"Save... save me..."

The cultivator, in excruciating pain and rolling around on the ground, desperately wanted to scratch his own face, but fortunately, his self-control was strong, and he never actually touched his cheeks.

However, his increasingly darkened face indicated that the poison within him was becoming more severe. Soon, those with sharp eyes could vaguely see black blood pearls seeping from his darkened face, appearing terrifyingly sinister.

"Ye Ku, save him!"

At the same time the cultivator was writhing in pain due to the poison, the Dean of the Sky Poison Institute, Qingmu Wu, abruptly shouted. Then, from amidst the disciples of the Lianyun Mountain Sky Poison Institute, a figure in green swiftly emerged with great speed.

"Ye Ku? Could it be that genius from the Sky Poison Institute known as the 'Son of Thousand Poisons'?"

Upon hearing Qingmu Wu's shout and seeing the swift figure, many people's expressions changed, for the name "Ye Ku" was not unfamiliar to them.

Rumor has it that Ye Ku, the genius of the Sky Poison Institute, was afflicted with a strange illness from birth; his muscles and flesh shriveled, and he became a mere bag of bones.

Ye Ku's family was quite well-known on the Tenglong Continent. His father sought countless Meridian Refining Masters for diagnosis, but all were helpless, forced to watch him grow thinner by the day. Perhaps the "withered" (枯) in his name stemmed from this.

In the end, Ye Ku's father had no choice but to seek help at Lianyun Mountain, hoping that the chairman, who had achieved heavenly rank, would intervene. Unexpectedly, some changes occurred later on.

While occasionally visiting the Heavenly Hospital, the Dean of the Sky Poison Institute, Qingmu Wu, upon seeing Ye Ku, diagnosed him not with a strange illness but with an extremely unique poison contracted in the womb.

This poison, which caused his flesh and blood to wither after birth, had to be controlled with other toxins. For Qingmu Wu, such a mutant was nothing short of a supreme treasure.

Though he was skeptical of Qingmu Wu's words, seeing that even the experts from the Heavenly Hospital, including the Director Guan Rufeng, were at their wits' end, and unable to contact the chairman, a heavenly-grade Pulse Refining Master, Ye Ku's father resorted to a desperate attempt to save him.

Who knew that after several years when Ye Ku's father revisited the mountain, he almost couldn't recognize his own son? The boy, once a withered shell, had grown into a child several feet tall, clearly demonstrating that the poison had been controlled.

In the following decade, due to Ye Ku's innate peculiarities and the absorption of numerous toxins, his Poison Meridian Skill advanced rapidly, surpassing many of the old-generation geniuses from the Poison Vein branch, becoming the most talented Poison Vein Master the Sky Poison Institute had seen in centuries.

Once these experiences of Ye Ku were spread by those interested, they seemed almost legendary—a child once waiting to die at birth ultimately grew into the Sky Poison Institute's top Poison Meridian genius.

This history was even more legendary than the daughter of the Xuanyin Palace Master, Xue Ningxiang, for she had yet to break through the Earth-rank Qi-seeking Realm. At least, the talent in Meridian Qi Cultivation was far inferior to Ye Ku's.

Whoosh!

With his teacher's command, Ye Ku wasted not a moment, rushing to the side of the writhing cultivator, and reaching out to tap several major acupoints on his chest and abdomen.

With the acupoints pressed, the cultivator's body stiffened, but under the watchful eyes of the observers, his face's dark hue seemed to deepen slightly, and the blood pearls exuded had an unusual stench.

Poof!

In the next instant, Ye Ku extended his hand, gently flicking the cultivator's forehead, causing a splash of black blood to spurt out, which was quickly pinned by Ye Ku's right index finger.

"Isn't he afraid of that Earth-rank poison?"

Some people harbored doubts, seeing that such poisons typically have a perseverance; after a cultivator is poisoned, the poison could be embedded in their blood and flesh.

In such circumstances, even high-ranking Medical Pulse Masters would not easily let their skin come into contact with an infected person's flesh, as it could invite disaster.

Yet here was Ye Ku, not only touching that toxic blood spurt from the forehead with his finger but seemingly using some method to devour these toxins, leaving people baffled.

......

"Great Elder, your disciple's resistance to toxins is truly remarkable!"

Seeing this scene, even Vice President Qian Sanyuan couldn't help but sigh. He had seen Ye Ku's condition before, not expecting that after Qingmu Wu brought him into the Poison Vein branch, he would shine so brightly—a true transformation of waste to treasure.

