The North Has a Turtle, Its Color is Xuan

Upon returning to Crocodile Beach and sinking to the bottom of the water, he realized something he hadn't noticed in Snake Valley: he could breathe normally underwater, not through his cloaca, but with his lungs.

While not as smooth or full as breathing air, after adapting, the oxygen he inhaled from the water was enough for him to survive.

He could even move vigorously without any issues.

His speed had also increased because scales had grown on his limbs. Not dense, fish-like scales, but full and sharp like those of a qilin or dragon.

They were incredibly defensive, ringing like armor when struck. These scales also seemed to possess natural water manipulation abilities. Combined with Su He's Water Manipulation Divine Power, they complemented each other perfectly. With a thought from Su He, water would swirl around him, propelling him through the water like an arrow.

He could even detach water from his body. Su He could hurl a Water Sphere like a brick, launching it with a flick of his wrist. Though it lacked power, it was technically a ranged attack? If I can't beat you, I can at least drench you.

Looking at himself now, Su He was already seven parts similar to the Dragon Turtle in his mind, except his head hadn't transformed into a dragon's and his tail was still a turtle's.

This was sufficient; there was no need for further evolution. A dragon's head would be too large, and with horns, he wouldn't feel secure if he couldn't retract it into his shell.

A dragon's tail, however, would be beneficial, as its shape should increase swimming speed.

The crocodiles began to return from their hunts one after another.

The autumn fish were plump, and there was no shortage of prey. Occasionally, they would catch land-dwelling Wild Beasts and bring them to Su He with excited cries.

After this evolution, the variety of things Su He could eat had become even more limited.

Ordinary fish and beasts were no longer palatable. His sense of taste had improved too much; he could detect the fishy, gamey odor of wild beasts, making them difficult to swallow. Furthermore, the energy contained in ordinary beasts was too low; he ate faster than he could digest them.

Even beasts with a quality rating of two points felt mediocre.

Fortunately, the crocodile pack was vast. By having them bring offerings, they could consistently provide prey with a quality rating of three or four points. Su He simply returned any prey rated two points back to the crocodiles, only eating food rated three points or higher.

Even food rated three points was fully digested by the next day. Su He maintained a frequency of one meal per day.

Time passed day by day as he adapted to his evolved body.

His acute hearing, keen sense of smell, and suddenly enhanced physique left the turtle feeling disoriented.

In just three to four months, he had grown from the size of a dinner plate to the size of a double bed. This rapid growth required a long period of digestion and assimilation.

Fortunately, turtles never lacked time.

Su He accepted offerings at Crocodile Beach at night and returned to Snake Valley to sleep during the day.

The weather grew colder day by day. More than half of the venomous snakes in Snake Valley had disappeared; different species had different tolerances for the cold, and some snakes had already entered hibernation.

Even the Green Snake only came out to move around when the sun was strong, remaining lazily still the rest of the time.

In previous years, around this time, Su He would also be looking for a place to hibernate. This year, having grown scales, his cold resistance had significantly improved. He felt he could remain active for a while longer, waiting until after the Lesser Snow before hibernating.

The sun shone lazily, and an autumn wind blew outside the valley, making a whistling sound at the entrance. A small boat descended from the clouds, heading directly for Snake Valley.

The lazy Green Snake instantly perked up and darted onto Su He's shell. Su He watched as the flying boat slowly retreated towards the small lake.

Regardless of who the visitor was, retreating was the instinct of any beast.

There was a tunnel beneath the lake; if the situation turned unfavorable, he could escape.

The flying boat stopped above Snake Valley, and a transparent barrier appeared over Snake Valley, likely the restriction guarding the Green Snake that the Fat Daoist had mentioned.

"Fellow Daoist Green Snake, I am Gu Lin of the Azure Origin Sect. I have learned that your spiritual intelligence has awakened, and I have come to invite you to return to our mountain to cultivate."

Standing at the bow of the boat was a female cultivator dressed as a Daoist nun. Her unadorned face was pleasant, and her unhurried tone conveyed a sense of composure and unflappability.

This was a female Daoist practitioner with true cultivation.

Su He and the Green Snake thought this in unison.

Before the Green Snake could speak, a mischievous, childish voice came from the flying boat, "Big Turtle, Big Turtle, open the door quickly. It's me!"

A tiny figure in a small red outfit waved her chubby white arms on the flying boat, hopping and jumping.

It was Feng Ya Ya.

"Big Turtle! I've come to find you!"

Gu Lin pointed her finger, and the restriction opened. Before she could say anything else, Feng Ya Ya had already jumped down.

Gu Lin's expression changed instantly. Her Immortal Sword was drawn, pointing directly at Su He and the Green Snake.

