He had consumed the pill multiple times on the journey to the headquarters, so by now, there was only a single pill left in the jade bottle.

Upon taking a closer look at the pill, Lin Jianghai frowned. "Isn't this.. a pill used for reinforcing one's core?"

As a poison master, he was very familiar with all kinds of medicinal properties. With just a glance, he could tell that the pill before him was an ordinary pill that was used for reinforcing one's core. Other than that, there was nothing special about it.

"That was what I thought at the start too, but after it was reforged in the founder's hand, it transformed into an all-cure antidote!" Bai Ting said.

Lin Jianghai frowned.

His title as the Myriad Poison Eminence had originated from the huge variety of powerful poisons he had up his sleeves.

For an ordinary pill for reinforcing one's core to be able to cure all poisons.. was that not as good as saying that little pill was his nemesis?

Extending his Spiritual Perception to the pill before him, he could see what was within the pill in an instant. The more he looked at it, the more perplexed he felt.

Based on his eye of discernment and deep understanding of medicinal herbs, there was definitely nothing different about the pill before his eyes. It was no different than the products that were commonly sold in the market. Putting him aside, even if a Saint 5-dan cultivator were to eat three jin 1 of such a pill, it would not have any effect at all. To call such a pill an all-cure antidote, wasn't that exaggerating its effects a little?

For him, a 9-star poison master, one of the greatest poison users in the world, to be unable to see through what was special with the pill.. Had it not been for how confidently Bai Ting had spoken, he would have surely had the latter thrown into the ditch that very instant.

"Are you certain that it has the effect of curing any poison?" Lin Jianghai asked doubtfully.

"If Teacher doubts my word, I can prove it to you right now.." Bai Ting smiled confidently. Turning around, he asked, "Senior Yuan Ling, may I know if you have any of your Cloudsmoke Powder with you at the moment?"

"I do." Yuan Ling nodded as he passed a jade bottle over.

As the most powerful poison he had ever concocted, it went without saying that he would bring it no matter where he went in case he found himself in an emergency situation.

"Poison Master Hai, I will need to trouble you on something.." Grabbing the jade bottle, Bai Ting beckoned Hai Mingjin over.

"Poison Master Bai, you need not stand on ceremony with me. If you have anything to ask of me, feel free to speak!" Hai Mingjin walked over.

"Actually, it's nothing much. I would just like to trouble you to consume this bottle of Cloudsmoke Powder.." Flicking his wrist, Bai Ting passed the jade bottle over.

"Ah?" Hai Mingjin's lips twitched wildly.

He had been wondering what Poison Master Bai was up to, but to think that the other party wanted to use him as a Pill Sample Beast for the poison!

The best way to determine the effectiveness of an antidote was not to examine its constituents but to try it out oneself. That was the most direct and efficient method.

But..

Shouldn't it suffice for you to test it on a Pill Sample Beast or something? Why do you need me to do it?

Without hesitating for long, Hai Mingjin walked over with gritted teeth. "Alright then."

While he was a little reluctant to serve as a test subject, when he recalled how mystical the pill that the founder had produced was, he still confidently propped open the lid of the jade bottle and gulped down the Cloudsmoke Powder contained within.

Pu!

Right after consuming the poison, his face turned pitch-black, and blood spewed wildly from his mouth.

The crowd frowned upon witnessing that.

With their knowledge as 8-star poison masters, they could easily tell it wasn't an act staged between the both of them. That fellow was truly poisoned.

"Here!" Knowing that the Cloudsmoke Powder acted quickly, Bai Ting dared not dawdle. He hurriedly fed Hai Mingjin the antidote in his hand.

Hai Mingjin hurriedly swallowed it.

Hu!

Shortly after consuming the pill, Hai Mingjin's pitch-black complexion began to revert back to normal. However, perhaps due to him consuming too much of the Cloudsmoke Powder, the antidote wasn't sufficient to cure the poison altogether. Half of his face managed to revert back to white, but the other half still remained completely black, creating a peculiar sight.

Nevertheless, the antidote still did help to suppress the poison and stabilize Hai Mingjin's condition for the time being. With an awkward look on his face, he said, "Cough cough! Poison Master Bai, do you still have any more antidote? I think I might have eaten too much of the Cloudsmoke Powder, and a single pill isn't sufficient to cure it.."

