Chapter Twenty-Nine: Shadowed Strife

"Are there more annoying insects crawling in? What on earth is wrong with the people outside? When Grandfather returns, I must speak to him about this; this swarm of bothersome mosquitoes is simply infuriating!"

Dugu Yan opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on Chen Ming in the distance, her expression filled with irritation.

Initially, she had been quite happy upon entering the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. After all, she had grown up with no peers to play with, and apart from her grandfather, her only regular companions were various poisonous creatures. Even when she went out, she was always trailed by an entourage, restricted from doing this or that, which left her feeling deeply stifled.

She had hoped for a better life at the academy, but instead, she was swarmed by a crowd of people with ulterior motives, buzzing in her ears like flies while acting as if they were God's gift to the world. Dugu Yan found it disgusting—truly revolting. If she had known the academy would be like this, she would have rather stayed obediently by her grandfather's side. If not for the fact that her grandfather had recently gone somewhere for his cultivation, she would have gone to complain to him long ago.

"Let's teach him a lesson... In this place, isn't being poisoned a perfectly normal occurrence?"

Dugu Yan quietly released her martial soul, and two yellow spirit rings appeared around her. Carefully suppressing her spirit power and presence, she subtly activated her first spirit skill.

"First Spirit Skill: Jade Phosphorus Red Poison!"

Jade Phosphorus Red Poison was a stimulant. If used positively, it could induce a state of high energy and focus, slightly boosting physical capabilities for a short time. However, if used in excess, it would force the victim into a state of abnormal agitation, characterized by hallucinations, visual distortions, and uncontrollable muscle spasms.

Having only recently left her grandfather’s side, Dugu Yan still held back. Despite her annoyance, she didn't want to go too far; at this level, the red poison would only cause discomfort for a while before dissipating on its own, leaving no lasting side effects. She was far from the version of herself in the original story who would poison those who offended her to the brink of death.

Yet, while Dugu Yan believed she was being perfectly covert, she did not realize that the moment she released her spirit skill, Chen Ming had already perceived it completely.

Sensing the toxins drifting toward him through the air, Chen Ming curled his lips into a smile and summoned his own martial soul. One yellow and one purple spirit ring materialized around him, and as his spirit power radiated outward, a verdant green mist of poison materialized around his body.

He stood there motionless, allowing Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphorus Red Poison to drift toward him, only to be effortlessly swallowed up by the emerald-green mist—which served as little more than a dramatic entrance effect for him.

"Oh? I poisoned the wrong person. Are you actually a poison-attribute spirit master too?"

Seeing Chen Ming in his martial soul avatar state, Dugu Yan, who had been hiding in the corner, stopped pretending and jumped out. She scrutinized Chen Ming with curious eyes, her gaze lighting up with fascination when she saw the purple second spirit ring.

"Who are you? A newly enrolled poison-attribute spirit master? What is your name? And why is your second spirit ring purple?"

Although she was fifteen and possessed a mature, well-developed figure that, paired with her Jade Phosphorus Snake martial soul, gave her the air of a bewitching, older woman, Dugu Yan—having had so little contact with outsiders—remained like a curious child at heart.

"Isn't it polite to state your own name before asking for someone else's?" Chen Ming flicked his tail and countered.

"I am Dugu Yan, fifteen years old. My martial soul is the Jade Phosphorus Snake, and I am a twenty-nine-level control-system great spirit master. Now it's your turn to introduce yourself."

As an expert in toxins, though she was nowhere near Dugu Bo’s level, Dugu Yan remembered her lessons on poison-type spirit beasts well. Upon seeing the number of segments on the tail of the scorpion behind Chen Ming, she immediately recognized that this spirit master, who appeared a year or two younger than her, possessed the Emerald Scorpion King martial soul—a level extremely close to her grandfather's Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor.

Fourteen tail segments—only one short of a true Scorpion Emperor, it was infinitely close to the level of royalty and far superior to her own Jade Phosphorus Snake.

"I am Chen Ming, eleven years old. Twenty-three-level control-system great spirit master. My martial soul is the Emerald Scorpion King."

"Eleven years old, level twenty-three, a thousand-year second spirit ring, and an Emerald Scorpion King martial soul infinitely close to the Emperor level."

Even though Dugu Yan considered herself well-informed from her time with her grandfather, she was still taken aback by Chen Ming's introduction. She had always prided herself on her talent, hoping to succeed her grandfather and become the next generation's Poison Douluo, continuing the prestige of the Jade Phosphorus Snake line. Yet, looking at Chen Ming, she felt as though she had been overshadowed.

Although her previous poison attack was merely a warning and posed no threat to a genuine poison-attribute spirit master, she felt a subtle pressure emanating from his martial soul, which made her feel a sudden stir of excitement.

"Since you are also a poison-attribute spirit master, how about we compare our poison techniques?"

"Apologies, let's leave that for another time." Chen Ming looked Dugu Yan up and down, pausing briefly when he noticed her emerald-green hair and eyes. "My toxins are too potent; an ordinary person cannot withstand them. If something were to happen, it would be difficult to resolve. The three education commissioners have instructed me to avoid using toxins on my fellow students within the academy."

"Too potent? Should not use them easily? The three commissioners said the same thing to me." Chen Ming’s words only made Dugu Yan puff out her chest with pride, while her curiosity about him deepened. "We can compete here; no one will know. Besides, I am very curious about the Emerald Scorpion, which shares the title of one of the Five Jade Phosphorus Poisons with my snake. Don't you want to see the power of the Jade Phosphorus Snake's venom?"

"What is there to be curious about regarding the Jade Phosphorus Snake's venom? I was playing with snakes in the training grounds as soon as I awakened my martial soul. It never bothered me at all."

"You!" Dugu Yan was slightly indignant, but finding no retort, she sat to the side in a huff. She pretended to cultivate while secretly scattering her toxins along the path Chen Ming was about to take.

Observing her childish behavior, Chen Ming smiled and, maintaining his martial soul avatar, walked directly through the poison she had left behind.

Dugu Yan peeked out of the corner of her eye, only to find that her toxins had no effect whatsoever. Forget about him struggling to neutralize them—her poison didn't even breach the layer of poison-attribute spirit power enveloping Chen Ming.

Chen Ming simply walked through, his spirit power acting as a shield, leaving even his clothes and the soles of his shoes completely uncorroded by the toxins.