Chapter 168
Chapter 168
"This..."
Seeing everyone's reaction, Lu Xuan involuntarily displayed a hesitant expression on his face.
While outwardly hesitant, inside, he was ecstatic.
"Two Profound Insect Vines, required for cultivating the 'Dragon Transformation Scripture.' I was just worrying about not having enough exotic serpents and dragons like the flood dragons and giant pythons under my care. Isn't this someone delivering a pillow when I need to sleep?"
Just as he was about to agree, Huang Yuan, standing beside him, misread Lu Xuan's hesitation, thinking he was being polite and not refusing his fellow disciples. Stepping forward, he sternly rebuked, "What are you all doing? Pressuring a fellow disciple to do your work together?"
"Junior Brother Lu is already struggling with raising the serpents and dragons in his care. You all have over two hundred of them collectively. How do you expect him to handle it?"
"No, Senior Brother Huang, I can do it."
Upon hearing the number two hundred, Lu Xuan's eyes subtly lit up.
"Just a measly two hundred serpent and dragon slayings. What's there for Lu to fear?"
As Huang Yuan oversaw the serpents and dragons in this water territory, he naturally exuded some authority. His reprimand calmed everyone down, making them realize their behavior was inappropriate.
"Here's the deal, Junior Brother Lu. I won't let you do this for nothing. For every serpent and dragon you inspect for me, I'll pay you two spirit stones as compensation. If there's any issue found during the inspection, it's twenty spirit stones per serpent or dragon. How does that sound?"
The rest had similar thoughts flashing through their minds. Dozens of spirit stones in exchange for ensuring the well-being and growth of their serpents and dragons seemed entirely acceptable. They all echoed with similar prices.
"Two spirit stones per serpent, no less than two hundred serpents and dragons. So, besides giving me the essence blood of these creatures, they're also handing over at least four hundred spirit stones?"
Lu Xuan quickly calculated the gains. Even though he had trained himself to the brink with the 'Lustrous Bone Forging Technique,' he almost felt unsteady, on the verge of happiness.
He took a deep breath, showing determination.
"Since you all value me so much, it would be a bit affected if I continue hesitating. I'll dare to check the serpents and dragons in each of your hands."
"Thank you, Junior Brother Lu!"
"That's really kind of you!"
Delight showed on everyone's faces. Lu Xuan didn't delay and turned to the handsome young cultivator who had initiated the request.
"Let's start with Senior Brother here."
"However, there are two things we need to agree on beforehand."
"Firstly, since I haven't dealt with the serpents and dragons under your care before, during the blood extraction, they might cause a commotion. I'd advise you to use the imitation Dragon-Binding Ring in your possession to control them properly, to avoid any accidents."
"Secondly, I'll need some demon beast meat, not a large amount, just enough."
"Before extracting blood, I'll feed them a bit of this meat to bridge the gap between us, making it easier to draw blood."
Though it was a fa?ade for blood extraction, Lu Xuan made sure to fulfill his responsibility in checking. Feeding the serpents and dragons demon beast meat would also help him gauge their immediate condition and detect any underlying issues.
Both conditions weren't overly difficult. The handsome young cultivator nodded in agreement.
"Of course."
After a brief preparation, they headed towards the water territory where the young cultivator's serpents and dragons resided. Huang Yuan and others, idle and curious, followed closely behind.
Arriving at their destination, the young cultivator summoned his serpents and dragons.
Subsequently, a golden bracelet in his hand glowed, sending out a tiny dragon-shaped shadow that transformed into dozens of shimmering golden rings, tightly fastening around the bodies of numerous serpents and dragons.
"This is the consequence of not taming them. These serpents and dragons won't listen to their fellow disciples and can only be forcefully restrained to extract blood."
"Unlike the ones I raise, these little ones willingly offer their blood."
The young cultivator manipulated one of the golden rings, forcefully pulling a serpent or dragon next to the two of them.
Lu Xuan picked up a fist-sized piece of demon beast meat and offered it to the creature.
The serpent or dragon gulped it down.
Lu Xuan focused his mind on it, and suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind.
"No problem. You can extract blood safely."
A red needle transformed into a streak of red light, swiftly piercing the soft abdomen of the serpent or dragon.
A gush of blood spurted from the wound, which Lu Xuan skillfully collected without a drop wasted.
He shook the bottle slightly, pretended to observe, placed the vial into his storage pouch, and made a show of inspecting every part of the creature's body.
"No issues whatsoever. Senior Brother's serpent or dragon is in excellent health. With proper care, it will definitely advance successfully."
Looking at the handsome young cultivator eagerly waiting for his words, Lu Xuan smiled and said, "That's good to hear."
"That's a relief."
The young cultivator visibly relaxed.
The golden rings around the creature's body vanished, and with a sweep of its massive tail on the water's surface, it splashed waves before disappearing beneath.
The two worked together and brought forth another serpent or dragon.
Lu Xuan repeated the process, and the white jade vials filled with serpent or dragon essence blood multiplied in his storage bag.
"Hmm?"
When it came to a pale white serpent or dragon, Lu Xuan couldn't help but murmur in surprise.
After feeding it the demon beast meat, he received a flash of information in his mind regarding this specific creature.
["Water Gleam Jiao, a second-grade demon beast. Among its kind, it ranks high in speed underwater and naturally wields several water-based spells."]
["It hosts a peculiar fish inside its abdomen."]
["Feasting on my flesh, drinking my blood. Truly deserving of a thousand deaths!"]
"A problem with a serpent or dragon actually surfaced?"
Lu Xuan looked astonished.
"Junior Brother Lu, what's wrong? Is there an issue?" The young cultivator asked anxiously. This Water Gleam Jiao, as a second-grade demon beast, was exceptional and one of the most hopeful among the serpent or dragons he raised to break through to the third-grade.
"I feel something is amiss. Let's draw blood first."
Since it had become a routine, Lu Xuan adhered to the procedure. He first extracted a vial of essence blood and then carefully examined every inch of the creature's body, especially its abdomen, as mentioned in the information, using his spiritual senses.
"Senior Brother, please pay attention to the imitation Dragon-Binding Ring in your hand and make sure to control this serpent or dragon properly."
He said seriously to the young cultivator.
Then, he turned to the Water Gleam Jiao, which harbored a hidden pain and helplessness in its eyes, and gently said, "Drawing your blood will
alleviate your troubles."
"I'll have to open your abdomen later and remove what's inside. But you need to cooperate, understand?"
Hearing Lu Xuan's words, the controlled Water Gleam Jiao nodded eagerly, a glimmer of hope in its eyes.
Seeing something unusual happening, Huang Yuan and others gathered around, standing not too far away, their eyes filled with worry as they watched Lu Xuan.
For the cultivators nurturing these serpent or dragon creatures in Thousand Dragon Lake, any trouble with one of them was felt deeply.
As for Huang Yuan, as the overseer of these aquatic beasts, if any issue erupted, he'd be the one held responsible.
---------------
Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on free(w)ebnov(e)l.𝒄𝒐𝙢