The Jade Snake Triple-Flower Eyes First Revealed

The next morning, the temporary gathering site was already bustling with voices.

The mercenaries began packing their belongings, preparing to move the camp back to the oasis.

Qing Lin had successfully broken through to become a Fighter, and their mission in the Tagore Desert had been completed.

With the foundation of a Fighter, coupled with the wonders of the Heaven-rank cultivation method, the Jade Snake Divine Art, her path of cultivation would be smooth sailing from here on.

"Brother Qing Mo! What are you doing here?" A familiar voice came from nearby.

Qing Mo turned toward the sound and saw Xiao Hu.

"Seniors Lin Xiao and Liu Shi have been looking everywhere for you. I never expected you to come back." Xiao Hu looked at Qing Mo in surprise. He had thought Qing Mo was still somewhere in the oasis.

"So it's Xiao Hu. It's good that you're all right." Qing Mo smiled in reply, giving Xiao Hu a once-over. Xiao Hu was merely a Two-Star Dou Practitioner, yet he had come through completely unscathed.

"Hehe, how could I dare rush to the front?" Xiao Hu scratched his head sheepishly, then his expression turned serious as he looked at Qing Mo with eyes full of admiration.

"We're nowhere near as formidable as you, Brother Qing Mo. That was a Mujin Snake comparable to a Battle Master, yet you killed it with a single strike! Everyone's talking about that miraculous flying dagger move of yours now. It was unbelievably cool!"

"You flatter me. It was merely a bit of luck." Qing Mo spoke calmly and offered no further explanation.

The Pure Origin Art and Falling Leaf Flying Daggers he cultivated were both Earth-rank techniques and combat skills. If he could not even fight opponents above his level, that would have been abnormal.

"The group is handing out rewards based on merit right now. Wouldn't you be losing out by leaving at a time like this, Brother Qing Mo?"

"Hehe, there's no need. I've already received my reward, and things here are settled. It's time for us to leave as well." Qing Mo shook his head. Having obtained that Second-Order Wood-Attribute Magic Core, he was already fully satisfied.

"So that's how it is." Xiao Hu suddenly understood. He then clasped his fists and said, "Then I won't keep you any longer, Brother Qing Mo. If fate allows it, we'll meet again in Stone Desert City!"

"All right."

Qing Mo nodded, then led Qing Lin toward the entrance of the gathering site.

Just as they stepped outside, two tall figures approached them head-on.

"Brother Qing Mo, wait! You haven't collected your reward yet." Lin Xiao had a forthright temperament. Before he even arrived, his booming voice had already carried over. He strode forward and stuffed a voucher into Qing Mo's hand.

"This is a temporary voucher issued by the Mercenary Association. You need to claim it within one month."

"A reward? There's no need, Senior Lin Xiao. That Magic Core alone is enough for me." Qing Mo waved his hand.

"Haha, how could that do? That Magic Core is the spoils from the Mujin Snake you killed yourself, so it rightfully belongs to you. The reward must naturally be counted separately."

"Brother Qing Mo, don't refuse. We mercenaries make our living by this, don't we?" Liu Shi said gravely from the side.

With things having been said to this extent, it would seem somewhat affected if Qing Mo refused again.

He accepted the voucher. Written clearly upon it was the sum of ten thousand gold coins, a rather generous reward.

"Since that is the case, then this junior will gratefully accept." Qing Mo accepted the money pouch and clasped his fists toward the two men in thanks.

"Haha, that's more like it!" Lin Xiao patted Qing Mo on the shoulder.

"All right, we still need to stay here and stand guard for a few more days in case those damned Snake-People return. I won't keep you any longer. We'll talk again when there's time," Lin Xiao said.

"Brother Qing Mo, if you have time in the future, you're welcome to visit our Storm Mercenary Group," Liu Shi added with an invitation.

"Certainly, certainly."

After bidding the two men farewell, Qing Mo and Qing Lin prepared to return to Stone Desert City.

The blazing sun overhead remained merciless, and the yellow sand beneath their feet remained scorching hot, yet as they walked through the Tagore Desert, their spirits were far brighter than when they had come.

As Qing Mo walked, he calculated quietly to himself.

Qing Lin had now advanced successfully, and her strength had greatly increased. He himself was also a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner and possessed an Earth-rank combat skill.

