Rat Snake LV3

Xu Qing had returned to his home. The rustling sound he heard was the Rat Snake slithering over.

"Little Rat Snake."

Xu Qing smiled and looked down. The Rat Snake coiled around his feet, fawning over him. "Huh, you seem to have gotten thicker and longer. Before, you were at most two and a half meters long, but now you look like you're almost three meters."

With a thought, Xu Qing's consciousness connected with the Omni-Codex, and information about the Rat Snake flooded his mind.

[Rat Snake LV1: 10/10 (Can be upgraded!)]

"Its experience points are full."

A look of joy appeared on Xu Qing's face. He quickly walked to one of the rooms and opened the door. The one hundred jin of pork piled inside had all been eaten by the Rat Snake.

"This..."

Surprised.

Truly surprised.

Based on the Rat Snake's normal appetite, it absolutely shouldn't have been able to finish a hundred jin of pork in these few days, but unexpectedly, Little Rat Snake had managed it.

This meant that...

This Rat Snake might have the potential to break through its own limits.

"Good, good, good."

The smile on Xu Qing's face widened. He nodded with great satisfaction, looking at the Rat Snake wriggling on the ground. "Little Rat Snake, you've really exceeded my expectations."

"Upgrade."

Buzz!

Without hesitation, Xu Qing willed it, and the Rat Snake was upgraded. The Omni-Codex flickered with light, and a white light flashed across the Rat Snake's body.

"Hiss hiss..."

The next moment, The Rat Snake let out a slightly piercing sound. Its slithering body began to expand at a visible rate, becoming increasingly thick and large.

Faintly, Xu Qing seemed to see a scene, a vision where the Rat Snake roamed the fields and forests.

Hunting day and night, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, it climbed to the tip of a tall tree, bathing in the moonlight, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon...

Finally, One day, The Rat Snake underwent a transformation, shedding its mortal beast form, breaking through its limits. Its body continued to thicken and lengthen, no longer just a mortal beast.

Upgrade successful!

Buzz!

Xu Qing looked down. The Rat Snake had undergone a significant change. Its original body was only three meters long, but after leveling up once, it had reached a length of six meters.

It had doubled in size.

Also, The fangs in the Rat Snake's mouth had become even sharper and harder.

Then, The Rat Snake shed its skin.

"Hiss hiss..."

After the Rat Snake completed its evolution, its six-meter-long body coiled at Xu Qing's feet. It fawned over him even more, and its eyes became more intelligent.

"Good, good."

Xu Qing laughed heartily.

Then, He carefully put away the shed snake skin. This discarded skin was quite valuable. If he sold it, he should be able to get several hundred taels of silver.

"Perfect."

A slight smile curved Xu Qing's lips. "This snake skin you shed, I'll sell it. The silver I get from selling it will be used to buy you Tai Sui Spirit Meat."

"Haha..."

Xu Qing chuckled. "It'll be enough for you to upgrade."

"Hiss hiss..."

The Rat Snake flicked its tongue.

That day, Xu Qing sold this snake skin to the largest 'Chaoyang Shop' in the outer city. Because the snake skin was intact and it was shed by a mutated rat snake, its value was not low. It was also a medicinal ingredient needed for refining a certain secret medicine. The complete set sold for 480 taels.

With that, Xu Qing took the 480 taels of silver and headed to the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School. He spent 500 taels to buy fifty jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat.

In the afternoon.

Xu Qing returned home again.

"Little Caihua."

Xu Qing called out.

Rustle...

Immediately.

The rat snake quickly slithered to Xu Qing's front.

"This will be your main food from now on."

Xu Qing said, "Level 1 Spirit Food, Tai Sui Spirit Meat. You are no longer an ordinary wild beast, and you have already undergone one mutation. You should be able to eat Tai Sui Spirit Meat."

"Hiss hiss..."

The rat snake flicked its tongue, showing great desire for the Tai Sui Spirit Meat in Xu Qing's hand.

Then.

Xu Qing let the rat snake eat one jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat.

Buzz! Buzz!

The rat snake's entire body's Blood Essence began to stir subtly.

"Hmm."

Xu Qing observed from the side.

Soon.

He was able to confirm.

After the rat snake was upgraded to LV2, it had indeed mutated and could now eat Tai Sui Spirit Meat. It could only eat one jin per day; any more would be too much for its body to handle.

[Experience +1]

[Rat Snake LV2: 1/20 (Originally just an ordinary rat snake, it has undergone a mutation and is no longer a common wild beast.)]

"It seems that eating one jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat is equivalent to eating ten jin of ordinary meat. It can gain one experience point per day."

Xu Qing murmured, "With twenty experience points, it will only take twenty days for the rat snake to level up again."

In addition.

The Omni-Codex also provided some information, allowing Xu Qing to understand the real reason why 'consumable Spirit Food' could not be recorded. It was because 'consumable Spirit Food' was used to increase 'experience points'.

Any 'action' or 'thing' that could be used to increase 'experience points' could not be recorded.

For example.

Martial arts increase experience points through practice; the 'action' of practicing cannot be recorded. The Iron Sword and the mask increase experience points through use; the 'action' of using them cannot be recorded.