"It's just about acceptable, but Ye Ku's certain skills are likely even beyond the capabilities of the Heavenly Hospital's Bai Wushuang!"

Qingmu Wu nodded casually, but upon uttering the last sentence, Guan Rufeng's face darkened, wondering if the old fellow was provoking the Heavenly Hospital.

After all, Bai Wushuang is the top genius of the Heavenly Hospital, even claiming the best Medical Pulse talent in centuries like Ye Ku. Judging by Qingmu Wu's tone, he seems quite dissatisfied.

"The annual competition between the two institutes is coming soon, there will be plenty of chances then!"

Qian Sanyuan made a noncommittal remark, but as his words came out, a glint of light flashed in Qingmu Wu's eyes. He glanced at another newly accepted disciple, thinking that this year's competition might be a solo show for the Sky Poison Institute.

...

Huff…

During the conversation among the elders of the various factions, Ye Ku in front of Room Three finally withdrew his right finger. It's worth mentioning that his right finger had turned completely black, like a piece of charcoal.

In contrast, the Meridian Refining Master who had been severely poisoned now had a normal face color. Although his energy was weak, he no longer looked as if he were at death's door.

"Th-thank you!"

The Meridian Refining Master, who was still in shock, naturally knew who saved him. Yet, after expressing his gratitude, he received no response. The Sky Poison Institute genius who saved his life stared coldly at Room Five, seemingly waiting for something.

Like Ye Ku, such a Poison Vein Master would hardly care about unrelated lives. He wouldn't have acted if his teacher hadn't ordered him to save the person.

Bam!

At the moment when everyone's eyes were on Ye Ku, the door of Room Five was suddenly flung open, and someone staggered out, looking quite similar to the earlier poisoned Meridian Refining Master.

However, the two seemed to be affected by different venoms, as this person's face was a greenish color, and after stumbling out of the room, he collapsed on the ground, motionless.

Ye Ku seemed to be waiting for this moment. This time, without waiting for his teacher's command, he took a few steps forward and placed his index finger of the left hand, which was not tainted by poison, on the person's forehead.

"Alas, even if this person is saved, he will probably lose all his cultivation!"

Not far away, Yun Xiao watched Ye Ku's movements, took a moment to sense the state of the Meridian Refining Master, and sighed inwardly. He couldn't help but be slightly curious about the Poison Vein genius's methods.

"This method of devouring venom is somewhat reminiscent of my own!"

From Ye Ku, Yun Xiao even saw traces of how he used to detoxify. In the past, when neutralizing others' venoms, wasn't he also extending one or several fingers to absorb all the poison from them?

As Yun Xiao expected, when Ye Ku withdrew his finger from the person's forehead, people saw the person open his eyes, but they were filled with despair, seemingly unable to accept the outcome.

"What kind of poison is it that could be so deadly?"

By this point, everyone understood that both Room Three and Room Five contained poison. The previous Meridian Refining Master from Room Three was one thing, as he was just a Spiritual Rank Advanced Pulse Refining Master. But the one from Room Five was truly at the Earth Rank Low Level.

Such an Earth Rank Low Level Meridian Refining Master, even one strong at the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage, couldn't endure even for 15 minutes under that poison.

Even with Ye Ku's intervention, the person barely survived, but his cultivation and Meridian Refining Technique were ruined. It was indeed tragic and lamentable.

Compared to these spectators, those Meridian Refining Masters who hadn't entered the rooms were staring at Room Three and Room Five with fear in their eyes, hesitating to make any move.

The fate of the previous two served as a warning to the later ones: Rooms Three and Five were the most dangerous places. Without sufficient assurance, they should avoid them; otherwise, they might end up like those Meridian Refining Masters who lost their Meridian Qi.

"Hmm?"

However, just when everyone thought no one dared enter those rooms, a thin figure in rough clothing stepped forward—it was Yun Xiao, carrying a strange wooden sword on his back.

"What's he up to? Is he intending to enter those rooms?"

Many entertained this thought, as most of them hadn't seen Yun Xiao's skills, particularly in Meridian Refining. Even those somewhat familiar with him, like Li Gongnian and Xu Changgui, knew very little.

The poison in those rooms was clearly evident to everyone, especially in Room Five. Even with Ye Ku saving them promptly, it only kept them alive, probably leaving them worse than ordinary people in the future.

This included Ye Ku himself. When he saw the rough-clothed young man heading toward his location, the greenish glow in his eyes deepened, and he suddenly felt a bit anticipatory.