A collective gasp erupted upon seeing the spirit power Nie Kong unleashed. Eyes dropped all over the floor; no one expected the legendary Wood Spirit Master to actually exist, let alone be in Lingyu City, a disciple of the Medicine Heart Hall, and now standing visibly before them.
“Mutated Wood Spirit Power!”
Almost simultaneously, the two speakers discovered the unusual nature of Nie Kong’s spirit power and cried out again.
One voice belonged to Chao Dong. Having watched the longest, his astonishment toward Nie Kong grew exponentially. Already, surviving the ingestion of highly toxic fruit without poisoning was remarkable enough. Now, he discovered that the Wood Spirit Power Nie Kong cultivated was, in fact, mutated.
The other person was Miao Ge.
Her bright red lips parted slightly, and a strange light flickered in her beautiful eyes as she looked at Nie Kong. Wood Spirit Masters were rare enough, but this one, like herself, was a Spirit Apothecary possessing mutated spirit power. The vast Tianling Continent was immense, making the chance encounter between two such Spirit Apothecaries minuscule, yet here it was, happening within Lingyu City’s “Apothecary Hall.”
“Ugh…”
Huai Song’s moan dragged the consciousness of everyone nearby back to the present moment.
It was only then that everyone noticed Huai Song, who had moments before been in agonizing pain, had completely stretched out his body. He occasionally let out a soft hum through his nose, his expression now utterly relaxed and comfortable. The eerie emerald-green substance coating his body was vanishing at an astonishing speed!
No, it wasn't vanishing; it was converging along Huai Song’s arm toward his right palm.
In less than a minute, all the ghostly green dissipated, condensing into a single mass in Huai Song’s palm. Nie Kong pinched his fingers, and with a pull of his spirit power, the ball of green energy was drawn out, falling into Nie Kong’s waiting hand. In the blink of an eye, the entire green mass flowed through Nie Kong’s palm and was absorbed into his body.
Miao Ge blinked her beautiful eyes in stunned disbelief, muttering haltingly, “You—you sucked the poison he took directly into your own body?”
“Correct.”
Nie Kong nodded with a smile. After the little creature concentrated it, that trace of green energy was barely the size of a single drop, an instantaneous absorption for the “Fire Tree Silver Flower.”
Miao Ge was dumbfounded; the facts were undeniable, leaving no room for anything but shock.
The half slice of green fruit Nie Kong had consumed earlier contained potent poison, but it was, after all, fruit. The substance Nie Kong absorbed now, however, was pure toxin condensed from the liquid, tens of times more potent than the green aura she had drawn from Huai Song. And he had absorbed it without changing his expression?
The surrounding crowd found it equally inconceivable. Between swallowing a poisonous fruit and ingesting concentrated poison liquid, the latter was undeniably far more terrifying.
“H-how is he?”
Seeing Nie Kong pack away his medicine box and papers and stand up, Miao Ge instinctively glanced at Huai Song, who was still lying on the ground. Aside from a slightly pale complexion, he showed no other symptoms of poisoning. His eyes were slightly closed, his breathing steady, looking almost as if he were merely asleep.
Nie Kong chuckled, “Him? Just lift him back and let him sleep it off. If you don't want to carry him, just splash him awake with cold water. Also, since you know him, you might as well warn him: poisonous things aren't meant to be casually eaten. Losing his life over it would be far too cheap a price.”
With that, Nie Kong walked toward the nearby window.
Miao Ge retracted her gaze, looking at the soundly sleeping Huai Song. Recalling the scene before she began treating him, a blush suddenly bloomed on her delicate, fair cheeks.
Perhaps he had intended to detoxify Huai Song back then too? It was ridiculous how she had dismissed him as a mere second-rank Spirit Apothecary, incapable of detoxifying anyone, and twice interrupted him. Yet, it was only by using the trial results he had written down that she found the method to save Huai Song, and even then, she hadn’t finished the job.
Comparing the two achievements, the difference was stark! If she hadn't rushed to take action, with his ability to directly absorb poisons, the matter would have been perfectly resolved long ago. She wouldn't have needed to waste so much effort, nor would Huai Song have had to suffer for so long!
What an absolute joke!
Miao Ge pouted, stood up, and as she looked at Nie Kong’s retreating back, a peculiar spark appeared in her beautiful eyes. He was using a Medicine Heart Hall waist token; he must be one of the new recruits this year. She hadn't expected the hall to gain a veritable monster capable of absorbing poison directly. Was this due to his cultivation of Wood Spirit Power? Mutated Wood Spirit Power—perhaps he held even more surprises.
