"My apologies; because several chapters were deleted, I forgot to correct the subsequent chapter numbers. Since the chapter names cannot be changed, we will let the error stand; it does not affect the coherence of the content."

Long Tiangong pointed to the two middle-aged men and smiled faintly. "For today's sparring match, they were instructed three days ago to ingest the same poisonous herb. Nie Kong, you and the Third Elder will each handle the detoxification of one. The one who finishes first wins."

Upon hearing this, a strange expression flickered across the corner of Nie Kong's lips.

"Nie Kong, do you have any other questions?" Long Tiangong asked with a smile when he saw this.

"None."

Nie Kong quickly shook his head.

Long Tiangong nodded. "Good, let's begin then. Thirteenth Elder and Fourteenth Elder, you will time the Third Elder and Nie Kong, respectively."

As he finished speaking, the two elders closest to Long Meixian stood up with beaming smiles. They positioned themselves beside Nie Kong and Long Zhaojun, respectively, and pulled out palm-sized pieces of red jade from their robes. Their fingers touched the surfaces almost simultaneously, and the patterns on the jade immediately began to shift.

The moment the elders placed their fingers, Long Zhaojun was already in motion. Her fair, delicate fingers rapidly tapped the middle-aged man's body. In an instant, that small space was filled with the shadows of her fingers. Amidst the sizzling sound of her strikes breaking the void, wisps of black qi began to seep out from within the middle-aged man.

Nie Kong watched Long Zhaojun's actions with a smile playing on his lips, having already guessed her method: using her formidable cultivation base to forcibly expel the poison from the opponent’s body.

This detoxification method was relatively common, though its execution varied depending on the practitioner. Long Zhaojun’s technique yielded excellent results. Based on the speed at which the black qi dispersed, Nie Kong estimated that the poison would be completely expelled from the man's body in about two minutes.

Seeing Nie Kong standing motionless, the Fourteenth Elder timing him became slightly perplexed, and the surrounding crowd was utterly bewildered, murmurs of doubt rising everywhere.

"Why hasn't this guy moved yet?"

"Could it be that he can't think of a good method, and unlike Elder Zhaojun, he lacks the supreme cultivation required for forced expulsion?"

"I knew it. How could he possibly be a match for the Third Elder? That talk about refining the eighth-grade spirit medicine, the 'Green Shadow Pill,' was pure fabrication."

"..."

In the blink of an eye, a minute passed. The black qi emanating from the man in front of Long Zhaojun had become very faint. Yet, Nie Kong still hadn't moved. Seeing this, not only did the surrounding whispers intensify, but even the elders began to grow restless. Could the news Long Yi brought back be false?

Seeing this, She Ya’s face twisted into a sneer.

Among the crowd, only Long Tiangong, Long Meixian, and Long Xuechan remained composed. A sweeping glance took in the reactions of everyone around them, and Long Xuechan nearly burst out laughing internally. Once Long Tiangong announced the challenge, the outcome of the sparring match was already a foregone conclusion in her mind.

Long Xuechan’s sole thought now was how cunning her man truly was—deliberately delaying his move, letting others harbor suspicion, scorn, and disdain, only to deliver a decisive reversal at the last moment, making all their previous judgment seem utterly ridiculous.

According to Nie Kong’s own explanation, wasn't this what they called "showing off"?

Several dozen more seconds passed. The Fourteenth Elder glanced at the jade stone in his hand and kindly tried to console him. "Nie Kong, it's fine if you lose this round to the Third Elder; there are two more matches afterward." As he spoke, the lines on the jade stone shifted rapidly, the displayed number turning from ninety-nine to one hundred.

"No matter!"

Seeing that the black qi emerging from the man before Long Zhaojun was nearly invisible, Nie Kong flashed a grin at the middle-aged man in front of him, whose face was full of suspicion. Suddenly, he lifted his left palm and gently grasped the man's wrist. The vital medicinal power residing in the young man surged from Nie Kong’s palm, penetrating inward, instantly spreading throughout every bone and vessel...

