Aksai’s eyes shifted slightly, glancing at Arkaal, who was already preparing to place the curse.

Then he looked inward again.

Seralyth’s thought echoed faintly in his memory.

"...a blessing..."

Aksai slowly exhaled. The tension in his body eased. The Spirit energy he had gathered dispersed quietly, returning to its normal flow.

’Fine,’ he thought. ’I’ll trust you.’

From the outside, nothing seemed to have changed. He still looked like a restrained Expert, unable to resist. But inside, his decision had completely shifted. Instead of running, He chose to stay still and accept what was coming.

Arkaal did not wait any longer.

He raised his hand, and the blood mist behind him gathered once again. This time, it formed faster and more tightly, shaping itself into the three-headed serpent. The creature hissed softly as it took form, its three heads turning toward Aksai at the same time.

"It’s good that you have stayed still. Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon," Arkaal said in a calm voice. The three smaller serpents around Aksai tightened their hold, locking his arms and legs in place.

The three-headed serpent moved.

It lunged forward and surrounded Aksai just like it had done with Raaden. One head hovered in front of his face, another behind his back, and the third near his chest.

Then it began.

Thin streams of dark red mist flowed out from the serpent’s mouths. They moved like threads and entered Aksai’s body through his nose, mouth, and skin.

At first, everything looked normal.

Arkaal’s expression remained calm. He controlled the flow of poison with steady precision, guiding it into Aksai’s body just like before.

But a few moments later, something felt off. Arkaal’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The poison was going in. But the response was not what he expected.

Raaden had reacted almost instantly. His body had resisted, his veins had darkened, and the curse had taken root quickly.

Aksai... showed none of that. He stood there, breathing evenly. There was tension in his body, but no violent reaction. No visible struggle. Arkaal frowned.

’Hmm? What is this?’ he thought.

He increased the flow of poison. More blood mist poured into Aksai’s body. The amount now was already equal to what he had used on Raaden.

Still... nothing.

Aksai’s body absorbed it quietly.

Inside, however, something else was happening.

Deep within the druid, his second heart—the Druid’s Poison Heart—began to beat faster.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Each beat grew stronger as the poison entered his body. The moment the toxic energy spread through his veins, the second heart pulled it in.

It devoured the poison. Not a single drop went to waste. Not a single strand of poison essence was spared.

The poison was broken down and turned into something else—pure life essence. That energy spread through Aksai’s body, strengthening his flesh and nourishing his Spirit core.

A faint warmth spread inside him. His cultivation base stirred slightly, receiving a small but clear boost. At the same time, his body felt more solid, more refined.

Aksai kept his face steady. But inside, he understood.

’Seralyth was right,’ he thought.

Back outside, Arkaal’s frown deepened.

He pushed more poison into Aksai. Twice the amount. The blood mist thickened as it flowed continuously into Aksai’s body.

Even then...

The curse was still not complete. Arkaal’s eyes sharpened.

’What the fuc*k is wrong with this brat?’ he thought, a hint of irritation rising within him.

For the first time, he felt something was not under his full control. He did not stop. Instead, his expression turned serious.

’Fine. Let me see how long you last,’ he muttered.

If the normal method was not enough, he would force it.

Arkaal drew in a deep breath and released more of his power. His Spirit essence surged, feeding into the blood serpent. The mist grew denser, heavier, and more potent.

But he did not stop there. A faint trace of his life essence mixed into the flow. Arkaal had subconsciously started believing as if his skills and powers were being challenged by an inexperienced youth.

Even Prince Arven’s expression shifted slightly as he watched. Arkaal was going all out. The three-headed serpent let out a low hiss as it poured everything into Aksai. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The pressure around Aksai increased. Yet, he still stood there. Inside him, the Druid’s Poison Heart beat faster and louder than ever before.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Thankfully, Arkaal and others took it as a natural sign of someone getting poisoned by a curse. Otherwise, Aksai’s cover would have blown. The druid’s second heart consumed everything that entered his body.

