"..." "We've counted to fifteen. Why hasn't he burst yet? Lu Teng, didn't you say a sixth-grade spirit beast turns to bone in just a few breaths?" "Cough, cough, I heard that from my elder brother; he was probably exaggerating a bit. Just wait a little longer, wait a little longer, this kid is definitely going to explode!" "..."

Just as Lü Jian and Luo Teng were muttering, and the other disciples from Lingyu City looked on in uncertainty, Miao Ge suddenly widened her beautiful eyes in disbelief. She reached out to touch the black-clad woman beside her, pointing at Nie Kong's face, and exclaimed with surprise, "Master Xinyun, look quickly!"

Sensing the unusual tone in Miao Ge's voice, not only the black-clad woman who had been frowning in deep thought, but also Mo Ling and the other four beside her, subconsciously followed the direction of her finger. They discovered that Nie Kong had opened his eyes at some unknown moment, and what flowed from those eyes was a joyful smile. Because Nie Kong’s face and pupils were uniformly pitch black, one had to look closely to discern his expression.

Miao Ge and Mo Ling exchanged glances, finding it utterly inconceivable. He was poisoned to this state, on the brink of death—how could he possibly still be happy?

However, an even more baffling sight followed immediately: the black energy on Nie Kong's body seemed to act under command, slowly gathering towards his abdomen, as if the dark mist had turned into countless iron filings, and a powerful magnet was hidden deep within his belly.

"It's thirty already, and he still hasn't burst!" By the door, Lü Jian stared fixedly at Nie Kong, wishing he could rush forward and poke the bulging ball of flesh. "Soon! Soon!"

Luo Teng muttered, occasionally raising a hand to wipe the fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, feeling it was completely unbelievable. Logically, that poisonous herb could quickly kill even a sixth-grade spirit beast; how could Nie Kong, a mere second-grade Spirit Pharmacist, hold out for this long?

"Huh?"

At this moment, Miao Ge let out a soft exclamation, covering her flushed, delicate mouth. She saw that the dark blackness on his skin had faded considerably, and his severely distended abdomen had shrunk a bit. A trace of genuine delight flashed across her wide, beautiful eyes—it seemed this fellow wasn't going to die.

Mo Ling and the others also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The black-clad woman, however, murmured softly, "I, Liu Xinyun, have lived nearly fifty years, and this is the first time I’ve seen a Spirit Master like this. A mere Tongling cultivation level resisting such potent poison—if he reaches Yuling or Xuling in the future, won't he truly be immune to all poisons?"

Miao Ge, Mo Ling, and the others nodded upon hearing this. This guy was truly a freak. If his cultivation truly reached the stage Master Xinyun spoke of, what poison in this world could possibly kill him then?

It was a pity he was a Wood Spirit Master. The cultivation techniques and spirit arts suitable for Wood Spirit Masters on the Tianling Continent were too rare. If he couldn't find existing techniques in the future, he would inevitably have to create his own.

Over thousands of years, countless senior Spirit Masters had painstakingly developed the current spiritual power cultivation system. How could one person possess enough time and energy to create and perfect entirely new spirit arts? Perhaps the Yuling realm would already be the peak he could ever reach in this life.

Of course, if he weren't a Wood Spirit Master, perhaps he wouldn't have displayed such miraculous abilities in the Hall of Pharmacists! Gain and loss—who can say for sure?

Currently, Liu Xinyun, Miao Ge, and Mo Ling almost firmly believed that Nie Kong’s ability to resist various toxins was closely related to the variant Wood Spirit Power he cultivated. In fact, they were all mistaken. What might happen in the future was unknown, but the reason Nie Kong was currently immune to the poison had little to do with his Wood Spirit Power; it was mainly due to the influence of the "Purple Luo Illusory Scent" and the "Fire Tree Silver Flower."

"Everyone, look! That Nie Kong doesn't seem as black as before, and his body seems to have shrunk a little!" "That's right, he's not as bloated anymore." "So, does that mean he won't die?" "I suppose so. I didn't expect even this kind of poisonous herb couldn't handle him. Impressive, impressive. That was a close call, a false alarm!" "..."