Lost in thought, Miao Ge unconsciously fell into step behind Nie Kong, her posture graceful...
...
As the two departed, the crowd immediately surged around Huai Song, occasionally pinching his face and limbs, their expressions filled with novelty.
“He really is just sleeping! Sleeping so soundly, you can’t even wake him up by pinching him this hard.”
“That guy can actually suck the poison right out of someone. Doesn't that make him the nemesis of every poison in this world?”
“That’s hard to say. In my estimation, he must have a limit to what he can bear. If the poison were too severe, he might lose his life just like anyone else.”
“True! Does his ability to absorb poison relate to his cultivation of Wood Spirit Power? Tsk tsk, a Wood Spirit Master, rarely seen in a hundred years…”
“…”
“Where is everyone?” There were no queues waiting at the window to process paperwork, and the window area inside was empty. Nie Kong looked around, puzzled.
“Just a moment! Just a moment…”
The familiar voice drifted from outside the room. Following the sound, Nie Kong watched as the group of four, led by the big-eyed girl, hurried through the crowd, pushing open a side door and rushing into the room. By the time they reached the window, they were slightly breathless, a faint blush dusting their delicate cheeks.
Evidently, they too had rushed out to join the onlookers. Now, looking at Nie Kong, their eyes held a mysterious flicker of emotion.
Shortly after they entered, the woman in black gracefully followed them in from outside. She picked up Nie Kong’s trial result sheets at the window.
“Five points! Five points! Five points!”
All three trial tasks were completed perfectly. Fifteen points were secured.
This time, after crediting the points, before Nie Kong could speak, the big-eyed girl beamed and asked, “Nie Kong, do you want to take on more missions?”
Nie Kong nodded. “Three more first-rank missions, please.”
“Got it!”
Moments later, three jade boxes were handed over. As Nie Kong turned, he heard the woman in black behind him chuckle pleasantly, “Prepare all the accumulated first-rank missions for him.” Hearing this, Nie Kong nearly stumbled. Did she think I was some sort of repository for unwanted missions?
Nie Kong moved to another spot and sat down cross-legged. The moment he opened the first medicine box, the sparse area suddenly filled with a large cluster of people.
The Apothecary Hall wasn't that large; the events that just transpired couldn't possibly have been kept secret from ears and eyes. At this moment, the crowd wasn't rushing to queue for missions or post requests, nor were they gathering before the Great Jade Tablet to check information. They were waiting to see how long this guy could last!
“…”
“...Tsk tsk, this guy’s speed is incredible. Before I could blink, two of the three medicine boxes on the ground were empty.”
“Judging by his manner, if he didn't write such detailed trial results, his speed could easily triple!”
“…”
“Turning in the mission.”
“Five points! Five points! Five points!”
“Nie Kong, you now have a total of sixty points. You can claim four missions at once.”
“Good. Four missions it is then!”
“…”
“Four more first-rank missions…”
“…”
“It must be nearing noon. Watching this has made my waist and neck ache. Why isn’t this guy showing any signs of trouble? Ouch, ouch, help me rub my shoulder!”
“How many first-rank missions has this guy accepted in total? Fifty-two?”
“Who said fifty-two, it’s sixty!”
“The ‘Trial Testing Maniac’! Now that’s a true ‘Trial Testing Maniac’!”
“Exactly. Compared to this guy, that Huai Song is utter dust. Rumor has it Huai Song once accepted a maximum of thirteen trial missions in a single day—not even half of what this fellow has done! Looking at him, he might finish all the trial missions accumulated over the entire month today!”
“And he still has so much energy. Doesn’t he ever get tired? Enough talk, enough talk, I’m going to eat first, and I’ll be back after my meal.”
“…”
As noon arrived, the crowd in the Apothecary Hall thinned by more than half, yet a significant number remained, continuing their watch. To Nie Kong’s left were the empty jade boxes from completed trials; to his right were the boxes brought over from the room; and in front of him lay two stacks of paper—one stack comprised dozens of trial result sheets, and the other, blank paper, which Nie Kong had requested from the woman in black when turning in his earlier tasks.
The workspace for the big-eyed girl and her companions had also moved from the window to Nie Kong’s right side, passing him medicine boxes one by one. As for the woman in black, she reviewed Nie Kong’s trial results while assigning scores to the girl beside her for recording. Like Nie Kong, they seemed completely oblivious to the passage of time.
By the afternoon, Nie Kong’s wrist was aching terribly from the continuous writing. Fortunately, at this point, someone volunteered to write for him. This allowed him to dictate the medicinal properties while simultaneously tasting the herbs, increasing his speed significantly compared to the morning, further exciting the growing number of onlookers.