The stronger the poison, the faster it worked. The life essence produced became richer, spreading through his limbs and strengthening him bit by bit.

Aksai could feel it clearly. His body was growing stronger. His Spirit energy felt more refined. It was not a huge leap, but it was steady progress.

Arkaal, on the other hand, began to feel the strain.

Even though he tried to keep his face calm, a faint tightness appeared in his expression. His breathing grew slightly heavier as he continued to pour more power into the process.

After a long moment, he finally pulled back. The blood serpent dissolved into mist and faded away.

Silence spread in the hall.

Aksai remained standing, the smaller serpents around him loosening slightly.

Arkaal lowered his hand slowly.

A faint mark had appeared on Aksai’s chest, similar to Raaden’s. It looked like a coiled serpent, quiet and still.

The curse... was finally placed. Arkaal exhaled softly, hiding the slight exhaustion in his body. His eyes stayed on Aksai, a hint of doubt still lingering deep within them.

Arkaal did not move for a few seconds after finishing the curse. His eyes stayed on Aksai, sharp and cold, as if he was trying to see through him. There was a hint of doubt in his gaze now, something that had not been there before.

Aksai stood where he was, his breathing steady. On the surface, he looked tired, as if he had barely managed to survive the process. But there was no sign of real damage on his body. In fact, his aura felt slightly more stable than before.

That was what caught Arkaal’s attention.

This time, he did not let it slide past him unnoticed. Instead, he stepped forward slowly, his gaze narrowing as he observed Aksai from head to toe. The faint scent of poison still lingered in the air around him, mixed with that strange beastly presence that came from his bloodline.

"Brat..." Arkaal said in a low voice, his tone no longer casual.

Aksai raised his head slightly and met his eyes, though he still acted restrained under the pressure in the hall.

"Let me check your constitution."

Before Aksai could respond, Arkaal disappeared from his spot. In the next moment, he was already standing right in front of Aksai.

Aksai’s pupils shrank a little as he felt the sudden shift. The pressure around him increased sharply, like a heavy mountain pressing down on his shoulders. He stiffened instinctively, his body reacting like any normal Foundation Establishment Expert would in front of such overwhelming force.

Arkaal raised his hand and placed it directly on Aksai’s head. Aksai did not resist. He couldn’t—not without exposing himself. So he let his body go rigid, his face showing a mix of tension and helplessness.

Arkaal closed his eyes.

A strange energy flowed from his palm and entered Aksai’s body. It moved through his meridians, slow and careful, like a snake crawling through a dark tunnel. The energy carried a faint poisonous nature, mixed with something deeper from his bloodline.

Aksai felt it clearly. But he controlled everything inside him.

The Druid’s Poison Heart slowed its activity just enough to avoid drawing attention. Due to its druidic nature and higher caliber, it was not something that could be easily detected by a Lod-level cultivator anyway unless they knew what they were looking for.

The rest of his body stayed normal, letting Arkaal’s senses move through him without obstruction. A few seconds passed in silence.

Then, suddenly—

Arkaal’s eyes snapped open. A wide smile spread across his face.

"Hahaha!"

His laughter echoed through the hall, sharp and full of interest.

He removed his hand from Aksai’s head and took a small step back, still looking at him like he had just found something valuable.

"Brat," he said, his voice filled with clear excitement now, "it seems you have some kind of natural poison constitution."

Aksai lowered his gaze slightly, still acting confused and unsure.

"A... poison constitution?" he asked, as if he had just heard about it for the first time.

Arkaal nodded, his eyes gleaming.

"Yes. Not a common one either," he added. "Your body absorbs poison far better than normal cultivators. No wonder you could take in so much of my curse without dying."

He chuckled again, clearly pleased.

Prince Arven, who had been watching quietly till now, also showed a hint of surprise on his face. He looked at Aksai with renewed interest, his smile deepening slightly.

===

AN: Druid’s Poison Heart is first mentioned in Chapter 742.