Chapter 150: Falling into the Poison Pool

Lingmeng was too weak to even look; she could only weep, unable to face what was unfolding. Shen Zaiguo was so terrified that her limbs went limp and her face turned deathly pale.

Heiyu, anxious, shouted toward the stage:
"Get the medical team! We forfeit! Save him!"

Yixin also roared:
"Yes, get Bai Shengye out of there! We don't care about losing, just don't let him get hurt!"

As he spoke, he tried to rush onto the stage, but the transparent magic barrier activated during the match blocked his path.

Teacher Yun Lan appeared beside him, pulling him back. "Charging in won't help. I will notify the moderator to substitute the player."

Only then did Heiyu notice that Yun Lan had been alerted and had come over from the lounge. Yun Lan signaled the moderator for a substitution, and the moderator immediately announced:
"Holy City Magic Academy requests a substitution! The third match is terminated!"

At that moment, Wuzhen walked to the edge of the poison pool, crouched down, and pressed his palm against the surface, intending to withdraw the pool.

The vast, dark green surface was now completely devoid of any sign of Bai Shengye; it was unclear whether he was dead or alive. Suddenly, as Wuzhen’s palm touched the surface, the crystal ball on his left shoulder flickered, giving him another instruction.

He did not withdraw the poison pool. Instead, he slowly stood up, looked at the Holy City team members, and said:
"In ten minutes, he will stand up from the poison pool again. Are you sure you want to substitute him?"

The five of them were stunned into silence by these words.

The double-sword wielding warrior of the Shenlong tribe shouted to Wuzhen from below the ring:
"Hey, what makes you think that kid will come out? The other side has already asked for a substitution; wouldn't it be better to just eliminate him like this?"

The other two teammates chimed in:
"Exactly! Let them substitute! No matter who they send, we can easily handle them! Once they face our Captain Wuzhen, they are bound to lose!"

Only the poison insect master, who had just clashed with Bai Shengye on stage, said in a deep voice:
"What do you know? Shut up! This is no longer just about winning or losing the match; it is a battle between a poison master and an apothecary. Unless the final outcome is decided, Wuzhen will not stop."

Indeed, the moment the crystal ball lit up, Wuzhen, though calm on the surface, was internally more stirred than anyone.

He had never encountered such a resilient opponent. If the apothecary were to die in the poison pool just like that, the match would be meaningless. But if he survived, the real game would only just begin.

At this moment, nothing could dampen Wuzhen's determination to face off against this apothecary. Although his collar hid the grimace on his face, the excitement in his heart was irrepressible; he was savoring this battle.

The Holy City team finally gathered their senses and consulted with Teacher Yun Lan about the substitution.

"Substitute him!" Yixin insisted firmly. "We cannot let him take such risks!"

The three girls were already in tears. Shen Zaiguo said with trembling lips:
"Let's substitute him. We all thought Brother Bai Shengye was dead just now; we were terrified. We only hope Brother Bai Shengye is alright..."

Lingxiao Lei tried to remain calm as she said, "The poison master's move must be his ultimate technique. If Bai Shengye can endure it, there might be a turning point."

"No, the poison master hasn't suffered any losses yet. Since he hasn't been pushed to the brink, who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve? We can't let Bai Shengye take the risk," Yixin argued.

"If he really has other tricks, besides Bai Shengye, who is the only one capable of dispelling poison, who else among us could defeat him?" Heiyu asked.

Yixin had no reply. He had already been eliminated, and though he was filled with rage and longed to jump onto the stage and blast the poison-wielder with a fire fist, he was powerless to act.

Heiyu continued: "If you were the one standing on that stage, would you give up? Or rather, are you willing to let us lose the entire match without even putting up a fight?"

Yixin replied: "Of course not." He seemed to grasp Heiyu's meaning and turned his head away. If they were eliminated in this round, they would lose their qualification to continue the tournament.

Although Heiyu and Bai Shengye were not close friends, a year of getting to know each other had given him some insight into the apothecary's character. He said:
"If it were you on that stage, you wouldn't give up easily either. This is his match. The opponent has already said that Bai Shengye will stand up again. If he is still fighting, we have no reason to terminate the match for him. I choose to trust Bai Shengye."

Yun Lan hesitated, looking toward the center of the ring. "Heiyu is right. If he can stand up again, let Bai Shengye decide whether to forfeit. We shall wait patiently for a while..."

With that, he signaled the moderator. The moderator announced:
"The Holy City Magic Academy has decided not to substitute! Let us look forward to the progress of the match and see if the apothecary can create a miracle!"

Wuzhen also smiled faintly:
"Good. I, too, would like to see how this apothecary breaks my thousand poisons..."

As he spoke, he stepped into the poison pool. The deeper he went, the more the poison submerged his body. Finally, his figure, too, vanished into the center of the pool.

Both contestants had disappeared, leaving the entire arena in silent anticipation.

At that moment, a young woman rushed out from the lounge, lifting the hem of her blue gauze dress as she ran. She reached the back of the transparent barrier and shouted onto the stage, her voice choked with tears:
"Bai Shengye, you idiot! Everyone from your Apothecary Immortal family is an idiot!"

Yixin and Heiyu were both stunned. This girl was Qianxue, who had previously competed against Bai Shengye. Both men were confused, not understanding what she meant.

"Cough, cough," Lingxiao Lei whispered. "He's always flirting around; this must be a debt of love he owes."

"Hahaha," Heiyu immediately understood. "So that's how it is."

Lingmeng, hearing this, couldn't help but smile through her tears:
"Bai Shengye really has a way with women. During yesterday's match, I saw the two of them exchanging glances."

"Sigh, with so many women grieving for him, it would be worth it even if he died," Heiyu said, not without envy.

Lingxiao Lei punched him in the stomach. "Say something auspicious! Are you wishing for him to die?"

As the match continued in silence and Bai Shengye's fate remained unknown beneath the poison, Heiyu couldn't help but think: if Bai Shengye failed, the remaining girls would certainly be no match for the poison master, and Yixin could no longer fight. It would be up to him.

During the long, agonizing ten minutes, he repeatedly simulated ways to counter the poison master in his mind. Plan after plan surfaced, only to be discarded one by one...

Meanwhile, Bai Shengye's situation was far from optimistic.

The moment he fell into the poison pool, his body felt as if it were plummeting into an infinite abyss. Accompanied by intense pain, all his senses were swallowed by the thick, toxic liquid.