My health recovery is incredibly fast.

Although he tried his best to control his trembling and buried his face in his chest, the trembling sounds filled with fear betrayed him.

Another one with black dots.

Obviously, 10 points of Willpower are useless when facing black dots; you'll still see what you're supposed to see, at most reducing the number of black dots.

Including Anruer, six students have tried the Black Eye Poison so far, and three of them saw countless black spots.

A minute later, Hodge wiped the sweat from his forehead and said weakly, "I made it through."

Kurov, sitting behind his desk, asked, "Are you seeing black dots?"

Hodge opened his mouth as if to say something in his defense, but ultimately lowered his head and said, "Yes..."

Xia Zuo looked at Yulanda, who was at the very end of the line.

After witnessing Hodge's reaction, she realized that the medicine she had taken in advance was ineffective. She hesitated for a few seconds with a conflicted expression, then tilted her head back and drank her own poison.

A few seconds later.

“What I see are distorted lines.” A smile bloomed on Yolanda’s solemn face, which, combined with her dark eyes, gave her a somewhat eerie expression.

Like a drunkard, she swayed her upper body from side to side, looking at her arms in confusion. She managed to get through a minute in a daze, unlike Xia Zuo who slumped onto the table with his eyes closed and tried to stay upright the first time he tried it.

When Xia Zuo first tried the Black Eye Poison, he did it alone.

Looking back now, it can be considered a case of ignorance is bliss.

The status of Black Eye Agent at the trainee level is already very clear.

It is a hurdle deliberately set up by the academy to screen students studying poison alchemy.

If you overcome this hurdle, you can stay in the field of poison alchemy for now. If you fail to overcome it, you are destined to leave this discipline.

As for why most people see black dots, a few see distorted lines, and a very small number see something else entirely…

The instructor's notes didn't mention it, but Xia Zuo had some guesses.

People's attitudes toward things can be categorized into pessimistic, rational, and optimistic.

Pessimistic people will see densely packed, constantly expanding black dots in the hallucinations caused by the Black Eye Poison.

Even under the influence of visual hallucinations, rational people can still discern the true nature of things amidst distorted lines.

Optimistic people may see things they like in their hallucinations.

Neither pessimistic nor optimistic people are suited for poison alchemy.

Because when learning about refining powders later, we will frequently use the more potent black eye poison.

Only rational individuals can maintain their cognitive clarity amidst hallucinations and continue down the path of poison alchemy.

Attitude towards things is not displayed on the character template, but it truly affects everyone. Its influence can no longer be simply measured by the level of willpower attribute.

Kulov stared at the two dejected students. "Biggs, starting tomorrow, you'll transfer to the Department of Functional Medicines. Hodge, you'll transfer to the Department of Elemental Representation."

Normally, the prerequisite for learning meditation is that one has reached the proficiency level in all four alchemical disciplines.

Failure to pass the Black Eye Poison trial means being unable to become a novice poison alchemist, and thus completely losing any chance of becoming a mage.

Then why keep them in the university?

The question that popped into Xia Zuo's mind stunned him.

Could this be related to the kingdom's plan to expand its territory? Do they need to cultivate a group of entry-level alchemists?

Kulov didn't notice the teaching assistant's thoughtful expression. He looked at the female freshman whose face showed a hint of joy, "Yoranda, from now on you will be in charge of concocting and testing poisons under Shazo's guidance."

"Yes, Professor."

"Alright, everyone go back and rest." Kurov waved towards the door, picked up a book, and walked towards the soft sofa.

Biggs and Hodge left the Basic Alchemy Chamber.

Yolanda rushed to the cleaning pool first, "Senior, let me clean it."

Xia Zuo snapped out of his thoughts and said with a polite smile, "Okay, I'll leave it to you."

He walked to his desk, sat down, and picked up his pen to write down his teaching reflections for the evening.

Then, he watched Yolanda clean the alchemy room for a while, and felt inexplicably tired.

If he had to choose between crafting poisons and interacting with people, he would prefer to work with the advanced alchemy table.

The charm style might not be suitable for me...

Xia Zuo shook his head slightly and walked towards the door.

...

The next day, in the evening.

After finishing their dinner, Xia Zuo and An Ru'er arrived at the Poison Alchemy Zone a few minutes early.

He entered the Basic Alchemy Chamber and saw his mentor sitting at his desk, writing. Since the arrival of the new student, the mentor would end his meditation each night to help him prepare the materials for the evening's class.

Good evening, Professor.

Xia Zuo came to the other side of the desk and described his speculations about the Black Eye Poison.

"It's very close to the correct answer."

Kulov nodded with a smile, stroking his beard, and said:

"The Black Eye Poison Trial can directly filter out students who are not suitable for poison alchemy. They are not eliminated because of insufficient aptitude, but simply because they are not suitable or mismatched."

