Chapter 324: Mutual Admiration Among Kindred Spirits

The woman in black was Mu Yingxue, a Poison Master from the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands. She was young, and her black attire accentuated her youthful vitality. Her skin, contrasted by the dark fabric, appeared exceptionally fair—as white and tender as snow—a quality that perfectly matched her name, which suggested skin so fair it could reflect snow.

She raised her hand to catch the jade flask. Only then did Qin Mu notice the thin black silk gloves she wore. Though extremely delicate, they served to protect her skin from any exposure to the air. These gloves were clearly no ordinary items. People accustomed to brewing and using poisons needed to be extremely careful to avoid direct contact. Qin Mu was certain that her "black silk" gloves were not made of silk at all, but of an airtight material that prevented even air circulation. Her chest did not rise and fall; she breathed through her skin pores to avoid any accidental poisoning. Clearly, her strength lay not in her cultivation or spirit weapons, but in her mastery of poisons. A cultivation realm was never the sole criterion for judging a pharmacist's true ability; even with a low cultivation level, it was possible to poison a god!

Mu Yingxue examined the jade flask. Instead of directly sniffing the Bewildering Fragrance inside, she pulled up her sleeve and exposed her skin to "sample" a tiny wisp of the fragrance. Instantly, half of her arm went numb and lost all sensation.

"Good medicine!" Her eyes lit up. She stoppered the flask, tossed it to Qin Mu, and praised, "Although it can't completely incapacitate a Heaven Human Realm expert, it can significantly restrict their movements. This is a formidable anesthetic."

Qin Mu flipped his palm, and a surge of vital qi emerged, levitating the jade flask. He didn't let the flask touch his hand. Instead, he pulled out a three-legged, green-eyed toad from his gluttony pouch. The toad opened its mouth. With a croak, it swallowed the jade flask, then closed its mouth and promptly regurgitated it. Qin Mu set the toad down, and the three-legged toad hopped merrily towards Mu Yingxue.

Xiong Xiyu and the others stared in astonishment. They only knew Qin Mu had been gathering herbs in the basin, but they had no idea when he had caught a green-eyed toad and put it in his gluttony pouch.

"Sister Mu, your poisons are also extraordinary," Qin Mu praised. "However, your poisons are merely a minor path, not yet worthy of the grand stage, nor can they be called unparalleled in the world."

Mu Yingxue's eyes gleamed brightly. Watching the hopping green-eyed toad, she flicked her fingers. A wisp of vital qi transformed into a flying insect that darted around. The three-legged toad flicked its tongue, devouring the insect. It croaked twice, then inflated like a balloon, growing as large as an ox in the blink of an eye.

Qin Mu took out a spirit pill. With a gentle swipe of his finger down its center, the pill split open. A buzzing sound emerged, revealing that the pill's core was hollow, and a mosquito flew out from within. The mosquito buzzed its wings, flew to the toad's back, and settled there. Soon, the toad began to shrink, while the mosquito grew larger and larger. The mosquito's abdomen swelled like a giant water bladder, but instead of red blood, it was filled with green, oily blood.

Once the mosquito had finished drawing blood, the three-legged toad's size returned to normal. It hopped around, flicking its tongue at the mosquito, which was now over a yard long and hovering in the air, but the toad was too small to swallow it.

Mu Yingxue exclaimed in surprise, "Spirit pills for breeding insects? That's quite interesting."

She pulled up her sleeve, revealing her fair skin. The large mosquito immediately flew forward, landed on her arm, and bit her. The moment it pierced her skin, the mosquito rapidly shrank as if dehydrated. Its color instantly changed to red, and it flew towards Qin Mu, emitting a fiery glow.

Qin Mu's pupils contracted slightly. He took out several spirit pills from his gluttony pouch; these pills varied in size and color. Qin Mu quickly cut the spirit pills into various small and large pieces, taking portions based on weight ratios. A ball of flame shot from his palm, instantly fusing and catalyzing the medicinal properties of the different pills, transforming them into a new kind of elixir. Qin Mu opened his mouth and swallowed the elixir. He then activated its medicinal properties and pulled up the sleeve on his arm.