Due to the limited size of the pills, the amount of Heaven's Path zhenqi they could harness was also limited. Even though they could neutralize any poison, the grade of the Cloudsmoke Powder was simply too high. A single pill was not sufficient to neutralize it entirely, thus resulting in the current situation.

Bai Ting's lips twitched. "That was the last pill.."

"Ah? I also completed my bottle on the journey to the Poison Hall.." Hai Mingjin's body shuddered, and he nearly burst into tears.

It was supposed to just be a simple experiment to showcase the effectiveness of the pill to the others, but he ended up landing himself in such a state. Was there anyone more pitiful than he was?

Just what in the world did he do to deserve this?

"This.." Bai Ting's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.

He was intending to display the prowess of the founder's all-cure antidote to the crowd, but.. who would have thought that he would not have sufficient pills for it!

"Alright, there's no need to experiment anymore. That's indeed an all-cure antidote!" While the duo was feeling vexed by the situation they were in, Lin Jianghai raised his hand and spoke. "Yuan Ling, neutralize that young man's poison!"

"Yes!" Yuan Ling walked up to Hai Mingjin and stroked his hand softly down the latter's back.

In an instant, Hai Mingjin noticed a feeling of comfort rushing through his body, and the remaining blackness on his face also vanished without a trace.

"To be able to convert a pill meant for reinforcing one's core into an all-cure antidote that is capable of neutralizing even the Cloudsmoke Powder.. This is indeed an inconceivable feat.." Ignoring Hai Mingjin, Lin Jianghai stood up and walked up to Wei Ruyan with a look of disbelief.

If he still harbored some reservations a moment ago, he was completely certain at this moment.

Putting aside the young lady's Innate Poison Body and Poison Soul Constitution, he had examined the antidote earlier carefully with his Spiritual Perception, and he had been certain that there was nothing special with it. Yet, it was actually capable of neutralizing poisons, even those at the level of the Cloudsmoke Powder. This was truly a little frightening.

He had taken a look at Yuan Ling's Cloudsmoke Powder before, and it was a poison that was so potent that it could easily claim the life of even a Saint 8-dan expert. To allow a mere core reinforcing pill to be able to cure the poison of the Cloudsmoke Pill without any problem, that was indeed an incredible technique.

He found that even he was unable to comprehend the logic behind it.

Probably, only the founder possessed such incredible means.

"Teacher, you believe me?" Bai Ting's eyes lit up.

"Un. Other than the founder, I can't think of anyone else who could possess such incredible skills.." Lin Jianghai nodded with a smile. "Alright, let's go and attend the inauguration ceremony. Since Shen Jue wants me to die, let's see who will get the final laugh!" A sharp glint flashed through Lin Jianghai's narrowed eyes.

As a person who had managed to survive in the Poison Hall and climb to the very peak, Lin Jianghai naturally was not a 'good' person either.

"We'll listen to your command!" Seeing that their teacher had regained his confidence, the morale within the room lifted as they walked out with clenched fists.

The inauguration ceremony would be held in a square not too far away from the residence. Practically the entire populace of the Poison Hall headquarters had come over to spectate the event, such that it was impossible to see the end of the crowd with a single glance.

Placed on the pedestal at the very center of the square was a floating book that shimmered with a faint radiance. Beneath it stood a black-robed poison master who emanated an astounding aura.

Seeing the newly-arrived group, the black-robed poison master smiled. "Eminence Lin, you are finally here!"

His voice boomed resoundingly across the entire square. "I see that you have chosen to conduct the Life Tribute ritual to open the Tome of Poison Legacy. Good! Don't worry, your sacrifice won't be in vain. I'll spread the content within the tome to the entire Poison Hall and lead it to greater heights!"

"Eminence Lin, as one of the Four Eminences, you have enjoyed the stipends of the Poison Hall for many years. It's time for you to do your part for the Poison Hall!"

"Think about it, your sacrifice will become the blessing of the entire Poison Hall, allowing us to achieve greater heights. This is something to rejoice over! Rest assured, your name shall be echoed for all of the later generations to hear!"

On the stage, another two men shouted along with Shen Jue.

They were both from the Four Eminences as well, figures of equal standing to Lin Jianghai.

