wealthy or noble families with complex and deeply rooted connections throughout the Heaven Dou Empire. If a major incident, such as a fatality, were to occur, not even the three academy elders could guarantee they'd be able to resolve it without consequences.

"Why is it that the newly enrolled Dugu Yan, who is also a Soul Grandmaster, can't even come close to matching Chen Ming in terms of poison? Which one of them is truly the Poison Douluo's successor?"

This question lingered in the minds of all three elders simultaneously.

After chatting with Chen Ming for a while and building rapport, the elders finally turned their attention back to Qin Ming, who had by now stood up. Though he looked disheveled, his condition had largely stabilized.

After all, Qin Ming was a Soul King with abundant soul power. He had managed to protect his internal organs at the critical moment and, as a soul master with a top-tier beast martial soul, recovered quickly under the effects of the antidote.

Of course, all this hinged on the fact that Qin Ming hadn't inhaled too much of the toxin. Otherwise, even with the antidote, the damage to his respiratory system and internal organs wouldn't have been so easily resolved.

"Qin Ming, it's getting late. Take Xiao Ming to find a place to stay for the night. Tomorrow, guide him around the academy and brief him on the situation with the students."

"Understood, Elder." Hearing Meng Shenji's instructions, Qin Ming immediately complied. After bidding farewell to the elders, he led Chen Ming down the mountain.

Most of the upper mountain was occupied by mimicry training grounds and faculty residences, while the students primarily lived in areas closer to the lower slopes or near the foot of the mountain.

Once they confirmed that Qin Ming and Chen Ming had left, the three elders, who had previously appeared calm and composed, exchanged glances. They quickly moved to the platform corroded by Chen Ming's poison, chiseled off a portion of the rock with their soul power, and brought it back to their study. Sweeping the food and drinks on the table aside, they began examining it intently.

Meng Shenji pulled out Chen Ming's file and distributed it to the other two elders. When they saw that Chen Ming's innate soul power at awakening was only level 5 and that his martial soul wasn't the Emerald Scorpion King but an ordinary Emerald Scorpion, their expressions turned quite peculiar.

With no outsiders present, the three elders, who had been colleagues for decades, abandoned their usual dignified demeanor. Huddling together conspiratorially, they began exchanging whispered comments in a lively discussion.