The mosquito, now red and glowing with fire, flew over. It landed on his arm and bit him, drawing blood. Qin Mu's face suddenly turned crimson. The muscles and bones of his face distorted completely, transforming him into a red-faced, fanged fiend with eyebrows slanting upwards and slitted eyes, resembling a fierce ghost. After sucking his blood, the mosquito reverted to its original color. It then wobbled into the air and flew towards Mu Yingxue.

Mu Yingxue sneered, "You didn't poison it?"

Qin Mu's nose suddenly elongated significantly, and his nostrils flared upwards, making him incredibly ugly. He chuckled, "If I hadn't poisoned it, how could this mosquito fly straight to you the moment it smelled your scent?"

Mu Yingxue frowned slightly. She stared at the approaching mosquito, trying to discern which type of poison Qin Mu had used. After a moment, the woman took out several herbs from her sleeve pouch. She skillfully concocted a poison, then applied it to her arm and allowed the mosquito to bite. The mosquito bit her. Mu Yingxue's hair suddenly grew wildly, instantly sprouting in all directions like a porcupine's quills. A soft sound came, and Mu Yingxue felt an itch on her backside. A thick tail sprouted from behind her, tearing through her trousers and dragging on the ground.

Mu Yingxue's face turned a little green. The mosquito had sucked her blood, and the toxins within it changed. It immediately lost interest in her, buzzed into the air, and flew towards Qin Mu.

Qin Mu's expression subtly changed. He quickly pulled out dozens of spirit pills from his gluttony pouch, cutting and preparing his antidote. By the time the mosquito arrived, he had already concocted his elixir. This time, after he swallowed the spirit pill, the fiery redness on his face instantly vanished, and his features returned to normal. The mosquito bit him again and flew off. Inside Qin Mu's body, tremendous thumping sounds, like thunder, resonated. Then, lightning suddenly flashed and thunder roared in the sky. Bolts of lightning crackled and struck him repeatedly, charring him black in the blink of an eye.

Mu Yingxue was also concocting a poison; she brewed a small bottle of potion. She tilted her head back and drank it. Her wild, unruly dark hair instantly fell out, leaving not a single strand. The tail behind her also immediately detached. The girl pulled up her trousers. Her face was ashen. She exposed her arm, allowing the mosquito to bite her again. Mu Yingxue let out a muffled groan and fell backward to the ground. From beneath her, crackling sounds emerged as eight hairy legs sprouted from her head to her feet, making her resemble a giant, furry spider.

"Your poison is quite potent!" Mu Yingxue gasped in frustration and shrieked, "Try a taste of my poison then!"

The mosquito flew towards Qin Mu again. Qin Mu's expression changed dramatically, and he hurriedly concocted an antidote, first neutralizing the insidious poison afflicting him. He sternly retorted, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Their poison-fighting contest was truly unique, leaving Xiong Xiyu, Xiong Qi'er, and the others dumbfounded. Their first exchange involved applying poison to the jade flask. Then, Qin Mu used the three-legged toad to detoxify himself and simultaneously alter the poison's properties. Affected by the potent poison, the three-legged toad perceived Mu Yingxue as a delicious treat. Carrying the potent poison, it rushed towards her.

Mu Yingxue transformed vital qi into a flying insect, which carried another potent poison. When the toad ate the insect, the toxins within its body changed again. Qin Mu then released an exotic mosquito he had captured in the Western Heaven Palace basin. Using the mosquito's inherent venom, it sucked the toad's blood, undergoing a mutation, and then proceeded to bite Mu Yingxue and poison her. After Mu Yingxue detoxified herself, she imbued the mosquito with her own poison and sent it to bite Qin Mu, testing his skill.

