Chapter 60 Black-Eye Venom Trial

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Chapter 60: The Trial of the Black-Eye Toxin

Xazal kept the new students in suspense, quickening his pace as he walked past rows of toxin cabinets.

In the basic alchemy laboratory, Kulov was seated behind his desk. Four students filed in one by one through the doorway.

Xazal stood quietly to one side, leaving the stage entirely to his mentor.

"I am Kulov, Professor of Poison Alchemy. Your temporary mentor."

Kulov emphasized the word "temporary."

He stood up leisurely and paced slowly in front of the new students:

"The raw materials and products of poison alchemy are highly toxic. The three of you are all promising talents, and I do not wish to lose any of you to accidents during poison brewing."

Kulov gestured vaguely toward Xazal:

"At this time last year, counting your teaching assistant, there were also three new students in poison alchemy. Now, only he remains."

These words caused the expressions of Yolanda and the other two to shift slightly.

Xazal kept a straight face, suppressing a smile; he hadn't expected his mentor to make such a dark joke.

Kulov stroked his beard, his expression turning solemn as he continued:

"The other two made mistakes during toxin testing. I transferred them to the potion alchemy department before they could commit graver errors.

"This is the unique rule of our poison alchemy branch.

"No one is permitted to make a mistake during the first four months after enrollment. Otherwise, I will forcibly transfer them to another discipline."

Yolanda and the other two nodded in succession, acknowledging the rule.

Kulov pointed at Xazal once more:

"Over the past several months, Xazal has never made a mistake during the refining of poisons. His cautious and meticulous nature is something you should all emulate.

"There were over a hundred students in his cohort. Only nine passed the final examination after six months. He was one of them.

"In the future, whether it is general alchemy courses or specialized poison alchemy courses, the three of you may consult him for guidance."

If Xazal had spoken of his past achievements himself, it would inevitably have been perceived as boasting.

However, when these words came directly from his mentor, the effect was entirely different. They helped establish the young teaching assistant's foundational authority.

The three new students looked toward the smiling teaching assistant, a trace of respect shimmering in the depths of their eyes.

Kulov manipulated the course schedules and bronze pendants, distributing them remotely to the new students: "Keep these two items safe."

He signaled to the teaching assistant beside him: "Xazal, take them for a tour around the castle and help them get acquainted with the environment."

"Yes, Professor."

Xazal led the new students on a tour of the poison alchemy zone.

The ventilation duct levers, the cleaning basins, the basic alchemy benches, the storage racks for toxin vials, the storage rooms, the small lecture hall, the advanced alchemy laboratory—he introduced every single piece of equipment and room, both inside and out.

Before leaving the poison alchemy zone, he stood before the three of them and admonished:

"There is a soft sofa beside the desk. That is where the mentor meditates, right next to your alchemy benches.

"He chooses to meditate beside your alchemy benches so that he can extend a helping hand as quickly as possible should an accident occur.

"Normal classes and toxin brewing will not interrupt his meditation. Even so, we must try to keep our footsteps and voices light so as not to disturb him."

The three new students nodded in unison.

Xazal pointed toward a doorway not far away:

"I am in the advanced alchemy laboratory almost all day refining poisons. You may come there to ask me questions whenever I am free."

"Senior," Yolanda instinctively raised her right forearm and asked:

"Is there anything in particular we need to pay special attention to?"

Hodge nodded along with her words: "Could you tell us what mistakes those two seniors who were transferred to the potion alchemy department made?"

Xazal pinched his chin, recalling the precautions laid down by his mentor. The loose-leaf manual did not state that this matter could not be discussed.

"There is a basic general course textbook called *The Encyclopedia of Toxins*."

Xazal outlined the shape of a book with his hands in front of him:

"It records a probationary-level toxin that causes visual hallucinations. You will learn how to make it later on, and you will have to test it frequently to build resistance against the hallucinations it causes."

"Visual hallucinations..." Yolanda muttered to herself in thought.

"The visual hallucinations everyone sees are different."

Xazal pointed to himself:

"What I see are distorted lines. Apart from making me dizzy, they have no other unbearable effects.

"But my two classmates were not so fortunate. Their hallucinations evoked fear, or..."

He struggled to find the right word for a moment.

Mason had seen countless black dots flashing before his eyes, constantly expanding and shrinking.

Brandon, on the other hand, had perceived everything as bananas... which had caused quite a few jokes.

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Xazal skipped over that topic and looked at the brown-haired boy among the three new students who had remained silent throughout:

"Bisanger, did you think of anything? Just ask. As long as it is something I am allowed to say, I will certainly tell you."

The brown-haired boy had a somewhat introverted personality. He offered a shy smile:

"Senior, the mentor said just now that only nine people in your cohort passed the final examination. What happens to those who didn't pass?"