"Professor, I have made another discovery."

Xia Zuo took a bottle of refined Black Eye Poison from the shelf:

"I always felt that the images in my visions were actually two layers overlapping. The distorted lines were one layer, and the drifting dots of light were another. If we could peel away the distorted lines, wouldn't the Black Eye Poison become the Black Eye Medicine?"

Kulov's smile widened as he took a book out of his desk drawer and showed it the cover.

On the black leather exterior are five large, vibrant purple characters:

"The stripping away of toxic effects".

"Isolation of Toxins", "Encyclopedia of Toxins", and "Guide to the Identification of Common Toxins" are three textbooks for interns.

"Polymerization of Toxins", "Enhancing Toxicity", and "Guide to the Preparation of Refined Powders of Toxic Agents" are introductory textbooks.

"The Decontamination of Toxicity" is a textbook for advanced learners.

As the title suggests, this is a book that teaches people how to detoxify specific toxic effects.

Kulov put the book on the table and said:

"Skilled poison alchemists, after completing this stage of the curriculum, are already able to explore the vast ocean of complex toxins on their own."

"Perhaps you've already thought of it. Poison alchemy and functional potion alchemy are interconnected at the proficient level. By stripping away the useless poisonous effects and processing them through functional potion alchemy, they become functional potions."

He said earnestly:

"It's excellent that you've noticed the special features of Black Eye Venom; that's commendable. I can reveal some of its secrets."

Xia Zuo sat up straight, his eyes fixed on his mentor.

"After being refined, Black Eye Poison interacts with four elements simultaneously. Drinking it can increase resistance to all four elements at the same time. It tastes slightly sweet, unlike other poisons that are bitter. Apart from the hallucination effect, it has almost no obvious drawbacks."

Kulov ran his finger along the shelf against the wall:

"Look how special it is among poisons. It increases resistance to elements without experiencing pain."

"As long as what you see in the hallucination effect is neither countless black dots that inspire fear nor things that inspire excitement, you can easily enhance your elemental resistance using Black Eye Poison."

"You are now a novice poison alchemist, and you have tried the refined Black Eye Poison. You must be able to feel its benefits."

Xia Zuo thought for a moment and nodded.

Indeed it is.

Of all the known poisons, only the Black Eye Poison is best suited for farming rewards.

Kulov lightly pats the cover of "The Stripping of Toxic Effects":

"At the proficient level, you will learn the second refinement formula for Black Eye Poison."

"It will develop new toxic effects due to refining. You need to strip away its other toxic effects, keeping only the illusion effect, and continue to use it to increase elemental resistance."

"Of course, if your willpower is strong enough, you can drink the refined Black Eye Poison twice without removing the other poison effects."

After Kulov finished speaking, he looked up at the alchemical lamp on the ceiling and sighed, "..."

"Black Eye Poison has existed for a very, very long time. The alchemists of the Mage Temple spent countless years finally developing its refined powder formula."

"If this complete formula didn't exist..."

"We can only learn from the ancient masters of poison alchemy, exploring the effects of toxins through countless painful trials. Let alone expert-level poison alchemists, we might even die from injuries at the proficient level."

Speaking of the Mage's Temple, Kulov remembered something.

He glanced at the calendar on the table and asked, "How's your self-study on refining poison powder going?"

"The refining methods for the white palate and black eye poisons have been fully mastered."

Xia Zuo carefully noted down his mentor's words and briefly calculated his progress:

"The refining methods for the remaining three trainee-level poisons can be mastered within about three months. The four entry-level poisons and their corresponding refining methods will require six months to fully master."

Kulov looked away from the calendar. "Hmm, very good. Keep it up. The Mage Temple's inspection team will arrive in about 10 months."

"An inspection team?" Xia Zuo asked, puzzled.

Kulov took a piece of cardstock from the drawer, unfolded a pyramid-shaped pattern on the table, and pointed to the top of the pyramid, saying:

"This is an alchemical potential rating chart. Only our field of poison alchemy requires precise assessment of students' alchemical potential; other disciplines do not have this requirement."

"On your first day as a novice poison alchemist, you have refined nine bottles of perfect-quality refined powder. Your alchemical potential is temporarily rated as top-tier, second-class."

"The Temple of the Mage will send an inspection team to investigate you."

"This is a rare opportunity, so make the most of it. If you pass the assessment, in addition to a reward from the Mage Temple, you will also be able to travel to the Eastern Continent and study at the Mage Temple for a period of time after you become a formal mage."

Xia Zuo stared at the pyramid-shaped pattern, and four lines of text caught his eye:

On the first day, nine portions of perfectly refined poison powder were produced.

Poison Alchemy Potential Rating: Top Tier 2