“...One hundred times! Trial tested one hundred times!”
“Now it’s one hundred and one... Damn, his face has gone completely black. Did that small flower he just ate contain potent poison?”
“Haha, my friend, I can tell you haven't been watching long. I’m telling you, this guy can’t be poisoned. He’s been testing for most of the day; he’s tasted at least thirty different types of poisons! Yet, to this moment, he’s completely fine, more energetic than anyone else.”
“…”
“...One hundred and forty-nine, one hundred and fifty, one hundred and fifty-one…”
“Heavens, it’s almost dark! When is this lunatic going to stop testing? I’ve been watching since morning and haven't even eaten lunch!”
“Heh heh. We’ll have the answer soon enough.”
“How so?”
“I counted. There are only one hundred and fifty-nine first-rank missions. There are second-rank and third-rank missions available, but the easier ones were snapped up by about ten impatient fellows. The remaining second and third-rank missions simply can't be completed quickly like simple tasting. As for fourth-rank missions, they are even trickier; the quickest ones take a full day to finish. This maniac, even if he doesn't want to stop, will have to!”
“Wow? Really, that’s great!”
“…”
From initial shock and curiosity, through eager fascination, the spectators now sighed and muttered curses as they saw Nie Kong still looking vibrant. They had watched for so long, wanting to wait until Nie Kong finished his trials before leaving, thus achieving a satisfying conclusion. If they left before he stopped, they might obsess over it all night and sleep poorly.
Therefore, upon hearing that there were only one hundred and fifty-nine first-rank missions, many secretly rejoiced, eagerly anticipating Nie Kong’s expression in a moment.
“One hundred and fifty-nine!”
Nie Kong plucked a leaf from the medicine box, tossed it into his mouth, chewed a few times quickly, then narrowed his eyes to savor the taste. The musical notes representing the trial result flowed from his mouth like water. Simultaneously, Nie Kong extended his right hand toward the big-eyed girl and the others on the side, just as before.
Seeing no more medicine boxes being passed to him, the crowd let out a long sigh of relief, then watched Nie Kong’s hand suspended in the air, suppressing their laughter.
“The medicine?”
Only after finishing the trial result did Nie Kong open his eyes in confusion, seeing no box arrive in his hand, and looked toward the four girls seated to his right.
“None left.” The big-eyed girl shook her head.
“First-rank missions are gone, what about the second-rank missions?” Nie Kong faltered, asking urgently.
“There are a few second-rank missions involving tasting finished spirit elixirs, but those were taken. The ones remaining are more complicated and can’t be completed quickly.”
“And the third-rank missions?” Nie Kong felt deeply frustrated.
“Same as the second-rank missions!”
“I have nearly eight hundred points now—can I take on fourth-rank missions!” Nie Kong gritted his teeth.
“You can, but all the existing fourth-rank missions involve refining third-rank spirit elixirs, and you have to prepare the medicinal herbs for the refinement yourself.”
“What?”
Nie Kong felt on the verge of tears. He had worked himself to the bone all day just to accumulate one thousand points to claim the fifth-rank mission for the Jade Leaf Glazed Pill, only to be told when he was close to his goal that all remaining tasks couldn't be completed instantly like simple tasting. What a rip-off!
Nie Kong checked his internal condition. He had used “Scent Recognition Medicine” over a hundred times today. If the little creature hadn't been continuously drawing medicinal energy from the poisonous grasses to irrigate the “Fire Tree Silver Flower” and absorbing the red essence it secreted for replenishment, it would have long since been exhausted.
Over the course of the day, his pet inventory had lost a full three stalks of poisonous grass. Normally, that supply would sustain the little creature for nine days, but now it was gone in one. The Wood Spirit energy elements contained within the grasses hadn't even been fully extracted; they were all absorbed along with the poison by the “Fire Tree Silver Flower.”
“Forget it, I’ll come back tomorrow!”
Even with the constant replenishment from the “Fire Tree Silver Flower’s” red essence, the little creature seemed somewhat subdued after such intense labor. Nie Kong could only sigh helplessly, stand up, dust off his clothes, thank the four girls, and walk out of the “Apothecary Hall.”
With a whoosh, the surrounding crowd automatically parted, making a path for Nie Kong. The instant he stepped out the hall doors, a deafening cheer erupted from inside the Apothecary Hall.
I’m stopping the trial testing, why are they cheering? Did I steal their missions? That shouldn't be it; aren’t these related to trial testing considered junk missions? Nie Kong looked back in confusion, only to see a very familiar girl in green closely following behind him...
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