Yolanda and Hodge showed little reaction to this question, having evidently already learned about it through their own channels.

"They repeat all twenty-five general courses alongside you. In the academy, this is known as retaking." Xazal started walking toward the exit of the poison alchemy zone while saying:

"Tomorrow morning, the first class will be the Dean's Alchemical Linguistics. She will introduce the final examination to you in detail. For now, let me take you to see the dining hall and the dormitories."

Information from his golden finger flashed in his mind, prompting that he had received some experience rewards. The amount was small; Xazal read through it briefly and then cast it aside, paying it no further mind.

...

Around 5:00 PM that same evening.

Xazal settled Yolanda and the other two in, then went to the dining hall alone.

The area here had expanded significantly.

The large central round tables for fruits, desserts, and drinks had increased from one to three. Dining tables of various styles were arranged around these three large round tables, and two kitchens were located at opposite ends of the dining hall.

Tonight was the welcome banquet. Most of the people appearing in the dining hall at this hour were students from the previous cohort.

Xazal hadn't attended the banquet last year, and he had no intention of joining the festivities this year either. According to Anuer's description, it was a light show performed by elemental servants—aside from being grand and magnificent, there was nothing particularly special about it.

It was much better to finish dinner early and head back to the poison alchemy zone to refine poisons.

"I'm here~"

Anuer wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, pressing her cheek against her boyfriend's.

Xazal patted the back of her hand: "How was your day? Are the new students easy to get along with?"

"Mm~ They're all pretty good. It's just that there are simply too many of them. I'm a bit overwhelmed."

Anuer sat down beside him, picked up the menu to mark a few items, and rang the bell to summon an elemental servant.

She rested her chin in her hands at the dining table, her beautiful eyes sweeping across the tables and chairs in the hall as she chattered away:

"110 plus 212 makes 322. There are now 322 acquired-affinity students in the academy. Oil alchemy alone has nearly 70 new students. When I led them into the oil alchemy zone today, oh—god, my ears were just buzzing with chatter. Fortunately, Professor Zhuo Lang arranged the classroom in advance..."

The elemental servant brought out the food, placed it before the two of them, and then drifted back toward the kitchen.

Anuer took a sip of the creamy mushroom soup while muttering:

"It's going to be so busy this semester. In the morning, the new students have general courses, and I study introductory oils with my mentor. In the afternoon, I have to lead the new students through the simplest branch courses. At night, I have to make oils. Professor Zhuo Lang is also running on overdrive all day long. Busy days like this are going to last for several months."

Xazal listened to her stream of consciousness, cut a piece of beef, and fed it to her.

Anuer chewed the meat, her lips curving upward in satisfaction as she asked sweetly: "What about you? How is it on your end?"

Xazal stuffed another piece of beef into her mouth, making both of her cheeks puff out symmetrically:

"There are fewer people in poison alchemy, but we don't have elemental servants helping with teaching. I have to lead the new students in class this afternoon, and I also have to prevent them from getting into accidents while brewing and testing poisons."

He reached out and gently pinched her puffed-up cheek, chuckling softly:

"Hang in there for the next few months. When my first month's salary is issued, I'll hand it over to you for safekeeping. Once we've saved up enough, you can use it to buy skincare products."

"Mm-hmm-hmm~" Anuer narrowed her eyes, smiling and nodding.

...

The next day.

With the afternoon class about to begin, Xazal arrived at the poison alchemy zone ten minutes early.

This would be the first class he taught as a teaching assistant. The mentor would be watching from the soft sofa.

He definitely could not afford to make mistakes in this class.

He needed to prepare all the necessary materials for the lesson and then confirm the details with the mentor. After each class, he would also have to squeeze out some time to summarize his teaching experiences.

The clock struck 1:00 PM. Yolanda and the other two walked into the basic alchemy laboratory.

After greeting the mentor, the three of them looked toward the teaching assistant with slightly excited expressions.

Realizing that the new students had attended the alchemical linguistics class that morning, Xazal deduced that the Dean must have used his exam results to make a point.

He leaned against the edge of the desk and asked:

"The book *Toxin Separation*, you should have all read at least some of it before entering the academy, right?"

This question was actually directed at Bisanger. Yolanda and Hodge had undoubtedly started self-studying the basic textbooks on poison alchemy long ago.

Seeing the three of them give affirmative responses, Xazal picked up the tray from the desktop, walked over to the basic alchemy bench, and put on his face mask:

"Next, I will refine a compound toxin. You will identify it."

He chose the white-palate toxin, the same one from his mentor's first lesson.

The refining process for this toxin was the simplest, making it very suitable for probationary-level poison alchemists to learn the various operations of poison brewing.

