"If you're poisoned, I won't save you!"

The coarse-clothed youth who suddenly walked out was none other than Yun Xiao. Yet as he approached the fifth door and passed by Ye Ku, the foremost genius of the Sky Poison Institute, a cold voice suddenly emitted from Ye Ku's mouth.

"Do you know me?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Xiao's steps slightly halted, his mind rifling through memories yet unable to recall any interaction with Ye Ku. Hence, he asked outright, finding the situation quite bewildering.

"Some people are destined to be beyond your reach. If you recklessly try to possess them, it will only bring disaster upon yourself!"

Ye Ku stared coldly at the country bumpkin from the Hidden Dragon Continent, his voice growing icier. Perhaps, unlike the likes of Bai Wushuang from the Heavenly Hospital, people like them preferred to act more directly.

"For the sake of Han Yi, I'm warning you: it's best to give up on this selection immediately; otherwise, if you get poisoned inside the room, I won't save you!"

Watching the boy before him grow increasingly uneasy, Ye Ku coldly reiterated his warning. In his view, there was absolutely no chance for such a ridiculously young boy to survive within that fifth room.

Such a potent poison is something that, among the younger generation, only a Poison Meridian genius like Ye Ku could likely withstand. Even timely rescue would likely leave one devoid of meridian qi and become a cripple.

"Han Yi?"

Suddenly hearing this name, Yun Xiao felt quite bemused. He knew exactly who Han Yi referred to — none other than the Luoyi Sect's disciple Liu Hanyi who had once activated a Poison Fire Ancestor Vein during the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference.

Back then, Liu Hanyi's activation of the Poison Fire Ancestor Vein was largely due to Yun Xiao; yet, after over a year of absence, she evidently transformed, becoming "Han Yi," sister to the Lianyun Mountain Sky Poison Institute's top genius.

"Ah, femme fatales indeed!"

Reflecting on this, Yun Xiao couldn't help but be sentimental. Truthfully, there was no romantic involvement between him and Liu Hanyi, but who knows what rumors Ye Ku had heard that led him to see Yun Xiao as a supposed rival — truly a disaster out of nowhere.

Unbeknownst to Yun Xiao, it was merely Ye Ku's unwarranted affection that caused this. Liu Hanyi wasn't even entirely aware of her feelings, but inadvertently expressing her longing for Yun Xiao stirred Ye Ku's intense jealousy.

Of course, this was all based on strength. For Ye Ku, a Poison Meridian genius, how could a mere youth from the Hidden Dragon Continent be worth of any notice?

Driven by jealousy, as Ye Ku previously stated, should Yun Xiao be poisoned inside Room Five, he wouldn't offer any assistance. Perhaps subconsciously, Ye Ku speculated on Liu Hanyi's stance — unless this youth perished, he'd forever be deprived of her affection.

"No need for your concern, Brother Ye!"

Contemplating once more, Yun Xiao gathered himself, nodded to Ye Ku, and bravely stepped into the fifth room without looking back.

"Truly courting death!"

Watching Yun Xiao vanish through the fifth door, Ye Ku bore a mocking grin. He knew all too well the poison within that room — an Earth Rank Low Level Meridian Refining Master would likely be overwhelmed instantly, just like the tormented master before.

Everyone else witnessing this had unusual thoughts brewing. Secretly, they mused that Yun Xiao was indeed unconventional; his courage to knowingly charge toward danger was quite admirable.

After seeing the misery of the previous two Meridian Masters, surely no one would choose rooms Three or Five. Even Poison Vein Masters dedicated to their craft might struggle against such mysterious toxins.

Now, the crowd was speculating on how long the coarse-clothed youth could endure in Room Five. Should he, like the previous master, flee screaming, it would certainly be amusing.

Ye Ku maintained a faint sneer. He was convinced Yun Xiao couldn't withstand the toxins within Room Five. Embarrassing himself before an admirer would actually be more beneficial.

Even Dean Qingmu Wu from the northern seats of the Sky Poison Institute shook his head upon seeing Yun Xiao select Room Five, thinking, indeed, ignorance is fearless.

Only those more familiar with Yun Xiao, like Qian Sanyuan and Xue Ningxiang, understood that the youth never fought without assurance. Since Yun Xiao dared to choose Room Five, he surely had some confidence, sparing excessive worry.