Once several people noticed the anomaly in Nie Kong, the news quickly spread throughout the Hall of Pharmacists. The crowd buzzed with a mixture of astonishment and excitement, their steps unconsciously drawing them closer to Nie Kong, who was several dozen meters away. However, they still advanced cautiously, lest the situation suddenly change again.

"Didn't you say he was definitely going to die? How is it that not only has he not burst, but he's actually starting to recover?" Lü Jian roared, grinding his teeth in anger. "It’s impossible. That herb absolutely can poison a sixth-grade spirit beast to death." Luo Teng couldn't figure it out, and feeling the anger from his companions around him, he became a bit sheepish. "He's still dark, isn't he? Let's wait and see! I refuse to believe this guy can survive this!"

"Hmph!"

Lü Jian and the others had no choice but to suppress the anxiety and rage in their chests and continue watching covertly.

The speed at which the black energy gathered toward Nie Kong's abdomen accelerated, and the swelling of his body decreased proportionally. In just two or three minutes, only a slight darkness remained on Nie Kong's skin, and his body had already returned to its original slender shape.

A moment later, his complexion returned to normal.

Miao Ge and the others felt a wave of relief. From the initial poisoning to the complete dissipation of the poison's effect, Nie Kong's miraculous transformation caused the emotions of all who witnessed it to surge. Although Nie Kong appeared to be out of danger now, the previous peril was beyond description.

Even at this moment, Miao Ge and Mo Ling were still shaken. If the swelling from the poisoning had lasted only a few more dozen seconds, or even ten seconds, Nie Kong might have exploded right here in the Hall of Pharmacists, and this once-in-a-century Wood Spirit Master would have vanished from the world.

"Luo Teng!"

From the side of the hall door, Lü Jian uttered these two words through gritted teeth. Although Nie Kong still hadn't moved, seeing the scene unfold, even a fool could guess that the poisonous herb Luo Teng had boasted about so highly could no longer harm Nie Kong in the slightest.

"An accident, an accident..." Seeing the four of them glare at him, Luo Teng felt extremely awkward, and he hated Nie Kong even more.

"What a great harvest!"

Nie Kong squinted his eyes, feeling quite excited internally.

He had tasted so many herbs before: pure spirit grasses like the "Electric Light Vine"; purely poisonous herbs like the "Black Heart Wood Butterfly" and "Jade Exquisite"; and herbs like the "Serpent Coil Blood Lotus" whose medicinal scent contained large amounts of medicinal power and Wood Spirit Power elements, but whose core was fiercely toxic.

All these herbs were rare and precious, but compared to them, the "Serpent Coil Blood Lotus"—a medicinal herb existing between spirit grass and poison—had the greatest effect on Nie Kong.

The sea-blue herb Nie Kong had just tasted was similar to the "Serpent Coil Blood Lotus"; it was both a spirit herb and a poison herb. Such herbs were even rarer than purely spiritual or purely poisonous ones. Nie Kong hadn't expected that such an astonishing medicine would come from a mere first-grade test-drug mission!

If Lü Jian and Luo Teng knew that the highly toxic herb they used to harm Nie Kong was regarded as a treasure by him, they would likely be furious enough to explode their lungs.

Sighing quietly, Nie Kong sensed the condition within his body and found that the little fellow had completely absorbed the toxins. Only then did he feel relieved.

Recalling the previous situation, Nie Kong felt a slight sense of fortune.

In the past, even consuming herbs like the "Jade Exquisite" had caused no issues, and since these first-grade test-drug missions offered almost no challenge, Nie Kong had become a bit complacent. As a result, this sea-blue herb nearly caused him to stumble badly. Thankfully, he and the little fellow cooperated closely enough, and the absorption speed of the toxins was fast enough. If it had been a few seconds slower, he might have needed to be reincarnated.

He let out a light breath, opened his eyes, and stood up straight.

"Ah!"

A burst of laughter erupted around him, interspersed with the screams of girls. Even Miao Ge and Mo Ling in front of him turned their heads simultaneously, clearly seeing a faint, shy blush spreading across their fair cheeks. Only Liu Xinyun watched Nie Kong with a steady, pleasant smile.

