Beside the Pool of Ten Thousand Poisons, there was a deathly silence.
The Deadly Poison liquid that had churned for thousands of years now subsided eerily, as if completely suppressed by an invisible force. The luster of the pool water dimmed significantly, and the thick, suffocating poisonous mist in the air also thinned out considerably.
The source of everything pointed toward the figure slowly emerging from the center of the pool.
Lin Mo's pace was not fast, but every step he took carried an indescribable sense of oppression. The faint gray halo on the surface of his body had completely receded, replaced by a profound aura that emanated from within and perfectly merged with the surrounding environment. He looked like the innate sovereign of this Deadly Poison holy land, inspecting his territory.
Opposite him, the figure composed of pure shadow still stood silently. The flickering spectral light in the shadow locked tightly onto Lin Mo, and the emotions contained within had evolved from initial mockery and surprise into extreme shock, and a hint of burning greed that was cleverly concealed.
"You... you are not accepting the inheritance."
The hoarse voice echoed with an uncontrollable tremor in the empty stone cave, "You are... devouring the Holy Pool!"
This was not a question, but a statement.
A fact that made this ancient existence—who had lived for countless years and witnessed the birth and fall of numerous Thorn of Shadow inheritors—feel incredulous, even terrified!
The Pool of Ten Thousand Poisons was the foundation of the Thorn of Shadow. Its purpose was to screen and test the inheritors' poison resistance and will. Over countless years, some geniuses suffered agonizingly within it for ten minutes and were ultimately reborn; while some mediocrities dissolved into pus the moment they stepped in, becoming nourishment for the Holy Pool.
But never before had anyone been able to turn this near-fatal trial into a gluttonous feast belonging solely to him, like Lin Mo before him!
Not only was he not melted by the Deadly Poison of the Holy Pool, but he did the opposite, forcibly absorbing the essence of the poison that had accumulated in the Holy Pool for millennia, transforming it into nourishment for his own talent evolution!
This was no longer "inheritance"; this was "plunder"!
Lin Mo stopped and calmly met the gaze of the spectral lights. He could clearly sense the other party's emotional fluctuations, as well as the killing intent hidden behind that greed.
"Senior is too kind." Lin Mo's voice was utterly calm. "I just feel that these precious 'materials' shouldn't only be used to test the younger generation. They should have greater value."
"Greater value?" The black shadow let out a low, ambiguous chuckle, as if hearing a great joke. "Little fellow, your courage is even more interesting than your talent. Are you not afraid that your actions will bring about your own demise?"
A bone-chilling killing intent, like a materialized blade, instantly enveloped Lin Mo's entire body.
Lin Mo's expression did not change in the slightest. He merely slowly raised his right hand. A wisp of almost imperceptible gray mist, deeper than darkness, coiled and rose from his fingertip.
"Senior can certainly kill me," he said calmly. "However, before I die, I have absolute confidence in detonating all the poisonous energy I just absorbed and haven't fully digested. If that happens, let alone this stone chamber, I'm afraid the entire Shadow Sanctuary will be blasted back into its original stones, won't it?"
He was not bluffing.
The moment his talent evolved and he comprehended [Poison Burst], he gained a brand new, ultimate control over poisonous energy. He was like a madman with a nuclear bomb hidden inside him, capable of dragging his enemies to mutual termination at any time.
The air instantly solidified.
That terrifying killing intent, like a rising tide, slowly receded like an ebb tide after hitting three feet in front of Lin Mo.
The black shadow fell silent.
It stared intently at the seemingly insignificant gray mist on Lin Mo's fingertip. The spectral lights flickered violently, seemingly engaged in extremely complex deliberation.
It could sense the terrifying, destructive energy contained within that small wisp of mist—the primal power of the Holy Pool. Yet, it was now being manipulated by this young man.
Kill this blasphemer? The Sanctuary would be destroyed, the inheritance broken, and it would fall into endless slumber.
Let him go? This little fellow's talent and disposition were truly monstrous, rarely seen in ten thousand years. If he could be nurtured, perhaps the forgotten millennium-old aspiration of the Thorn of Shadow might actually be realized... After an unknown amount of time, the hoarse voice finally sounded again, only this time, it carried a hint of indescribable weariness.
"You win, inheritor. Your courage and wisdom have once again earned my recognition."
"You have passed the second trial."
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the trial [Pool of Ten Thousand Poisons]! Mission Evaluation: Perfect!]
[You have received rewards: EXP + 50000, Reputation + 500, Permanent Attribute Points + 10!]