Gr-creak!

Yet, amidst their anticipation of Yun Xiao succumbing to the poison, about a dozen breaths later, the door to Room Five swung open.

"Gave up already?"

Seeing the opening doorway, many faces bore a schadenfreude grin, reflecting on how that confident youth unexpectedly paled in comparison to the prior Meridian Master.

After all, the previous Meridian Refining Master managed to last at least 15 minutes before being overwhelmed by the poison and fleeing in panic. But as for Yun Xiao? He barely stayed inside for a few breaths, so his resistance to poison must be quite limited.

"Huh?"

But just as these thoughts arose, someone noticed something was amiss, because Yun Xiao's current state was vastly different from the previous Meridian Refining Master who came out rolling in pain.

The young man even looked the same as when he entered the room, not even a corner of his clothes was wrinkled, still maintaining that aloof and composed demeanor.

"Could it be that he didn't trigger the mechanism to release the poison at all?"

Seeing Yun Xiao's state, many people in their hearts entertained this thought, because Yun Xiao's appearance was just too anomalous. To say that he contended with the Earth Rank Low Level poison was something no one would believe.

This was Earth Rank Low Level poison we are talking about. Even an Earth Rank Middle Level Poison Vein Master wouldn't come out from the room unscathed like Yun Xiao.

"What? Are you scared?"

Ye Ku, standing nearby, also reached a similar conclusion with the observers. Hearing his voice, it was clear he thought the boy was too timid, retreating as soon as he entered the room. Without encountering the poison, of course, he couldn't be poisoned.

"Scared?"

Yun Xiao, coming out from Room Five, suddenly heard Ye Ku's mocking voice and lifted his head with a strange expression, shaking it, "You've overthought it. I passed the room's test and came out!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing Yun Xiao's words, several Meridian Refining Masters nearby changed their expressions, even those who hadn't participated in the second round of examination yet. This result was something they never anticipated.

One should know the poison inside Room Five was extremely potent. You claim to have passed the test after merely a few breaths inside? It's hard to believe.

"Yun Xiao, do you know the consequences of lying in Lianyun Mountain?"

Ye Ku was adamantly disbelieving. As a Poison Vein Master, he knew about the potent poison inside Room Five very well. Even if he were to enter, it would be impossible to easily neutralize it in such a short time.

Though Ye Ku had just easily neutralized the poison others were afflicted with, if he himself were to contend with those potent poisons, it would still take a significant amount of time.

"If you don't believe me, you can go in and see for yourself!"

To this inexplicably hostile person, Yun Xiao naturally didn't show any kindness, pointing towards Room Five and speaking words that left everyone stunned.

"Ye Ku, go and check!"

The Dean of the Sky Poison Institute, Qingmu Wu, sitting in the northern seats, clearly also didn't believe Yun Xiao's words. Upon hearing his deep voice, Ye Ku, without any hesitation, stepped into Room Five.

In no time, Ye Ku emerged from the room with a peculiar expression on his face, looking quite perplexed and somewhat incredulous.

"The poison inside the room is completely gone!"

Ye Ku turned around, looking at his teacher in the seats over there. Confronting this fact, he didn't intend to hide anything, but he truly couldn't comprehend how the poison in the room could disappear in just a few breaths of time.

To know the poison inside the room, once the activation button is touched, would be immediately released, flooding the entire room, leaving no escape.

However, after Ye Ku entered the room, no matter how he pressed the button, he couldn't release the poison, indicating that the stored poison had long been fully released and no longer existed.

Ye Ku never thought that those poisons could have been completely consumed by the first Meridian Refining Master just now; if this person had such capability, how could he have been rolling on the ground, needing Ye Ku to save him?

In this case, there seemed to be only one possibility: during the few breaths of time Yun Xiao was inside Room Five, he completely consumed all the poison.

Thinking about this possibility, Ye Ku looked incredulous, pondering that if this were true, then this young man named Yun Xiao's achievement in the Poison Meridian Path might even rival his own, who was the top talent of the Sky Poison Institute.

Ye Ku's words left many momentarily stunned, and then they looked at Yun Xiao with shock, as this young man once again appeared mysterious in their eyes,

After all, they didn't have much understanding of Yun Xiao's Meridian Refining Technique before, and unexpectedly, he would be so astonishing.