Serpent Ancestor

Chen Pingzhi examined Wang Xiaoniu briefly, then walked over and took his pulse, pinching his brow.

"Immortal, my son... what's wrong with him?" Wang Daniu asked nervously.

"No need to worry," Chen Pingzhi replied gently. He glanced at the tattered books behind Wang Xiaoniu and said, "He has a naturally high spiritual perception, but unfortunately, his aptitude is too poor for cultivation. However, he could make a good scholar. If he passes the county exam, he can join the Astrology Bureau as a clerk. Just mention my name."

He had noticed Wang Xiaoniu earlier but hadn't had the chance to examine him closely. Now that he did, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

After speaking, he turned and left without lingering.

As soon as Chen Pingzhi left, the nearby villagers gathered around, full of envy.

"The Astrology Bureau, that's a place for immortals!"

"To be noticed by an immortal, the Wang family is truly blessed!"

Amidst the compliments, Wang Daniu gritted his teeth and made up his mind. Even if he had to sell everything, he would ensure Little Niu got an education.

***

After the authorities left, the snake catchers came again. They searched the mountains but found no trace of the Old Snake King.

Instead, they encountered a water-dwelling monster by the river and fought it, both sides sustaining injuries.

As time passed, the matter was gradually forgotten.

***

Downstream of the river, the water flowed rapidly. A slender black shadow moved stealthily in the water.

Suddenly, the water splashed as if a giant fish was struggling, but it quickly calmed down.

Moments later, a snake's head emerged from the water and crawled onto the shore.

This snake was entirely black, its scales glistening faintly. Its belly was bulging, indicating it had just swallowed a large fish.

This was Xu Hei.

It had been a month since Xu Hei arrived here, and the torrential rain had gradually stopped.

Living by the river, his meals had improved significantly. He often caught meter-long fish, which provided him with plenty of food.

However, these ordinary foods did little to aid his cultivation. He still longed for demonic beast meat and even considered returning to the river ditch to take a look.

But such dangerous thoughts quickly vanished.

Xu Hei really didn't want to face the authorities, the snake catchers, or any unknown monsters.

Now that he had a cultivation technique, he could slowly improve his cultivation over time without taking unnecessary risks.

Xu Hei coiled up on a rock, practicing his breathing exercises. Threads of spiritual qi from the heavens and earth converged into dragon-like streams, entering the gaps between his scales.

Gradually, his scales began to glisten.

Two scales at the tip of his tail even showed faint golden patterns, forming a triangular shape—new scales he had never seen before.

Xu Hei opened his eyes, and as his scales rubbed against the rock, stone dust fell, but his scales remained unscathed.

"These scales... they're as tough as refined iron!" Xu Hei thought in surprise.

He didn't know when this phenomenon started; he only noticed the two special new scales on his tail in the past month.

Moreover, a third scale was slowly forming nearby, though at a very slow pace.

He searched his memories but found no explanation.

Xu Hei suspected it had something to do with the cultivation technique he got from Chen Fan, which seemed quite mysterious.

As for the Demon God Cauldron inside him, he was also studying it.

This cauldron had completely replaced the function of his demon core. The spiritual qi mist inside represented Xu Hei's cultivation level. After his breakthrough, the volume of the mist hadn't changed, only its density increased.

Xu Hei focused his divine sense on the surface of the small cauldron, where a lifelike flood dragon was engraved. Its body seemed smooth but was actually covered in countless tiny scales, visible only when magnified a hundred times.

Inside the dragon's body were numerous fine lines resembling blood vessels and meridians, lifelike and requiring at least a thousand times magnification to see clearly.

With his current divine sense, Xu Hei could only magnify it a hundred times.

He sighed and withdrew his divine sense.

"My divine sense is still not strong enough. When I become stronger and can see those meridians clearly, I might gain some insights," Xu Hei pondered.

***

Upstream of the Zhang River, a massive shadow moved stealthily in the water, heading downstream.

It was a giant octopus.

Its body was enormous, black as ink, with seven tentacles extending up to three meters. As it moved, it caught fish, bringing them to its mouth to devour.

This was the monster that had been devouring people in the river ditch during high tide.

A few days ago, it had fought the snake catchers and got injured. With the tide receding, it left the river ditch and returned to the main river.

If one looked closely, they would see one of its tentacles was severed, as if cut by a sharp blade, and there were burn marks under its belly.

Demonic beasts all had intelligence.

Before leaving, it had used a human child as bait to swallow a Qi Refining Stage snake catcher, venting its anger.

Now, it was at the third level of the Spirit Communion Stage, nearing the mid-stage, having lived for countless years and becoming a tyrant of the waters.

The giant octopus drifted downstream, catching fish along the way. All the fish fled in panic, as if facing a great enemy.

On the riverbank.

Xu Hei's eyes were fixed on a willow tree, his tail coiled behind him like a tightly wound spring, ready to strike at any moment.

Xu Hei focused his mind.

Suddenly, the two scales at the tip of his tail stood up like sharp blades. In the next moment, his tail lashed out like a steel whip, striking the willow tree.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the willow tree was cut in half, the cut smooth as it fell into the river, splashing water.

Looking at his handiwork, Xu Hei thought to himself, "These scales are as hard as iron and sharp-edged. They can be used as weapons. Unfortunately, I only have two on my tail. When my whole body is covered with these scales, my defense should be formidable."

Xu Hei also had his venomous fangs, but their poison was too weak. The scales, on the other hand, had a more direct impact.

"Let's find a fish to test its power."

Xu Hei's body flashed as he dove into the river. Any technique needed to be tested in real combat.

If it was difficult to catch fish with it, he might as well not use it in the future. It would be better to avoid relying on it for survival, only to be hindered by it.

Strangely, Xu Hei searched for a while but found no fish.

Just as he was about to return, he suddenly sensed a strong current nearby. A massive black shadow emerged from the riverbed, swimming quickly toward him.

"An octopus?"

Xu Hei was startled. He had never seen such a large octopus before, but he didn't think much of it. He had seen even bigger fish. The Snake Village had once caught a three-meter-long fish, and its taste was unforgettable.

As the octopus approached, Xu Hei swam closer, his scales standing up. His tail lashed out like a whip, treating the octopus as a test subject.

"Swish!"

The octopus recoiled, losing two tentacles.

Xu Hei was momentarily stunned but continued to advance, lashing out again. This time, he aimed directly at the octopus's head. The octopus seemed to want to escape but was too slow. With a flash of cold light, its head was split open.

The massive body thrashed a few times in the water before sinking to the riverbed, lifeless.

Despite his success, Xu Hei was not satisfied. It took him two strikes to kill a fish. If he encountered a real demonic beast, he might be dead before he could even make a move.

"This technique is useless. If it takes this much effort to kill an octopus, using it against a demonic beast would be suicidal. Not to mention the snake catchers; they'd kill me before I could even strike."

Xu Hei shook his head in frustration.

He was about to go up and devour the corpse when he noticed a wooden token floating up from the split in the octopus's body, drifting in front of him.

The moment he saw the token, Xu Hei felt as if struck by lightning. He retreated several meters, staring at the wooden token as it floated up, completely stunned.

This token was a snake catcher's token!