Nie Kong froze for a moment, then looked down, realizing that the swelling of his body had completely torn his clothes, exposing large swaths of skin through the tattered fabric, and even the thing underneath had playfully peeked out half a small head.

As a doctor, Nie Kong had seen countless bodies. Now, seeing his own semi-naked form exposed in public, he didn't make a fuss, merely feeling a slight embarrassment.

"Catch!"

A cheerful shout sounded, followed by the rush of wind from behind him.

Nie Kong swung his right arm and caught a piece of green cloth. He slowly draped the coat over himself and fastened it, then turned around to find that the person who handed him the clothing was the young man who had kindly warned him yesterday. He nodded to the man as a sign of thanks.

Miao Ge and Mo Ling had already turned back, casting side-glances at Nie Kong with shy annoyance. In the flicker of their glances, almost every one of them gave him an eye-roll.

Nie Kong paid them no mind, bent down to pick up his medicine box from the floor, and said with a broad smile, "Master Xinyun, I won't be polite about the remaining herbs."

"You earned them," Liu Xinyun replied sweetly. "This herb doesn't have a name yet. Why don't you name it first? That way, it will be convenient for me to record its details in the 'Medicine King Pavilion' for future reference."

"Medicine King Pavilion?"

Hearing this, the surrounding disciples of the Yaoxin Hall looked at Nie Kong with immense envy.

Naming a new medicine and recording it in the 'Medicine King Pavilion' was a tremendous honor for disciples of the Yaoxin Hall. Many disciples might start their training and leave Lingyu City years later without ever encountering such a good opportunity, yet a newcomer like him managed to stumble upon it.

Nie Kong pondered for a moment, then smiled, "This herb has eight stalks, and the leaves resemble conch shells. Why don't we just call it the 'Eight-Star Conch'?"

"Eight-Star Conch? Hmm. That name is quite descriptive," Liu Xinyun nodded. "Now, please write down the results of your drug test."

"Alright! Senior Sister, I'll trouble you." Nie Kong sat cross-legged again.

"Hmph!"

Miao Ge wrinkled her nose but still sat down beside Nie Kong, picking up the brush again to record the properties of the 'Eight-Star Conch' that Nie Kong dictated.

This time, Nie Kong was careful with his test results and didn't reveal everything he discovered, only stating about half of it. For such a precious herb as the 'Eight-Star Conch,' Nie Kong naturally wouldn't disclose all its properties, but even half of it filled a full page for Miao Ge.

After Liu Xinyun took the written paper, Nie Kong covered the 'Eight-Star Conch,' then opened the next spirit-patterned jade box. A black leaf came into view...

"I'm furious!"

Seeing that the herb not only failed to poison Nie Kong but instead allowed him to win an honor that most Lingyu City disciples could never attain, Lü Jian nearly had his nose twisted crooked from anger. He grabbed Luo Teng's collar, his teeth chattering, "Luo Teng, this is your great poisonous herb!"

Luo Teng looked crestfallen. "I didn't know the kid was that strong either! A poison that can take down a sixth-grade spirit beast couldn't even handle him! Why don't we watch the next ones? I signed up for several more test-drug missions, and they are all poisonous herbs. Maybe that guy will..."

"Watch more? Watch your mother!" Lü Jian was so angry he nearly spat blood, slapping the back of Luo Teng's head, and stormed out of the Hall of Pharmacists.

"Lü Jian, you bastard, how is this my fault!" Luo Teng muttered under his breath, following after him looking utterly miserable...

The drug testing continued!

Nie Kong was poisoned four more times, but compared to the previous "Eight-Star Conch," the symptoms from these four times were a mere drop in the bucket and didn't cause much commotion in the "Hall of Pharmacists." The crowd remained highly energized, enthusiastically discussing the previous scare.

The subsequent tests held little suspense. After the forty-first first-grade test-drug mission concluded for the day, Nie Kong stood up easily and stretched his limbs. Miao Ge handed the final result sheet to Liu Xinyun, then stood up with a smile, rubbing her slightly sore, snow-white wrist.