[Your poison resistance has significantly increased!]
The gray mist on Lin Mo's fingertip slowly dissipated, and a slight smile appeared on his face: "Thank you, Senior, for your cooperation."
"No need to thank me, this is what you deserve." The black shadow's voice returned to its previous coldness. "Now, are you ready to face your final trial? Pass it, and you will become the 737th official member of the Thorn of Shadow in thousands of years. Fail... and you will remain here forever, becoming a part of me."
"Please show me, Senior." Lin Mo's eyes became intensely focused.
"The final trial is very simple."
The black shadow slowly raised a "hand" made of shadow, pointing to the other end of the stone chamber. The wall there slowly rose amidst a rattling sound of mechanisms, revealing a dim room.
In the room, there was only a stone bed. Lying on the stone bed was a pale, barely breathing girl. She looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in simple hemp clothes, with her eyes tightly closed and her brows furrowed, seemingly enduring immense pain.
"Her name is Lina, an orphan from the Slums. Three days ago, she had her legs broken by thugs in the black market and was thrown into a sewer ditch, all for a moldy piece of bread."
"I saved her, but the Life within her is slowly being corroded by an extremely rare 'Frost Poison'. In an hour at most, she will be completely frozen into an ice sculpture, and her soul will be extinguished."
The black shadow's voice was devoid of emotion, as if stating an insignificant fact.
"Your third trial is a confrontation between your 'poison' and her 'poison'."
"Use your power to dispel, neutralize, or... devour the Frost Poison within her. You only have one chance and one hour. Succeed, and you will gain everything; fail, she dies, and your trial will reach termination, your soul imprisoned by the Sanctuary for eternity."
"Now, tell me your choice, inheritor."
This was the final trial.
It no longer tested Stealth, nor resistance, but the inheritor's most essential understanding and control over "poison."
Fighting poison with poison was a mandatory lesson for a Poison Master. However, completing a confrontation between two terrifying poisons while ensuring the "battlefield"—the girl's fragile body—remained unharmed, made the difficulty hundreds or thousands of times greater than any previous test!
The slightest misstep, and the conflict between the two poisons would be enough to tear the girl's body to shreds.
Lin Mo's gaze fell upon the unconscious girl on the stone bed.
A faint layer of white frost had condensed between her eyebrows, her lips were an unnatural bluish-purple, and even in her unconscious state, her body continued to tremble slightly, as if trapped in an eternal ice hell.
This was an NPC completely unrelated to him.
From the most rational and utilitarian perspective, he could completely disregard her Life and death, using the crudest method to directly inject his own poison into her body, forcing a clash with the Frost Poison.
That way, he might have a thirty percent chance of fulfilling the "dispelling" condition before the girl died.
But... Lin Mo's mind flashed with images of his parents lying in the hospital, worried about medical bills; and of Summer Rain, the kind and gentle priest in the game who always silently healed him... His heart, after all, was not made of stone.
"I won't just save her."
Lin Mo spoke slowly, his voice soft but carrying an undeniable determination.
"I will also ensure she survives, completely unharmed."
The black shadow fell silent, the spectral lights seeming to flash once.
"Foolish kindness," it commented, but did not intervene.
Lin Mo walked to the stone bed, extended two fingers, and gently rested them on the girl's cold wrist.
A chilling, bone-piercing energy instantly transmitted through his fingertips, as if trying to freeze his soul as well!
What domineering poison!
Lin Mo's heart tightened, but his [Endless Poison Source] talent instinctively became active the moment it encountered this foreign poison, emitting waves of greedy desire.
His senses carefully probed into the girl's body, following this energy.
He "saw" that the so-called Frost Poison was not poison in the traditional sense; it was more like... extremely cold energy crystals possessing Life and structure.
These crystals were perfectly hexagonal, like countless tiny snowflakes, spread throughout the girl's meridians and blood. They continuously absorbed the girl's Life force, self-replicating, slowly and steadily transforming her body into an ice sculpture from the inside out.
"So that's it..."
Lin Mo understood instantly.
To neutralize this poison, conventional "neutralization" and "dispelling" methods were completely ineffective. Because the structure of these crystals was too stable, external force would only cause them to break down into smaller fragments, accelerating their spread.
The only way was to dismantle its structure from the root!
A crazy yet ingenious plan quickly formed in his mind.
He slowly closed his eyes, his entire focus sinking into the control of the "sea of poison" within his body.
In the Pool of Ten Thousand Poisons, he had absorbed the characteristics of hundreds of thousands of poisons. Although most of it was only rudimentary exposure, this "knowledge" now became his most valuable asset.
