Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Here it is—the mandatory trial scene in every fantasy novel.

From the moment Chen Ming saw this training ground, he was prepared. Hearing Qin Ming's words only reinforced his sense of inevitability.

Chen Ming clasped his hands toward the three board members as a gesture of respect, then positioned himself about twenty paces away from Qin Ming. He summoned his martial soul and adopted a defensive stance.

The two soul rings, one yellow, and one purple, appeared around him, exuding the aura unique to top-tier martial souls. Watching this, the three board members exchanged quiet remarks, their faces filled with satisfaction.

"Teacher Qin, be cautious. My Emerald Scorpion King martial soul is highly venomous. Both of my soul rings come from top-tier poisonous soul beasts. The combined toxins are extremely potent, so you must be vigilant. If you feel any discomfort, please let me know immediately. Once the toxins spread, they're incredibly difficult to neutralize."

To demonstrate, Chen Ming concentrated his soul power on the scorpion's tail, forming a minuscule droplet of venom. He carefully controlled the droplet and let it fall to the ground.

Under the astonished gazes of the four observers, the specially constructed ground was effortlessly corroded by the venom, producing a sizzling sound. Within mere moments, it left a hole about the size of an adult male's fist. The corroded area emitted a faint green glow and continued to sizzle softly. Upon closer inspection, one could see the stone still slowly dissolving.

Looking at the hole, Chen Ming couldn't help but reflect inwardly.

In his memory, his venom should have been far more potent. When sparring with rocks before, a single droplet could create a hole at least 30 centimeters wide.

As expected of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Their resources are unparalleled. Even the stones here are far sturdier.

Seeing the pit on the ground, Qin Ming, who initially tried to maintain an air of confidence, swallowed nervously and braced himself with heightened vigilance.

Is this Emerald Scorpion venom? Not molten lava or something?

He couldn't shake the feeling that Chen Ming, a Grand Soul Master, was leagues ahead of the poison-user Dugu Yan when she first entered the academy. Who's the real heir of Poison Douluo here?

"Understood. If anything happens, I'll let you know," Qin Ming replied sincerely, not daring to overestimate himself.

After briefly observing Chen Ming's stance, Qin Ming took a deep breath.

"Chen Ming, get ready. I'm coming at you now."

"First soul skill: Fire Wolf Transformation! Second soul skill: Wolf's Fire!"

Qin Ming unleashed two augmentation-type soul skills simultaneously. As the first and second soul rings lit up, his aura noticeably intensified, and the flames surrounding him roared with greater ferocity.

Ideally, Qin Ming wouldn't have used two soul skills against a Grand Soul Master. After all, even with his soul power suppressed, the gap in physical prowess and experience between a Soul King and a Grand Soul Master remained vast.

But after glancing at the still-smoking pit, Qin Ming decided he wasn't eager to test how the venom would affect living creatures. He opted to enhance his abilities with soul power, bolstering his offense to avoid coming into contact with the poison.

With his skills active, Qin Ming charged at Chen Ming. Deliberately suppressing his speed, the agility-type Soul King moved at no more than a typical Grand Soul Master's pace, less than a third of his true potential.

Watching the comically slow pace, Chen Ming couldn't help but feel a bit helpless, but he didn't let it distract him.

Facing Qin Ming's charge, he assumed a defensive stance. The scorpion tail behind him swayed slightly as if poised to counter any move with stillness.

Just as Qin Ming closed the distance to within three steps of Chen Ming, Chen Ming sprang into action. The long tail behind him swung forward like a whip, lashing horizontally. At the same time, his first soul ring lit up, and a deep green poisonous mist rapidly spread out from him as the center.

"First soul skill: Poison Cloud." Only after releasing the soul skill did Chen Ming's voice belatedly ring out. By this point, Qin Ming had already entered Chen Ming's attack range.

The scorpion tail's strike was powerful and forceful, something Qin Ming couldn't ignore. The sudden surge of poisonous mist made the situation even more perilous.

Qin Ming's flame-imbued palm barely blocked the tail's attack, but his entire body was quickly engulfed in the poisonous mist. Despite being surrounded by blazing flames, his body still felt sharp stings of pain.

The flames managed to neutralize part of the poison, and his soul power dissolved most of the remaining toxins. However, the residual poison was still highly corrosive. Within a few breaths, Qin Ming's formal attire began to show holes, and the beast-like skin granted by his martial spirit transformation couldn't resist the effects either. His long fur visibly shrank at an alarming speed.

A small amount of the poison entered Qin Ming's respiratory tract through the air. Even just a tiny bit caused him intense pain.

As a soul master with a fire-element martial soul, Qin Ming experienced for the first time the sensation of his internal organs burning. No matter how strong his willpower, his body instinctively convulsed in response, nearly causing him to collapse. His body arched like a shrimp.

Seeing Qin Ming, a Soul King, faltering after just one exchange, Chen Ming's expression shifted. He swung his tail with force, sending Qin Ming flying out of the range of his soul skill. Then he deactivated his soul skill and martial soul, hurriedly reaching into his inner garments to retrieve the antidote he had prepared in advance.

Qin Ming, who had been flung away, didn't hit the ground. Instead, he was caught mid-air by the Sky Blue Vine martial soul summoned by Zhilin. The vine skillfully cushioned the impact.

Gentle, robust, and life-infused soul power flowed from the Sky Blue Vine into Qin Ming's body. Despite the flames burning on his body, the vine remained unscathed by the heat.

As the soul power flowed in, Qin Ming's mind cleared slightly. However, the burning pain in his internal organs and the searing sensation on his skin persisted, leaving him unable to muster any energy.

Chen Ming quickly strode over to Qin Ming, pried open his mouth, and poured the medicinal powder from a small gourd into Qin Ming's mouth.

Although there was no water, Qin Ming's saliva instinctively carried the powder down his throat, quickly delivering it to his stomach.

As a refreshing coolness surged from his abdomen, Qin Ming finally felt some relief from the pain in his internal organs. After catching his breath and regaining a bit of composure, he finally had the energy to assess his current condition.

PS: The writing style is very slow, right? Still, a decent douluo fanfic.