"Poison resolved!"

A moment later, Nie Kong lightly clapped his hands with an air of nonchalance.

The Fourteenth Elder’s index finger reflexively tapped the jade stone, and the changing number froze at one hundred and seventeen. Immediately afterward, the Thirteenth Elder, having received a signal from Long Zhaojun, also tapped his stone. The rapidly twisting lines suddenly solidified, displaying the number one hundred and nineteen.

"What joke is this Nie Kong playing?"

"He just grabbed his hand and cured Uncle Xinchang’s poison?"

"Is there something wrong with this guy's brain?"

"..."

After a brief silence, the surroundings erupted into an uproar.

The middle-aged man before Nie Kong was also stunned, but instantly, an expression of disbelief spread across his square face. He stared at Nie Kong in shock and blurted out, "The poison is really gone... It’s amazing..." This simple sentence carried immense weight.

Indeed, the clamor abruptly ceased, and everyone stared at each other.

Long Zhaojun looked at the middle-aged man, paused for just a beat, then nodded before turning an astonished gaze toward Nie Kong. "Nie Kong, how did you do that?"

Hearing the Third Elder’s question, the doubts in everyone's hearts vanished, but their surprise deepened. The speed of this result change was too incredible!

"It's very simple," Nie Kong smiled. "I have tempered my body with all sorts of medicinal and poisonous herbs, making me immune to all poisons. Coupled with that, I once cultivated a spiritual art that absorbs toxic properties. No matter how potent the poison, as long as it targets the physical body, I only need to circulate the spiritual art, and I can instantly draw it into my body to neutralize it."

"I see now."

Long Zhaojun realized the truth with a flash of understanding. No matter how strong her cultivation or how excellent her detoxification technique, it couldn't compete with Nie Kong's immunity to all poisons. The other Dragon Spirit Clan members were deeply amazed—such a bizarre individual actually existed in this world, one whom no poison could challenge, seemingly too miraculous!

Subtly, some people began to understand: Nie Kong, immune to all poisons, and Long Xuechan, who specialized in researching poisons—when these two met, wouldn't it be like tinder meeting dry wood, igniting instantly? They also heard that Long Xuechan and Long Meixian were deeply connected in spirit; perhaps when the fire first touched the dry wood, it burned too fiercely, singeing Long Meixian along the way.

"The first round of sparring is over," Long Tiangong announced from the main seat. "The Third Elder took one hundred and nineteen minutes; Nie Kong took one hundred and seventeen minutes. Nie Kong wins!" As he spoke, Long Tiangong suddenly tilted his head to listen, then rose up and smiled. "I need to step out for a moment and will return shortly." With a flash of golden light, he vanished through a side door of the palace.

The crowd paid little attention to Long Tiangong’s sudden departure, and having experienced the wonder and shock of the previous moment, they held no reservations about the result he had announced.

Only She Ya ground his teeth in fury. Nie Kong, who had just been scorned and mocked by so many mouths, had instantly reversed his standing to become a detoxification master hailed with amazement by everyone. Not only had She Ya been happy for nothing, but he had also earned a sneer from Long Xuechan.

Having been defeated by Nie Kong on his own turf, Long Zhaojun showed no hint of displeasure; instead, her gaze toward Nie Kong grew more satisfied. She smiled gently. "If you had acted from the start, this match would have ended long ago. Nie Kong, don't hold back for my sake in the next rounds, or when you, Meixian, and Xuechan have your little ones, don't blame me, as an elder, for refusing to babysit."

Hearing this, the surrounding crowd burst into laughter. Long Xuechan shot Nie Kong a look full of seductive charm, while Long Meixian’s face flushed crimson, and she glared fiercely at Nie Kong.

"I will certainly give it my all," Nie Kong promised with a dry laugh.

Just then, Long Tiangong, who had left only moments before, suddenly stepped across the void, appearing before his seat, and announced loudly, "Distinguished guests, the second round of sparring begins now!"

... ...RO