Ignoring their words, Lin Jianghai leaped onto the stage as he sneered coldly. "Guardian Shen, Eminence Wang, and Eminence He, I came here not to conduct the Life Tribute ritual but to discuss the nomination of our new hall master!"

"Discuss the nomination of our new hall master? Eminence Lin, has age clouded your mind? Guardian Shen has obtained the Tome of Poison Legacy, an artifact of the founder, so it's only right for him to inherit the position of the poison master. Do you think that you can find another Tome of Poison Legacy in the world?" Eminence Wang sneered back.

"The Tome of Poison Legacy is one of the most important artifacts to our Poison Hall. Since Guardian Shen has managed to retrieve it for us, it's only natural that he assumes the highest position as well. Are you trying to disregard Guardian Shen's contribution, or are you trying to disregard the founder?" Eminence He harrumphed.

These two had long since decided to stand on the same side as Guardian Shen, so their words were filled with disdain and ridicule for Lin Jianghai.

"You need not play such meaningless word games with me. Since I dared to propose the discussion of the nomination of the new hall master, naturally, I have made my preparations beforehand." Lin Jianghai flicked his wrist grandly before declaring, "I have not found the Tome of Poison Legacy, but.. I have found the founder!"

Upon saying those words, Lin Jianghai tilted his head toward the sky and bellowed, "Invite the founder in!"

Huala!

Yuan Ling, Bai Ting, and the others carefully carried Wei Ruyan over and placed her lightly down on the pedestal.

"Founder?"

"What does that mean?"

A commotion broke out amid the crowd. All of the poison masters glanced at one another in confusion, unsure of what was going on.

"Founder?"

Shen Jue and the other two Eminences also frowned upon hearing those words.

"Indeed. This young lady over here is the founder of our Poison Hall!" Lin Jianghai waved his hand grandly as he pointed toward Wei Ruyan. "Her soul has survived through the ages before claiming the body of this young lady over here, who possesses the Innate Poison Body. It's only a matter of time before she wakes up, and under her leadership, our Poison Hall will be brought to unprecedented glory!"

"She's the founder?"

"You must be joking! The founder passed away several dozen millenniums ago, so how could she possibly be a lady as young as that?"

Everyone was taken aback at first before a huge commotion broke out among them.

At this point, Shen Jue also could not help but sneer coldly, "Eminence Lin, it seems your reluctance to contribute to the Poison Hall has eroded your rationality. You simply picked a person off the street and proclaim that she is the founder. Why don't you go a step further and claim that she's Kong shi then?"

"Indeed!"

Shouts of approval broke out among the crowd below as well.

The Myriad Poison Eminence had always been a rational and dependable figure, but why was he acting so rash this time around?

To claim that an unconscious young lady was the founder.. He had to be joking!

"Audacious!" Lin Jianghai roared authoritatively. "Guardian Shen, as a 9-star poison master, how blind must you be to be unable to recognize the Innate Poison Body?"

"Innate Poison Body?"

"The young lady possesses the Innate Poison Body?"

An uproar exploded among the crowd. Shen Jue was also stunned for a moment before he hurriedly turned his gaze toward the young lady. Indeed, there was something amiss about the young lady, and a cold gleam flashed across his eyes.

"The Innate Poison Body is a unique constitution that has only appeared in the founder in the past several dozen millenniums. None of us standing here have ever seen it before. For you to simply bring a young lady into here and claim that she possesses the Innate Poison Body.. I'm afraid that you will have to show us more evidence than that! Besides, even if she does possess such a unique constitution, how can you prove that she's related to the founder?"

Flinging his sleeves, Shen Jue sneered coldly. "In order to prevent me from becoming the hall master so that you can continue sitting on your high horse, don't you think that you're crafting too huge of a farce over here?"

"Crafting too huge of a farce?"

"That could very well be the case!"

"No one among us has really seen the Innate Poison Body as well, so it's impossible to verify it on the spot. Furthermore, for a person possessing the Innate Poison Body to suddenly emerge at this moment after all this time, how can there be such a huge coincidence in the world?"

..

As expected. Right after Shen Jue said those words, echoes of agreement sounded among the crowd.

They were already skeptical when Lin Jianghai said that the young lady was the founder, and Shen Jue's words served to further deepen their doubts.