"The explosiveness of fire poison, the dissolving power of Corrosion water, the cold yin of nether grass..."
The characteristics of countless poisons constantly collided, merged, and recombined within his mind.
He was about to do something unprecedented—to instantly "compound" a unique antidote specifically targeting the Frost Poison!
And the essence of this antidote was another... higher-level poison!
Time passed, minute by minute.
The girl on the stone bed's breathing became weaker and weaker, and the white frost between her eyebrows grew denser.
Lin Mo, however, remained standing with his eyes closed, motionless, like a statue.
Just as the black shadow nearby began to grow impatient, Lin Mo's eyes snapped open!
On the tip of his right index finger, a drop of liquid, shimmering with an eerie, dark-gold luster, slowly condensed.
That drop of liquid looked incredibly beautiful, like the purest amber, but within it contained a highly concentrated, composite Deadly Poison, powerful enough to change the color of a god's face!
"Go."
Lin Mo flicked his finger, and the drop of dark-gold poison silently flew into the girl's slightly parted mouth.
The moment it entered her mouth, the girl's body trembled violently, and a layer of visible white frost instantly burst from her surface!
"Foolish! With such explosive toxicity, she will die!" the black shadow roared.
Lin Mo, however, ignored it. His eyes were fixed on the girl, and fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
His entire focus transformed into an invisible hand, following the drop of dark-gold poison as it launched an earth-shattering battle in the microscopic world within the girl's body!
The dark-gold poison, like an invincible army composed of "explosion" and "Corrosion," launched the fiercest Charge against the hexagonal ice crystals the moment it entered the girl's body!
Two fundamentally different poisons violently collided and annihilated each other within the girl's fragile meridians!
The girl's Life signs fluctuated wildly, like a candle flame in a strong wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment!
"It's not enough!"
Lin Mo gritted his teeth and activated the [Poison Burst] skill he had just comprehended, using an incredibly subtle and ingenious method!
He did not detonate all the poison within the girl's body, but instead compressed the Poison Burst energy into billions of invisible points, precisely detonating them simultaneously on every "battlefield" where the "dark-gold poison" clashed with the "Frost Poison crystals"!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless extremely tiny explosions occurred simultaneously inside the girl's body!
This was no longer simple "detoxification"; this was the most precise and dangerous "cellular-level surgery"!
"Pfft!"
The girl suddenly spat out a mouthful of black, clotted blood mixed with ice crystals. Immediately afterward, a miraculous flush of healthy color appeared on her pale face!
The Frost Poison within her was completely dismantled, annihilated, and purified in this internal and external explosion that could only be described as art!
Success!
Lin Mo let out a long breath, feeling a wave of mental exhaustion wash over him.
[Ding! You have successfully removed the 'Frost Poison' from NPC 'Lina'! Trial completed!]
[Mission Evaluation: Super Perfect!]
[You have received rewards: EXP + 100000, Reputation + 1000, Permanent Attribute Points + 20, Skill Points + 5!]
[Your understanding of 'poison' has greatly deepened, and your 'Poison Affinity' has permanently increased!]
[Due to your creative completion of the trial, you have received an additional gift from the Trial Mentor—[mentor's ring]!]
Before Lin Mo could check the rewards, the black shadow appeared beside the stone bed as if teleporting. It extended a hand made of shadow and rested it on the girl's wrist. Moments later, an unprecedented, incredible fervor burst forth from the spectral lights!
"Unbelievable... unbelievable! You actually... you actually did it! You not only saved her, but you used a method unheard of to perfectly annihilate the two Deadly Poisons inside her body without leaving the slightest damage!"
"You... you are a monster! A peerless genius... rarely seen in ten thousand years!"
The black shadow's voice became sharp due to extreme excitement.
It suddenly turned toward Lin Mo, the spectral lights fixed on him like two scorching suns.
"Tell me, how did you think of that? Using 'Poison Burst' for such microscopic control—this... this is a technique that only a god could possess!"
Lin Mo replied calmly: "Practice makes perfect, that's all."
"What a 'practice makes perfect'!" The black shadow laughed wildly. "Kid, I take back what I said before. Your kindness wasn't foolishness, but an absolute confidence in your power that even gods would envy!"
"You have perfectly passed all the trials!"
"From today onward, you, Lin Mo, are the 737th inheritor of the Thorn of Shadow!"
"Now, kneel and accept the glory you deserve, as well as... the gift bestowed upon you by me, 'The Keeper of the Tomb' Karsas!"