By his reckoning, the day when Nalan Yanran came to break off her engagement with Xiao Yan should not be far off. Once he dealt with the menace that was Luo Yi, it would be time to leave Stone Desert City.

Just as Qing Mo was lost in thought, Qing Lin suddenly stopped. Her small hand tightly gripped his sleeve.

"Brother Mo! Be careful, there's a snake!"

"A snake?"

Qing Mo halted at once and immediately spread his soul perception to its limit, carefully probing the surrounding sands. Yet he detected no unusual fluctuations. Even so, Qing Mo did not doubt Qing Lin's words.

"It's coming!" Qing Lin's expression turned solemn as her eyes fixed tightly on a sand dune not far ahead.

Sure enough, the moment her words fell, Qing Mo sensed an extremely subtle disturbance in the sand beneath that dune.

He could not help feeling surprised. Perhaps because he had transmigrated, his soul perception was far stronger than that of ordinary people.

Yet even so, Qing Lin had discovered it before him. As expected of the Jade Snake Triple-Flower Eyes. Against snake-type Magic Beasts, this talent was simply overwhelming.

"Do you need me to act?" Qing Mo shielded Qing Lin behind him and asked in a deep voice.

"There's no need to trouble yourself, Brother Mo. Leave it to me." Qing Lin smiled sweetly. There was not the slightest trace of fear in her clear eyes; instead, they shone with eagerness.

"Hiss!"

The sand suddenly exploded, and a venomous snake covered in earthy yellow scales, more than a meter long, burst from beneath it!

A tiny fleshy crest sat atop its head, and its triangular eyes brimmed with ferocity. It was a Sand-Crowned Viper, a relatively common First-Order Magic Beast in the desert.

The aura emitted by this Sand-Crowned Viper was equivalent to that of a Four-Star Dou Practitioner.

The instant it appeared, it locked onto Qing Mo and Qing Lin, racing toward them.

Facing the attacking Sand-Crowned Viper, Qing Lin did not panic in the slightest. A faint jade light flickered in her eyes, and deep within her pupils, three emerald-green points of light appeared, as though carved from jade.

An invisible aura spread outward with Qing Lin at its center!

The fierce Sand-Crowned Viper suddenly stiffened when it met that gaze. The savagery in its eyes receded like a tide, replaced by a fear that arose from the depths of its soul.

Its raised head slowly lowered. Then, incomparably docile, it slithered over to Qing Lin's side and rubbed its head against her trouser leg.

"Qing Lin... could it be that your Jade Snake Triple-Flower Eyes have awakened?" Qing Mo asked in surprise as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"No, Brother Mo." Qing Lin shook her head. "I still can't open up the Jade Snake Eye Realm within my eyes. I can only borrow a tiny trace of the Jade Snake Triple-Flower Eyes' power. It's still far from a true awakening."

"I see." Hearing this, Qing Mo immediately relaxed.

It would naturally be a good thing if Qing Lin's Jade Snake Triple-Flower Eyes awakened on their own, but such an awakening would also be sensed by the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. At that time, the Heavenly Serpent Mansion would surely dispatch a Dou Emperor-level expert to forcibly take Qing Lin away.

He had kept that Peak Dou Emperor experience card unused precisely to prevent this from happening.

"Then, little Qing Lin, at most, how many levels above yourself can you control snake-type Magic Beasts?" Qing Mo suppressed his thoughts, affectionately rubbed Qing Lin's hair, and asked curiously.

"Um..." Qing Lin tilted her little head and thought seriously. She raised her fingers as she calculated. "At most... probably around a Nine-Star Battle Master. Anything stronger would be a little difficult."

"Nine-Star Battle Master!"

Qing Mo's eyes widened instantly as he sucked in a sharp breath.

She had only initially grasped a trace of its power, yet she could easily control snake-type Magic Beasts an entire major realm above herself! Worthy of being one of the special physiques from the original story—this ability was simply too tyrannical!

"Haha, good! Wonderful! Our Qing Lin is truly amazing!" Qing Mo laughed heartily, scooped Qing Lin up, raised her high into the air, and spun her around.

"Come on, let's go back to Stone Desert City. Brother Mo will take you to eat something delicious. We have to celebrate properly!"