About five minutes later, three portions of compound toxin of flawless grade appeared on the desk.

Xazal instructed the new students to identify the toxins by comparing them with the guidelines in the book.

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He had worn a mask before refining the toxin. Following this correct demonstration, the first reaction of the three new students was also to pick up the masks from the storage rack and put them on.

As the new students buried their heads in handling the compound toxins, Xazal stood nearby with his hands behind his back, occasionally correcting their incorrect movements and demonstrating the right way.

Kulov leaned back in the soft sofa, stroking his beard and watching for a while. Seeming quite satisfied with the teaching assistant's performance, he picked up a book and entered meditation.

4:40 PM.

Xazal finished grading the new students' identification reports, explained a few points that needed correction, and dismissed the class.

As he cleaned up the basic alchemy laboratory, he checked the messages from his golden finger in his mind.

The three new students had given 5, 5, and 3 points of experience respectively. It wasn't a massive amount, but it had the advantage of being effortless.

It was just that the cleanup work after class was quite troublesome.

Who knew when Yolanda and the others would proactively start helping to clean the alchemy benches, sweep the floor of the laboratory, and wash the measuring cylinders and glass rods...

...

One day, a month later.

After dinner, Xazal and Anuer headed off to their respective alchemy zones.

This cohort of new students generally progressed quite quickly in self-studying alchemical linguistics, finishing this foundational course about a month earlier than the previous cohort.

Tonight, in the poison alchemy zone, the three new students would taste the Black-Eye Toxin.

They had to brew their own toxin at the basic alchemy benches first and consume it before 8:00 PM.

The production process for the Black-Eye Toxin was not complicated; the only difficulty was the step of evaporating the moisture to dryness. Anyone who tried a few times would eventually succeed.

Kulov had met with the teaching assistant before class, stipulating that each new student would have only three chances to brew the toxin.

Failure to produce a Black-Eye Toxin of qualified quality or higher within three tries would result in a transfer to the potion alchemy department.

Xazal placed three empty trays on the desk and sat in his chair, waiting for Yolanda and the other two.

To be honest, over the past month, he had felt somewhat disappointed.

The news that the Black-Eye Toxin was the first trial of poison alchemy had already spread throughout the academy.

The fact that the person spreading the rumor hadn't been punished by Dim indicated that the information was true.

By now, any random new student knew that only by enduring the test of the Black-Eye Toxin could one truly be considered a student of poison alchemy.

Kulov had not denied this.

This directly resulted in the situation where, fourteen days in, not a single new student had thought to help clean the basic alchemy laboratory. All three of them simply turned around and walked out the moment class ended.

Was the gap between people really this wide?

Anyway, Xazal himself had started helping his mentor clean the basic alchemy laboratory ever since his very first evening class.

As a first-cohort acquired-affinity student, he had had no way of knowing about all these hidden twists and turns when he first enrolled. Mars had been placed under a gag order by his own mentor and had never voluntarily mentioned it to him either.

6:00 PM.

The three new students timed their arrival precisely and appeared in the basic alchemy laboratory.

Xazal put down the book in his hand and looked at the three of them, his gaze lingering on Yolanda and Hodge as he felt something was amiss. The expressions of these two were far too calm.

"Detect"

[Target Name]: Yolanda
[Identity]: Starry Night Academy Mage Servant
(Irrelevant data omitted)
[Willpower]: 7+3 (Unknown potion in effect, Willpower +3)

Hodge's situation was identical to Yolanda's, with his willpower attribute temporarily boosted by 3 points.

"..." Xazal looked speechlessly toward his mentor.

The mentor sat expressionlessly in the soft sofa, lifting his chin to signal that class should proceed as usual.

The *Castle Regulations* did not state that potions could not be carried into the academy. Nor did Kulov have a rule forbidding students from taking buff potions before class.

Even so, spending money to buy functional potions just to pass the trial of the Black-Eye Toxin... wasn't that a bit... a bit too extravagant?

"Tonight, I will teach you how to brew the Black-Eye Toxin."

Xazal retrieved three sheets of paper from his desk:

"These are three formulas for the Black-Eye Toxin. Later, you will try to brew it by following the formula. It uses two basic toxins, brown-withered element and ginger-white element..."

While explaining, Xazal fetched two glass vials and placed them on his tray, stepping over to the teaching alchemy bench.

He pulled the ring of the bellows, poured in one-fifth of the water, and slowed down every step of the operation as much as possible so that the new students could see more clearly.

*(Thanks to "Dust in the Sky", "Eating Three Bowls at Noon", "Handsome Qi", "Dust Spirit 2", and "Lamb in the Mortal World" for the monthly tickets.)*

*(Thanks to the many book friends who cast recommendation votes, thank you very much!)*

*(End of Chapter)*