The soul of the Swamp Poison Centipede tried to resist, but in the next moment, Song Jie absorbed it into his system space.
After that, he dispelled his Demonification form.
He truly hadn't come in vain this time!
Once he sold this Commander-level essence orb, he would instantly earn several hundred million!
At that moment, Song Jie suddenly had an idea — he wanted to travel around and spar with Commander-level demons. Whoever lost would have to hand over a complete Commander-level essence orb!
However, whether a Commander-level essence orb dropped still depended on luck.
Song Jie quickly dismissed the thought. The outside world wasn't that simple, after all.
For now, he decided to play it safe. As long as all his Advanced Level magic underwent major breakthroughs, his defenses would be unmatched — then he wouldn't fear venturing out!
Unfortunately, he hadn't yet fully mastered the Advanced Level star path, so those thoughts had to wait.
Song Jie rubbed his chin and said regretfully, "This corpse is quite valuable too. After all, it's a Commander-level corpse."
However, it was far too large to fit into his system space. Moving it later would be troublesome.
Just then, Song Jie heard a strange sound not far away and frowned as he walked toward it.
Nearby, Li Man had originally come searching for demon corpses.
But as soon as she stepped into the swamp, she felt all her strength drain away.
"What's going on? The swamp's poison is this strong?!" Li Man thought in alarm.
The antidote she brought was completely useless. As a High-Level Mage, she actually felt powerless!
Just then, several Lizard Skull Giant Demons swam toward her through the swamp.
"It's over…" she thought despairingly.
She couldn't even call for help or cast any magic. Her body grew heavy, and she could feel the poison spreading through her entire system.
Li Man scanned her surroundings and suddenly spotted a dark figure approaching through the night!
She tried to reach out, desperate for help, but couldn't even make a sound.
The person who appeared was Song Jie.
After finishing off the demons in the area, he had rushed to her side.
Seeing her condition, Song Jie immediately realized she had been poisoned by the swamp. He took out a small vial and poured a few drops of its liquid onto Li Man's red lips.
It was an essence diluted with Li Rui's blood — capable of detoxifying even potent poisons.
Once she swallowed it, Song Jie lifted her into his arms to carry her back. But as he did, his steps suddenly sank.
Song Jie blinked in surprise. Li Man didn't look particularly plump.
How could she be this heavy…?
Then he realized — the "weight" was all in the right places.
Soon, they returned to where the Swamp Poison Centipede's corpse lay. Li Man slowly regained consciousness.
Her first words were, "Were you the one responsible for what happened at Dongting Lake?"
"What happened?" Song Jie replied innocently.
"Are you feeling alright now?" he added.
"The toxins in my body seem to be expelling themselves," Li Man said weakly.
"That's good!" Song Jie nodded. "You're lucky you ran into me — otherwise, those demons would've made a meal out of you."
"Thank you," Li Man said sincerely. She knew how close she had come to death.
"There's no need for thanks. Since fate brought us together, we might as well share this good fortune."
Song Jie smiled. "I'm a fair man. Let's split this Commander-level corpse fifty-fifty."
"Commander-level corpse?" Li Man was stunned.
"Yes, that one over there." Song Jie pointed to the Swamp Poison Centipede's enormous body not far away.
Li Man turned to look, the moonlight illuminating the massive form.
"This can't be… a Swamp Poison Centipede, right?" she asked in disbelief.
"I don't know. I just arrived at Dongting Lake," Song Jie said casually.
"You killed it?"
"How could that be?" Song Jie chuckled. "I just saw it fighting another demon. They brawled once yesterday and tore each other apart tonight."
Li Man frowned slightly. "Can you… put me down?"
When he carried her, his hand seemed to rest in a slightly inappropriate place. It made her uncomfortable, though she didn't call him out — he had just saved her, after all.
"Alright," Song Jie said, setting her down gently.
"Finders keepers. We'll split it evenly," he said with a grin.
Song Jie knew she was from the military, so cooperating with her was the best option.
Otherwise, he'd have no way to deal with such a large corpse. Commander-level remains were valuable and tightly controlled.
Li Man understood as much — Song Jie simply didn't have the means to transport it himself.
"I haven't asked your name yet," she said.
"Song Jie."
"Li Man."
After introducing herself, she added, "Actually, I'm with the military. Since this is a joint operation, you'll receive your fair share once it's processed."
Song Jie feigned surprise but smiled inwardly. "You're from the military? That's great. I can rest easy then."
"Did you encounter anything strange around Dongting Lake?" Li Man asked.
She didn't think Song Jie was her target — he was too young to possess such strength. Most likely, he was just another treasure hunter searching for an Earth Element Soul Seed.
"No," Song Jie replied honestly. "If anything stood out, it was seeing a lot of dead Lizard Skull Giant Demons when I arrived."
Li Man nodded. She sensed he truly didn't know anything, so she dropped the topic.
She sat down to rest and said, "By your age, you should still be a student, right?"
"Yeah."
"Where do you study?"
"Pearl Institute."
Li Man raised an eyebrow. "A Pearl Institute student came all the way here to train?"
"A friend told me there might be an Earth Element Soul Seed here, so I came to take a look," Song Jie replied smoothly.
Li Man nodded again.
"Tomorrow, I'll signal the Dongting Lake military unit," she said. "They'll come to collect the Swamp Poison Centipede's corpse for appraisal. Only after that will we know how much you're owed."
"Sounds good," Song Jie said. He trusted Li Man enough to agree.
"Did you give me something earlier?" Li Man asked curiously. "All the toxins in my body are completely gone."
She had tried several antidotes earlier with no effect. The swamp poison wasn't something ordinary remedies could dispel.
Song Jie answered calmly, "That was from a friend. He said it could cure any poison."
Li Man tilted her head. "Your friend must be from a wealthy family, right?"
Song Jie seized the opportunity, feigning surprise. "How did you know?"
"Because something that potent is incredibly expensive. Ordinary people couldn't possibly afford it," Li Man said, glancing at him thoughtfully.
She could tell from its effects — this was no ordinary antidote.
...
Author's Note:
The first half (completed version more that 320 chapters) of Versatile Mage: My Magic Has Gone Beyond Limits! is now available on Patreon!
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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