"Clear-Manifestation Green Snake..."
Thinking of the descriptions in the ancient texts, Qi Ping couldn't help but feel moved. This was a very special, attribute-less spirit beast.
When a Clear-Manifestation Green Snake was first born, its body and soul strength might be no different from an ordinary Rank 3 spirit beast, or perhaps even slightly inferior. Its bloodline wouldn't pass down powerful spells, so its combat methods were very average.
The only things worth noting were its strong, flexible body and its decent soul, along with very high combat reactions and agility. But compared to beasts of the same bloodline rank, it was far weaker—almost like a beautiful but useless vase. If it ran into them at that stage, it would likely be beaten senseless, or even killed if its luck was bad. Their youth could truly be described as "weak."
However, there was a reason the Clear-Manifestation Green Snake was rated as having a Rank 4 mid-grade bloodline. In fact, Qi Ping felt Rank 4 mid-grade might even be a bit low; it could easily be pushed higher.
The reason it could rise against the odds was its bloodline's representative talent: the Clear-Manifestation Mirror!
This talent gave the snake the ability to observe all worldly laws! Through daily observation and observation during battle, the snake could rapidly learn the abilities or spells of other spirit beasts or humans! Using this talent, almost every Clear-Manifestation Green Snake that successfully reached adulthood was a textbook "all-rounder."
They were proficient in almost all common spells and could easily see through a caster's weaknesses, using the most efficient methods to break their techniques and win. Their lack of an innate attribute became an advantage here, allowing them to cast spells of most attributes. Though the power might be slightly reduced, they could replicate about seventy to eighty percent—or even more—of the original combat strength!
However, this ability had limitations. For abilities that were highly specialized or extremely profound, even the Clear-Manifestation Mirror struggled to analyze them. This often led to the snake becoming a "jack of all trades, master of none"—knowing many abilities but excelling in none.
This resulted in many snakes being "noob-stompers" in the low-to-mid levels, but facing truly powerful beasts like the Dream-Illusion Moth or Spirit-Devouring Beast, their chances of death were very high.
But this didn't mean the Clear-Manifestation Green Snake was weak. Some snakes relied on this ability to walk a path that left others of the same rank in the dust! They mastered the laws of all living things, taking the best from everyone to eventually step onto a path of an invincible body and a flawless soul. They weren't just all-rounders; they were all-rounders with transcendent combat power!
With this talent, many snakes even broke through their bloodline limits to become renowned powerhouses among the demon race, though such snakes were rare.
Simply put, this was a beast with a low floor but an incredibly high ceiling. Its future growth depended entirely on its own comprehension and effort.
And such a characteristic was exactly why Qi Ping was so pleased. Because the path of breaking limits was exactly the one he wanted to walk! He wanted to use what he had to forge a path that was entirely his own, unrestricted by bloodline or heritage!
Qi Ping had slowly moved past the initial stages, and his Druid profession had gradually developed, granting him many powerful abilities and talents. But he always held one belief: to take the best from everything, using the advantages of both a cultivator and a Druid to forge a true path to the heavens and immortality!
In Qi Ping's view, if one could not forge their own path, they were merely a puppet on strings. Only by perceiving the source and understanding all laws could one truly understand the Immortal Dao of longevity!
"The Clear-Manifestation Green Snake—it's the one!"
After the records flashed through his mind, Qi Ping made his final decision. To him, the value of the snake was far higher than that of the Spirit-Devouring Beast or the Dream-Illusion Moth. Such snakes were rare in the cultivation world; if he didn't take it now, he would truly regret it.
After making the decision, he immediately sent a trade request through the Mysterious Black Market. Soon, under his operation, his original 318,785 black market points were reduced by twenty-eight thousand for the trees, and then by another two hundred and eighty thousand, leaving only about ten thousand points.
With the remaining points, he picked out some rare spirit seeds and trees that might be highly useful, enriching the variety and quantity of his sanctuary. After his final order, he had only about five thousand points left for emergencies. His mid-grade spirit stones would soon decrease from eighty-six thousand to about fifty-five thousand.
"Black market points really don't last, but it's all worth it!"
After waiting over a week with great anticipation, he finally saw the familiar Box Puppet. When it arrived, the puppet presented a green-scaled snake egg radiating a hazy green light.
Qi Ping wasn't surprised; he had known from the product description that this was a Clear-Manifestation Green Snake egg close to hatching. Carefully taking the egg, he could clearly feel the tender yet incredibly powerful heartbeat within! Vaguely, he even seemed to hear a hiss of yearning to break the shell and be born—a voice tiny, yet full of hope.
When Qi Ping slowly brought his aura close to the egg, a feeling of deep intimacy radiated from within. Sensing this, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. The contract would definitely be no problem, and he quite liked the spirit of the little fellow inside.
"I hope you're a little guy who can give people surprises!"
If this snake's comprehension and aptitude were good enough to break its own limits, its growth here would be far better than in the wild. He didn't lack other spirit beasts for it to observe, nor did he lack powerful spell knowledge. In fact, as Qi Ping collected more, the spells in his territory would only increase. If the snake could utilize all of it, it could grow to an incredible level.
After confirming everything was correct, he completed the trade with the Box Puppet and took the egg back to his sanctuary. It would still take some time to hatch, which was perfect for him to raise his Druid level to 8...
(The Snake Year has begun! Little Green Snake wishes everyone Great Luck in the Year of the Snake! May your luck be continuous! I wish all readers the ability to walk toward the heavens and solve the mysteries of immortality!)