"Brother Nie Kong, please test one more time! In the test-drug missions, mine is scheduled right after, forty-second, and I guarantee the herb is non-toxic!" "Brother Nie Kong, continue, continue! I was just getting engrossed in watching!" "I signed up for one hundred and fifty-nine yesterday; you should take at least two hundred today! You can't stop now; I'm waiting for you to set a new record!" "..."

Those who had also posted test-drug missions began shouting, and the surrounding Lingyu City disciples joined the clamor. The Hall of Pharmacists buzzed with noise and excitement. Nie Kong was already eager to see the powder of the "Jade Leaf Glazed Pill" and naturally wouldn't agree to their requests!

Thus, before long, Nie Kong and Miao Ge were led into a room by Liu Xinyun, and the window handling procedures was closed down. Seeing that Nie Kong wouldn't be testing any more drugs today, the commotion outside gradually quieted down after a few minutes until silence returned.

Inside the room, Nie Kong, Miao Ge, Liu Xinyun, and Mo Ling sat facing each other across a table. On the table lay a jade box, but it was not inscribed with spirit patterns.

Liu Xinyun gazed at Nie Kong and said solemnly, "Nie Kong, have you thought this through? If you take the powder of this 'Jade Leaf Glazed Pill,' the chance of failure is extremely high. If you cannot return the powder, and you cannot produce a correct new medicine other than the four specified in the formula—White Sheep Grass, Fairy Bell Orchid Teeth, Earth Dragon Lotus, and Sword Leaf Ten Thousand Year Spring—then the one million gold coin deposit cannot be refunded to you."

"I understand," Nie Kong replied with a smile.

"Nie Kong, you tested drugs consecutively two hundred times just to accumulate a thousand points to take on the 'Jade Leaf Glazed Pill' mission?" Miao Ge finally understood the secret Nie Kong was keeping in this room. She felt like laughing and crying—had this fellow gone mad? To spend one million gold coins on a mission that was clearly impossible to complete? Was he deliberately throwing away that million because he had too much money?

Nie Kong nodded without speaking, his gaze towards Liu Xinyun tinged with impatience, which made Miao Ge, who noticed his expression, quite speechless.

Liu Xinyun opened the jade box, took out the small white jade vial, and uncorked the stopper, finally revealing the small paper tube nestled inside. Nie Kong quickly took the vial, handling the paper tube as if it were a rare treasure, carefully drawing it out and bringing it close to his nose to sniff gently.

This "Jade Leaf Glazed Pill" was indeed quite different from the counterfeit "Blue Face Pill" he encountered in Zhaoyang Town. Just a tiny bit of the "Jade Leaf Glazed Pill" powder allowed Nie Kong to smell a uniquely delicate fragrance. As the scent entered his body, he felt his entire being relax slightly.

"Master Xinyun, the mission has been accepted. I'll be taking my leave now!"

"..."

The Hall of Pharmacists was quite quiet, with only a sparse number of Lingyu City disciples remaining in the spacious hall. When they saw Nie Kong and Miao Ge walk out of the room one after another, their gazes shifted over, curiously scrutinizing the jade box in Nie Kong's hand, as if trying to guess what it contained.

"Where are you going now, back to your residence?" Miao Ge glanced at Nie Kong, her eyebrows curved into a bright smile.

Nie Kong stopped in his tracks, turned to face Miao Ge, and asked with a slightly teasing tone, "What? Senior Sister, you want to accompany me again?"

"Can't I?"

Miao Ge bit her delicate lower lip and gave Nie Kong a fierce glare. The beauty mark at the corner of her lip was pulled, lending her expression a hint of faint seduction. "I'm just a weak woman; are you afraid I'll eat you?"

"Weak woman?"

Hearing this, Nie Kong nearly burst out laughing. This young girl's cultivation was higher than his, and the grade of spiritual medicines she could refine was also higher than his. Yet, she still dared to call herself a weak woman? Nie Kong didn't reply, instead staring intently at Miao Ge until her gaze began to flicker evasively.

"I'm not afraid you'll eat me; I'm afraid you'll be walking into the tiger's mouth,"