Zi Linling subconsciously stopped, circled Rong Guang once, her scrutinizing gaze seeming to dissect him.
Rong Guang felt a prickle of unease under her stare and asked inexplicably, "Miss Zi, is there something amiss with me?"
"Ah?"
Zi Linling paused for a moment, then nodded and asked, "Are you willing to leave with me?"
"Leave?"
This time it was Rong Guang's turn to be stunned. "Go where?"
"To do what needs to be done!" Zi Linling said seriously.
"What needs to be done? What is it?" Rong Guang asked, bewildered.
"Save..."
Zi Linling's words stopped abruptly.
The word "save" of "save the world" was ultimately not spoken.
The signs of the catastrophe to destroy the world had not yet spread to the Heaven's Gift Continent.
If she were to mention saving the world and the reincarnation of the protector now, Rong Guang would likely think she was crazy.
She finally said helplessly, "Never mind, you should focus on cultivating first! When there comes a day when I need Brother Rong's help, I hope Brother Rong will lend a hand."
Rong Guang looked at Zi Linling suspiciously. Seeing that she had something unsaid, he didn't press further and nodded, "As long as Miss Zi asks, I will not shirk my duty, even unto death!"
Zi Linling nodded and said, "Since that is the case, please Brother Rong cultivate diligently! That day will not be far off, and if your cultivation is not sufficient, you might truly never return."
She spoke calmly, yet her words carried a desolate tone.
That desolation made Rong Guang's heart ache.
Without thinking, three words blurted out, "I will!"
Though only three words, they were more profound than any promise.
"Good! I still have to take the Master-level Poison Master assessment. Excuse me!"
Zi Linling said with a graceful smile and walked deeper into the Poison Master Association.
Ye Lingyuan followed closely. As he passed Rong Guang, he cast a meaningful glance at him.
However, he didn't stop, for his Lin'er was still undergoing assessment, and he had no time to linger.
Rong Guang, mystified by his look, was about to speak when he felt a voice enter his mind.
"If you truly wish to save people, then follow Lin'er!"
The telepathic message was naturally from Ye Lingyuan.
Rong Guang felt a pang in his heart.
Lin'er—what an intimate term!
"If you truly wish to save people, then follow Lin'er!"
"If you truly wish to save people, then follow Lin'er!"
"If you truly wish to save people, then follow Lin'er!"
...
The sentence echoed repeatedly in Rong Guang's mind.
Zi Linling continued forward and soon reached the assessment site for Master-level Poison Masters.
There, a sinister old man blocked her path.
"Little girl, you wish to be assessed as a Master-level Poison Master?"
The old man's voice was hoarse, with an irritating crackle.
Zi Linling nodded and said, "Naturally, I'm here for the assessment. What else would I be doing here?"
The old man stared at Zi Linling for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Interesting! Truly interesting! Do you know that in the Qingcheng Poison Master Association, even he wouldn't dare speak to me like that?"
He said this while looking at Zhao Yunfei.
Zi Linling sneered, "He may not dare, but that doesn't mean I don't! Speak, how do I get assessed?"
To be honest, she felt an inexplicable, deep-seated aversion to this sinister old man.
The sinister old man laughed again, "Very good! It has been a long time since I've met a girl with such spirit. Are you willing to become my disciple?"
Zi Linling blinked, uncertainly asking, "You want me to be your disciple?"
The sinister old man nodded, "That's right! Although you are young, and your poison skills are merely passable, none of that matters. As long as you become my disciple, I guarantee your poison skills will soar!"
"That sounds good!" Zi Linling said with interest.
"You agree?" the sinister old man asked, surprised.
Zi Linling replied, "I agree..."
The sinister old man's face lit up with joy, and just as he was about to speak, Zi Linling continued, "It's not impossible, but only after you defeat me!"
The joy on the sinister old man's face froze. He grumbled angrily, "Insolent brat!"
"Delusional old fool!" Zi Linling retorted without hesitation.
She already felt a strong aversion to the sinister old man, so confronting him was effortless!
The sinister old man's gaze sharpened, like a hawk hunting its prey.
"Hmph! Let this old man see if your poison skills are as sharp as your tongue!"
Zi Linling coldly smirked, "Why don't you try and find out?"
"Very well! Master-level Poison Master assessment, life and death is your own responsibility. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
With a casual wave of his hand, a table appeared beside the sinister old man.
On the table were filled with bottles and jars.
"There are thirty kinds of poisons on this table. You only need to refine antidotes for half of them to pass!"
After he finished speaking, the sinister old man sat back on a lounge chair, rocking comfortably.
Zi Linling walked forward with a cold smile.
Just as she reached out to pick up a bottle, she heard the sinister old man say, "Those bottles are all coated with insidious poisons. Be careful not to cripple those pretty little hands of yours by touching them!"
Zi Linling dismissed him, "You don't need to worry about that!"
With that, she directly grasped a bottle in her hand, and even looked provocatively at the sinister old man.
The sinister old man's eyes narrowed.
He hadn't been bluffing. The bottle was indeed coated with a potent poison.
Yet, Zi Linling, who was clearly holding the bottle, showed no signs of poisoning.
What was going on? Had the poison on the bottle lost its efficacy?
Impossible, the bottle still emitted a faint, cold glow, indicating the poison's potency remained fierce.
So, what was happening?
The sinister old man's mind raced through one speculation after another, all of which he dismissed.
He even considered the Pure Toxin Body, but although that body could neutralize toxins on its own, it required time.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed intently on Zi Linling's hand holding the bottle.
He noticed that Zi Linling's hand wasn't gripping the bottle directly; a strange flame existed between her hand and the bottle.
What kind of flame was that?
It didn't seem extraordinary, yet it gave him a sense of danger.
Zi Linling certainly wouldn't tell the sinister old man that the flame in her hand was the legendary Phoenix True Fire.
Under his probing gaze, she gently opened the bottle cap.
To refine an antidote, she first needed to identify the poison within the bottle.
Zi Linling fanned the air above the bottle with her palm, and a pungent, fishy odor wafted into her nose.
She closed her eyes, and while directing Huang Yi to use the Phoenix True Fire to envelop the poison she inhaled and refine her Myriad Toxin Body, she meticulously analyzed the poison's composition.