The two exchanged blows, each using every means at their disposal. They had to neutralize the opponent's poison, ensure the exotic mosquito wasn't poisoned to death, and simultaneously poison each other. This required an extremely high level of mastery in both brewing and neutralizing poisons. A slight misstep meant not only failing to poison the opponent but also potentially being poisoned by one's own concoction.

Qin Mu frowned as he watched the mosquito fly towards him. He raised a hand and said, "Wait a moment. Our poison-making skills are quite evenly matched. If we're going to determine a victor, why keep poisoning ourselves?"

Mu Yingxue was also struggling. Hearing this, she immediately looked at Xiong Xiyu and the others, chuckling sweetly, "In that case, you can poison Yu Bochuan, and I'll detoxify him. I'll poison the Milk-Qilin, and you can detoxify it. Don't worry, Yu Bochuan is the current young master of the True Heaven Palace; his status is no less than the Milk-Qilin's."

Xiong Xiyu and the others' expressions changed drastically, while Yu Bochuan, who lay immobilized on the ground, groaned inwardly. Their poison battle was dazzling to behold. Even Poison Master Mu Yingxue, who resorted to her renowned insidious poisons, still couldn't overcome Qin Mu. This showed that Qin Mu's mastery of toxicology was no less than hers.

"If they use poison on me and the Poison Master can't detoxify it, won't I die?" he thought. He wanted to escape, but the effects of the Bewildering Fragrance still lingered, and his soul was also paralyzed.

Qin Mu laughed, "Using poison on your own people isn't a true display of skill. Both of us are highly accomplished in the way of poison. Given that, we should naturally aim for a stronger target. Poisoning the most powerful being is what truly demonstrates skill."

Mu Yingxue looked curious and eager. "The Milk-Qilin is one of the most powerful beings in the True Heaven Palace, and I managed to weaken its cultivation with my Entangling Silk Poison. Isn't my poison mastery strong enough then?"

Qin Mu patted the large tree beside him and chuckled, "That's nothing. If we're going to compete with poisons, let's choose this great demon! This great demon is a Root Demon that has absorbed both divine and demonic blood. It possesses both divine and demonic lineage, combining the powers of gods and devils, making it truly extraordinary. To poison it, the venom must be able to suppress divine and demonic blood, requiring methods that can poison gods and devils!"

Mu Yingxue's eyes immediately lit up. She gazed at the large tree, which was the Root Demon, her mind stirred. "For those who wield poison, their lifelong supreme goal is to poison gods and devils. Poisoning a Divine Bridge Realm expert is not considered true skill. Alright, I accept! Whoever among us can poison this Root Demon will be the victor!"

A Heaven Human Realm expert from the True Heaven Palace showed a look of despair and struggled to say, "Poison Master, important matters are at hand..."

Mu Yingxue glanced at him and sneered, "I don't concern myself with your True Heaven Palace's power struggles. In my eyes, poison is the true important matter. This young man and I appreciate each other's talents, so naturally, we must have a satisfying contest to do justice to our lifelong studies!"

Suddenly, everyone collapsed with thuds. Even the Dragon Qilin, Xiong Xiyu, and the two white bats fell to the ground. The three Heaven Human Realm experts also succumbed to poison and passed out.

Mu Yingxue looked at Qin Mu and said seriously, "It's rare for Yingxue to meet a fellow poison practitioner. Today, we must fully display our skills. I haven't brought many spirit herbs, so I must go to the Great Ruins to gather some. Two days from now, you and I will meet under this large tree and each employ our techniques!"

Qin Mu readily agreed, "Alright!" With that, he placed down a jade flask with its mouth half-open. The Bewildering Fragrance would continuously emanate from it over the next two days, preventing anyone from approaching the area.

The two of them immediately set off separately to other places to search for spirit herbs, leaving the Dragon Qilin, Xiong Xiyu, and the others behind. After they left, the large tree shook violently, trying to uproot itself and seize the opportunity to escape. However, it was held fast by the Azure Dragon Pearl and couldn't move.