CHAPTER 1341: TAKING A PAGE FROM THE MASTERS (2)

Yang Qing’s action instantly shattered Bolin’s mind down state as his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw his entire poison swallowed up by Yang Qing in a single gulp. It wasn’t even a big one... just a small sip, as if he were tasting something gently.

If he was being honest, it wasn’t something he should have been focusing on at that moment, but Bolin couldn’t help feeling a slight rush of indignation surging within him because of how diminutive that gulp had been. His poison being swallowed wasn’t exactly how he had imagined it being dealt with, but if it was going to be taken down by a gulp, he would have much preferred it happen with a huge gulp rather than that tiny sip.

He didn’t have much mental space to dwell on that thought, as his entire focus soon shifted to watching Yang Qing closely, searching for any sign—visible or otherwise—that his poison had at least produced some kind of effect, despite how easily it had been swallowed.

But try as he might, and he truly did, pushing all his senses, innate abilities, and spiritual perception to their limits to catch any sign that Yang Qing had been poisoned, all he saw was Yang Qing closing his eyes and nodding in satisfaction as though he had just eaten a delicious treat. There was no melting flesh, no wails, no blood seeping from every orifice. Bolin would have even settled for a little sweat on the forehead, or on the nose if the forehead was too much to ask, but there was no perspiration whatsoever.

As more seconds trickled by, Bolin was the one who started perspiring as he kept lowering his expectations with every passing moment that his poison failed to take effect. He even found himself hoping for a sneeze, or perhaps a slightly discolored fingernail, but no matter how long he waited, watched, prayed, and hoped, Yang Qing’s body remained pristine, and everything about him stayed completely normal.

If there was any change to be noted, it was that Yang Qing’s eyes had narrowed into an even deeper crescent shape, and his pleased hums of delight had grown more frequent as he chewed Bolin’s poison. It was as if each chew released new layers of flavor. It was the last thing Bolin wanted to see, and yet it was all he could see. He even cast a puzzled glance at his own body, wondering if his poison was really that tasty.

If it has flavor to it now, it would make it worthwhile when poisoning dishes or herbs known for their flavor, thought Bolin. Traceless and indistinct is nice, but if it enhances flavor, it would ensure more of it is consumed, he pondered before smiling bitterly as he shook his head.

His expression grew even more bitter when he heard the sounds of delight and chewing stop. Looking up, he met Yang Qing’s purely satisfied smile, with not a single trace suggesting he had just eaten poison. With how widely he smiled, one might think he had just eaten those tricolored cotton papayas Haishi loved, rather than a seven-combo lethal poison that would have melted a peak-stage core formation expert’s body by now.

Is it too much to hope for even a little sweat? Bolin thought bitterly before Yang Qing’s earlier comment replayed in his mind. I survived the corpse poison of a dragon. Strong as your poison may be, it’s likely nowhere near that level. Stop worrying and try it... unless, of course, you think yours surpasses a dragon’s?

Bolin hadn’t believed him then, and he still didn’t. He might not have been around his boss for too long, but he had been around him long enough to realize that Yang Qing loved bragging. Everything he said had to be taken with a grain of salt—or not thought too deeply about at all—which aligned perfectly with Bolin’s new creed of not overthinking things.

But while he may have doubted whether Yang Qing had truly survived a dragon-related poison, it was now proven fact that he had survived his.With the way he dispatched it, is it even worthy of being called surviving? Bolin wryly wondered as the image of his poison being deliciously chewed flashed through his mind.

Some false king... he added bitterly, reflecting on his earlier attitude when he had felt his newfound strength coursing through him. The euphoria it brought, and the arrogance that followed, had made him forget how he ended up in the custody of the Order in the first place.

Those beautiful crystal leaves, no bigger than his palms, had been thrown so casually and looked so fragile, yet they had effortlessly ripped through the lives of spirit beasts whose strength and presence alone were enough to cause an uproar across the entire eighth region. Even individually, they were terrifying, yet all of them combined had been defeated in less than two minutes. The only survivors were him, Haishi, and one of the false kings, who could only flee before that terrifying onslaught.

He may have grown considerably in strength, but could the current him last even ten seconds against the Feng Xin of back then? The bitter, humble smile on Bolin’s face was answer enough to that question.

Good... his eyes are much clearer now, thought Yang Qing as he noticed the change in Bolin. He might not have known the entirety of the toad’s thoughts, but he was seasoned enough to recognize arrogance and the trace of humbling realization in someone’s eyes, especially the latter, which he had seen countless times back in his Institute days.

If any student, past or present, of the Institute was asked what they feared most in the Institute, undeniably at first place would be the Instructors, and then second place would be breaking through. Because breaking through in the Institute, instead of it being the joyous event that it usually should be, was a source of nightmare and dread for the students because of what happened after one broke through.

If one thought the Instructors were the vicious fiends whose joys in life were spreading torment and horrors, wait till you broke through, then you would realize they were practically saints before.

How would you prevent a gathering of extremely talented youngsters from growing prideful because of their increasing strength and abilities? The Instructors’ answer to that question was simple: crush them with overwhelming force and creativity in brutality so they associate every breakthrough with trepidation.

There is a reason why Yang Qing’s first thought after every breakthrough was not how many opponents he could now defeat, but instead, how much harder it was for him to get killed.

Nothing like a healthy dose of fear and past trauma to keep the ego in check, which was exactly what he decided to do with Bolin through all his display. He had to make the point stick home to the rainbow mist toad that, as powerful as he thought he was, he wasn’t nearly as powerful as he believed. Helping him realize that would keep him alive, and as for his methods, as humiliating as they might seem, they were miles better than what the Instructors used on him.

It was fruity, though, thought Yang Qing as he savored the lingering specter of the taste. He had been laying it on thick earlier, but it wasn’t completely exaggerated; Bolin’s cocktail had a good taste to it. It tasted like a perfect blend of tropical fruits that had ripened just right. He was even half tempted to ask Bolin to release another wave and see if he could refine it into juice, but given how defeated Bolin looked, he wasn’t sure he would be able to handle it.

"Maybe later," he decided as he moved on to bring the ’carrot,’ which was him giving an unvarnished evaluation of his poison, with his focus being on the pros. At least with the dose of humility now running in Bolin, praising the effects of his poison would not have any adverse effects.