Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

  Nearly five months had come and gone since Devor began training under Juyin's guidance, yet his progress remained stagnant. Failure had become his daily routine, a familiar companion rather than a source of frustration.

  Yet, despite the repeated setbacks, Devor never once avoided the Venom Spiritual Tree.

  Every day—without fail—he would visit it, sit beside it, and meditate. For half an hour, he remained in silent contemplation, absorbing the tree’s presence, attempting to form a connection that, no matter how much time passed, never deepened.

  Still, he never once showed impatience.

  He carried himself with an air of calm, unbothered by his lack of results, as if he had all the time in the world. In fact, he seemed... almost relaxed.

  Juyin, watching from a distance, narrowed his eyes.

  Was Devor here to train… or to take a vacation?

  Even stranger, he was putting more effort into his plant experiments than into his actual training.

  It was subtle at first, but as the weeks passed, Juyin noticed a pattern. Devor would fail in his training—again and again—but instead of dwelling on it, he would immediately return to his garden, throwing himself into his own research.

  His priority wasn’t bonding with the Spiritual Tree.

  His priority was something else entirely.

  Juyin’s lips curled in mild amusement. Even when stuck at a bottleneck, this boy refuses to be idle.

  But Devor’s lack of urgency concerned him.

  So, by the following week, Juyin had made a decision.

  He called Devor over and finally revealed the key to his training.

  "You need to form a balanced, equal connection with the Spiritual Tree," Juyin said, his voice level. "Until you do, its energy will always reject you."

  Juyin’s words made something click in Devor’s mind.

  But even knowing the problem didn’t mean he could solve it.

  On the surface, Devor was humble. He listened, learned, and never acted arrogantly toward others.

  But deep within his soul, there was pride—buried so deeply he didn’t even recognize it himself.

  That was the true reason behind his failures.

  The Sect Master and Juyin had both seen it, which was why neither of them had intervened earlier. This was something Devor needed to realize on his own.

  If someone simply handed him the answer, he would "know" it—but he wouldn’t understand it.

  Another week slipped by.

  Another failure.

  Yet, Devor remained composed, unshaken. Instead of obsessing over his setbacks, he was more preoccupied with something else—his garden.

  Within a small patch of soil, ten Water Element plants stood tall, their leaves glistening with condensation as they absorbed the faint moisture in the air.

  Devor crouched beside them, his fingers lightly brushing the largest one.

  He didn’t rely solely on his Spiritual Analyzer—he needed to observe with his own eyes.

  Numbers could only tell him so much. The true key to mastery lay in understanding what those numbers meant.

  His Spiritual Analyzer provided him with a simple output:

  [Essence : 96/100]

  An improvement from the 90/100 recorded last week.

  Devor let out a slow breath, satisfied with the progress.

  Reaching into his robes, he retrieved a small vial and uncorked it. A faint, icy mist drifted from the liquid inside.

  It was a specially crafted formula, meticulously prepared by Nyuru.

  Thanks to her help, Devor had avoided the need to dive too deeply into alchemy. She had already mastered that path—her skill in crafting elemental elixirs far exceeded his own.

  As he gently poured the liquid onto the plant’s roots, the results were immediate.

  The Water Element plant trembled slightly. Its vibrant blue hue dimmed, its energy flickering as the elixir forcefully weakened it.

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  A new system prompt appeared:

  [Essence : 87/100]

  Devor immediately stopped.

  “Good. The process is working… but it’s still too slow.” He rubbed his chin in thought.

  This elixir was designed to temporarily weaken the plant’s energy. The goal was simple:

  Lower its strength just enough so that it would absorb external energy more efficiently.

  Prevent it from maturing too quickly before its quality improved.

  Because in the end, it didn’t matter if the plant reached Earth Grade-A—if it matured too soon, it wouldn’t serve his greater plan.

  Under normal conditions:

  A Yellow-Grade Plant reached harvest in two months.

  An Earth-Grade Plant required four.

  But the goal wasn’t just to cultivate a stronger plant.

  The real goal was harmony.

  If he could perfectly balance the garden’s elemental absorption rates, he could push the plants beyond their natural limits—even beyond Earth Grade.

  “This elixir is just a step,” Devor muttered. “Next, I need a way to slow growth while accelerating absorption.”

  Three extreme conditions needed to be controlled simultaneously—a nearly impossible task.

  And yet, Devor had a theory.

  Sky-Grade Plants had the ability to absorb and balance multiple elemental energies, a trait that made them highly sought after. If he could replicate that property within his own garden…

  He could create something entirely new.

  But that led to a problem.

  Sky-Grade Plants were extremely rare.

  Heavenly-Grade Plants were even rarer.

  Recently, Devor had discovered something alarming—Heavenly-Grade Plants didn’t naturally exist in this world.

  They originated from the Immortal World.

  This meant that Sky-Grade Plants were the highest attainable quality within the Mortal Realm.

  Unless…

  Devor’s mind raced with possibilities.

  Could it be possible to artificially create a Heavenly-Grade Plant?

  If so—how?

  And what would the consequences be?