The rat snake increases experience points by eating various types of meat, so various types of meat, including 'Spirit Food', cannot be recorded.

This was the real reason.

Although the Omni-Codex had not yet truly recorded living creatures at that time, this was the rule of the Omni-Codex and could not be changed.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye.

Twenty days later.

"Hoo..."

In the courtyard.

Xu Qing exhaled a breath of turbid air and stopped practicing. "It's been about a month since I bought over ten thousand taels of Black Mountain Tiger Meat from the Black Market. The Black Mountain Tiger Meat I had is long gone. These past few days, I've been relying on buying Tai Sui Spirit Meat from the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School."

"But this can't go on. I still need to eat Black Mountain Tiger Meat."

"Also..."

[Eight Extremities Fist LV11: 5100/10240.]

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV7: 1000/1920.]

[Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV8: 1440/1440 (Can be upgraded!)]

[Serpent Evasion Technique (Fragmentary) LV7: 0/320.]

[Azure Hawk Claw Force LV3: 0/80.]

So many days.

The main martial arts Xu Qing had mastered, Eight Extremities Fist and Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking, were still far from leveling up, with a long way to go.

Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique could already be upgraded.

Additionally.

Serpent Evasion Technique had been upgraded from LV5 to LV7, and Azure Hawk Claw Force had also been raised from LV1 to LV3. With this, Azure Hawk Claw Force had reached peak Bright Force.

"Upgrade Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique."

Xu Qing said.

Hum!

The next moment.

Xu Qing's consciousness flickered as a flood of information poured into his mind. It was like receiving enlightenment; he directly mastered Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV9.

"Hoo..."

Xu Qing took a deep breath.

The effects of Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV9 were naturally more powerful than LV8, and the number of beasts he could tame had doubled again.

[Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV9: 0/2880.]

"Mm."

Xu Qing nodded. He glanced back. In his room, there were a total of nine Iron Swords LV4. The Iron Swords LV4 were two levels higher than the Iron Swords LV2 he had sold last time, and their quality and craftsmanship were naturally better, having more than doubled.

"I'm almost out of Black Mountain Tiger Meat. I should go to the Black Market again tonight."

Xu Qing mused. "This time, besides selling these nine Iron Swords LV4, I also want to find a martial art that can conceal my strength."

After all.

Du Cangying had already stated that if Xu Qing couldn't reach peak Bright Force within a month, he would expel Xu Qing from the sect.

Therefore.

Xu Qing naturally couldn't conceal his strength, but he also didn't want to reveal it. With his current Pill Force cultivation and strength, if Du Cangying were to inspect him, he definitely wouldn't be able to hide it.

In this case.

Xu Qing needed a martial art that could conceal his strength, and he couldn't find it within the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School. Thus, he set his sights on the Black Market.

"Little Rat Snake."

Xu Qing called out.

Rustle...

The Rat Snake crawled out from the corner. Its six-meter-long body could no longer be called small; it was a true python.

[Rat Snake LV2: 20/20 (Upgradeable!)]

"Mm."

Xu Qing nodded. "Twenty days have passed, and you've eaten twenty jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat. You can be upgraded again, so let's do it."

Hum!

The Omni-Codex flickered with fluorescent light.

Simultaneously.

The Rat Snake's body also began to glow with white light.

Hiss... Hiss...

The Rat Snake let out a pained hiss.

Indeed.

Its massive body continued to thicken and lengthen.

Hum! Hum!

At the same time.

Xu Qing also seemed to see a scene. In the scene, the six-meter-long Rat Snake coiled on a mountaintop, absorbing moonlight, undergoing transformation and growth.

Upgrade successful!

As expected.

The Rat Snake had become thicker and longer, growing from six meters to seven meters. This time, it wasn't as dramatic as before; its level had increased, but it hadn't evolved.

[Rat Snake LV3: 0/40 (...)]

"Alright."

Xu Qing nodded.

Late at night.

Swish!

Xu Qing put on the evil ghost mask.

Additionally.

Seven to eight months had passed. Xu Qing wore the evil ghost mask to sleep every night, gaining approximately 480 experience points daily.

As of today.

The evil ghost mask had accumulated a lot of experience points, but Xu Qing hadn't dared to upgrade it.

Also.

The Iron Sword in Xu Qing's hand had also unknowingly accumulated a lot of experience points.

However.

Xu Qing hadn't upgraded either.

In the blink of an eye.

In the Black Market.

The weapon shop.

Xu Qing had entered and found the shop owner, Guo Qianming. Last time, he had sold three LV3 Iron Swords here, and Xu Qing had already made arrangements for future business with Guo Qianming.

"It's you."

Guo Qianming looked up and recognized Xu Qing at a glance. His expression was surprised, and upon seeing the sword case on Xu Qing's back, his excitement grew even greater.

"Mhm."

Xu Qing nodded. He placed the wooden sword case on the table and opened it. Inside lay nine LV5 Iron Swords, radiating a cold, sharp light.

"Take a look."

Xu Qing's expression was calm.