The Green Snake felt as if facing a great enemy.

Feng Ya Ya, however, cried out and landed on Su He's head with a thud. The hard scales pricked her painfully, but she burst into laughter, "Big Turtle, Big Turtle, you've grown so big!"

Her scent hadn't changed; it was still him. But he had gone from a plate-sized meal to a large bed.

"Roar~" Su He quickly growled, informing the Green Snake that this was a friend. At the same time, he shielded Feng Ya Ya beneath him, preventing the Green Snake from attacking impulsively.

As neighbors and friends, and having been protected in Snake Valley for so long, Su He felt obligated to protect the Green Snake from being beaten by Feng Ya Ya.

The image of Feng Ya Ya whipping a wolf with a crocodile from two months ago was deeply etched in Su He's mind.

Don't let her small size fool you; she could conjure Spirit Talisman seals with a flick of her wrist. She was a little Rakshasa protected by magic power, not to be trifled with.

Gu Lin hastily landed in Snake Valley, her Immortal Sword sheathed, but her guard remained up.

After all, she was facing two beasts.

Especially the Green Snake, whose spiritual intelligence had awakened. It was unknown how much knowledge it had gained from its inheritance. Most inheritances only contained demonic arts and Daoist techniques, rarely involving human relationships or rules of conduct.

If it did involve such things... then one had to be cautious. The way the demon who left the inheritance conducted itself might not be entirely satisfactory.

"Fellow Daoist Green Snake, the Heavenly Mystery Mirror shows you have awakened your sentience. I, as an Elder of the Azure Origin Sect, am here to test your talent and guide you in joining our sect."

Gu Lin was impeccably polite.

Su He and Green Snake tilted their heads to look at her simultaneously.

Green Snake flicked its tongue and slithered down from Su He's shell, "Alright!"

Born in the Azure Origin Realm, even after transforming into a human, she could only join the Azure Origin Sect. The sect would never allow her to roam freely.

Green Snake had known this since the day she awakened her sentience and someone set up a restriction in Snake Valley.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, this is just to test your attributes so that I may recommend suitable branches and cultivation methods within the sect."

Green Snake flicked its tongue in understanding. It extended its tail and poked the token Gu Lin had produced.

Within the golden token, green and black mists churned.

"Water and Wood attributes, top-tier talent. Congratulations, Fellow Daoist!" Gu Lin cupped her hands to Green Snake, offering her congratulations. "I suggest you consider joining the Sword Washing Pond or Evergreen Peak. They specialize in Water and Wood cultivation methods respectively, and their side businesses are also very popular among the disciples."

A demonic beast with top-tier talent!

Demonic beasts were already blessed by nature, and would surely be able to reach the Demon Transformation Realm. With top-tier talent, they could take a significant step forward in that realm. With immense luck, they might even pursue the highest Heaven-Treading Realm, like the Sect Leader and Madam.

In three to four hundred years, this Snake Demon would likely have far surpassed her.

Green Snake coiled its tail, a human-like pride gleaming in its eyes.

It flicked its tongue at Su He. "Fellow Daoist Gu, could you also test my little turtle's talent and attributes? Although this little turtle has had bad luck and cannot transform into a human, knowing its talent and attributes as an exotic beast will help it know its evolutionary direction, making progress twice as effective."

"Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm!" Feng Ya Ya immediately nodded. "Aunt Lin, hurry and test Big Turtle. They say Big Turtle is a Divine Beast, and I think so too..."

No!

She stopped mid-sentence and glared fiercely at Green Snake. "This is MY Big Turtle!"

You annoying Big Long Worm, I haven't seen Big Turtle for seventy-two days, and you want to steal my Big Turtle? I'll beat you to death and eat your meat.

Green Snake flicked its tongue, confused. It only wanted to help its friend. Its friend was pitiful, unable to even cultivate a human form. It must have eaten a low-quality Demon Transformation Fruit, or its talent was too poor to fully absorb it even after eating the fruit.

They had spent two months together, and now it was time for Green Snake to leave. It wanted to help him while it could. If there was a chance in the future, it would take him as a subordinate or pet beast, ensuring his basic needs were met, which would be a fitting end to their time together during this period of ignorance.

Gu Lin smiled gently and extended the token towards Su He.

Su He tilted its head, thought for a moment, and then extended its paw to press the token.

A flicker of surprise crossed Gu Lin's eyes. This turtle was so intelligent. Without having consumed a Demon Transformation Fruit, it seemed to have fully awakened its sentience. The moment Su He touched the token, the golden token instantly turned pitch black, emitting the sound of crashing waves.