  "What about poison?"

  A voice drifted through the air.

  Devor immediately straightened up, his body tensing slightly. Without warning, Juyin’s figure materialized behind him, his presence as abrupt as ever.

  "Greetings, Senior." Devor bowed respectfully, hiding his surprise.

  Juyin gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the garden. "If you want to weaken plants—or any living thing—poison is the best tool for the job."

  Devor furrowed his brows. "Poison is too strong for plants. If used carelessly, it will kill them almost instantly."

  Juyin regarded him with mild amusement. "Tell me, how many types of poison do you think exist in this world?"

  Devor hesitated. He wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about poisons—his understanding was basic at best. To him, their primary function was killing.

  "I'm not sure, Senior," Devor admitted. "But a good poison is one that can eliminate an enemy."

  Juyin let out a quiet chuckle. "Not entirely wrong," he said, "but too narrow."

  He stepped forward, his tone calm yet carrying an underlying weight. "Poisons can kill, yes. But that’s just one of their many functions. There are countless types of poison—each designed for different effects."

  Devor remained silent, sensing that this lesson was more than it seemed.

  Juyin continued, "Some poisons paralyze the body. Others distort a person’s perception of danger. Some poisons make their victims believe they are stronger than they actually are, leading them into reckless battles. Others instill a slow, creeping weakness—one that cultivators don’t even notice until it’s too late."

  Devor’s eyes widened slightly. That… made sense.

  Poison wasn’t just a tool for death—it was a method of disruption, of control.

  Juyin’s gaze darkened, his next words spoken almost too casually.

  "I once poisoned an enemy of mine."

  Devor instinctively stayed silent, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

  "I didn’t kill him immediately," Juyin continued. "I wanted to break him first."

  There was a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips—a look of nostalgia.

  Devor resisted the urge to step back. Poison Masters truly were terrifying.

  Juyin’s voice remained calm. "First, I gave him a weak poison—just enough to dull his sense of danger. I let it sit in his system for six months, slowing his cultivation and gradually eroding his body’s natural resilience."

  Devor clenched his fists. Six months…

  "He never noticed," Juyin added with amusement. "Even when he did, it was too late. He sought out Medical Masters, alchemists… but I had already prepared for that. Every cure they gave him contained a little more poison."

  A quiet chill ran through Devor’s veins.

  "A year later, his body had deteriorated beyond recovery. That’s when I gave him my final dose."

  Juyin studied Devor’s reaction, as if gauging whether he truly understood.

  "He didn’t die quickly," Juyin continued. "The final poison kept him alive—for over a decade. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t cultivate. He was nothing more than a conscious corpse."

  The weight of those words settled heavily in the air.

  Devor swallowed. A fate worse than death.

  Juyin’s gaze was unwavering. "If I can do this to a cultivator… why not apply the same logic to a Spiritual Plant?"

  Devor’s breath caught. Wait.

  Juyin tilted his head slightly. "Wouldn’t that get you the results you need?"

  The realization struck like lightning.

  He had been limiting himself.

  Up until now, he had been focused on alchemy-based elixirs—but poison could act as a precise counterbalance. Instead of merely weakening a plant, he could use it to adjust its growth patterns.

  Devor hesitated, his mind racing. "But poison and elixirs don’t mix. The poison would cancel out the effects of the elixir."

  "Exactly," Juyin confirmed. "Which is why you don’t mix them. You use poison to suppress a plant’s growth after applying an elixir. That way, you delay its harvest while maintaining its increasing quality."

  Devor’s eyes lit up.

  That— That was something he could work with!

  "Senior, how do I create such a poison?" he asked eagerly.

  Juyin shrugged. "I wouldn’t know."

  Devor blinked. "...Huh?"

  "I specialize in poisons for humans," Juyin clarified. "But Spiritual Plants? Their structure is different. If you used a poison meant for cultivators on a plant, the results would likely be disastrous."

  Devor exhaled. That makes sense.

  Who would even bother creating poisons for plants? Most cultivators only cared about killing their enemies, not developing customized toxins for agriculture.

  Juyin observed him thoughtfully. "If you want to pursue this path, you have two options—seek out a Poison Master who studies plant-based toxins… or harness the power of the Spiritual Tree."

  Devor frowned. "Harness its power?"

  "The Spiritual Tree’s energy isn’t traditional poison," Juyin explained. "It’s the very essence of decay and transformation. If you learn to refine it using poison techniques, you could create entirely new toxins—ones that don’t exist in any known alchemy records."

  Devor's pulse quickened.

  A completely untapped field of research… one that could revolutionize cultivation techniques.

  But also… one that could be highly dangerous.

  His methods were already unconventional. If he started developing plant-based poisons, what would that make him?

  A pioneer?

  Or a threat?

  Juyin seemed to sense his thoughts. "That’s all for today," he said. Then, just as suddenly as he appeared, he vanished.

  Yet, his words lingered.

  Devor turned toward the towering Venom Spiritual Tree.

  If he could harness its essence…

  If he could master this balance between poison and life…

  It would change everything.