Dr. Snake stared unblinkingly at Tu Xiao'an's left eye. He slowly rose to his feet and leaned in closer and closer, his posture becoming uncomfortably intimate.

Tu Xiao'an leaned back slightly. From the way the Doctor was acting, it looked as if he was about to dig out his left eye for research.

They say all scientists are madmen; once they find something that interests them, they stop caring about anything else.

"Doctor, have some tea."

Tu Xiao'an had to interrupt him. If he got any closer, Tu Xiao'an was afraid he might lose his first kiss.

Ahem...

Chen Mo knew he had lost his composure and laughed awkwardly, but his embarrassed face was still filled with deep regret.

"Doctor, you're still doing research in your condition?"

Tu Xiao'an couldn't help but ask.

Chen Mo glared at him. "My leg is broken, not my hands. How does that affect anything?"

Fair enough.

Tu Xiao'an smiled sheepishly.

"That time at the Snake King Temple, I saw you take out a red-and-white-striped snake. Do you still have it?"

"Why do you ask?" Tu Xiao'an knew he was talking about the Taiyin Snake.

Chen Mo said, "I didn't get a good look that day, so I couldn't tell what species of snake it was."

'So he's had his eye on my Taiyin Snake all along.'

"It's not with me right now."

Chen Mo said hurriedly, "I just want to have a look. I won't do any research on it."

"It's really not here. I lent it to a friend to keep as a pet for a couple of days."

Chen Mo suddenly gasped. Such a rare snake, lent to someone as a pet?

'What a monstrous waste.'

That day, the toxins were completely cleansed from the severely poisoned and unconscious victims thanks to that snake's Snake Blood.

A snake with even more potent medicinal properties than a Supreme Profound Snake… how could Chen Mo forget it? In his own words, it was a peerless Snake Species.

"Doctor, I'll lend it to you to play with for a couple of days sometime."

"Great! It's a deal!" he said, becoming excited.

Tu Xiao'an rolled his eyes. 'Can't he tell I'm just being polite?'

The two fell into a brief silence. Dr. Snake stared endlessly at Tu Xiao'an, who wondered what sinister plot he was hatching. Then, Dr. Snake asked, "Do you have any specific plans now that you're in Wencheng?"

"Leveling up and grinding monsters."

"What!"

Tu Xiao'an explained, "I'm a True Snake, so naturally, I want to make some contribution to humanity. I believe a big city like this must have plenty of evil Spirit Monsters hiding within it."

At Rank Two, a creature gains Essence. The term Spirit Monster refers to Rank Two Awakened Creatures that commit heinous crimes. In contrast, Rank Two Creatures like the Cat Spirit, who repay kindness and are purely good, can be called Rank Two Spirits.

It's just like how at Rank Three, there are righteous Rank Three Creatures and evil Rank Three Demon Spirits.

If Tu Xiao'an wanted to quickly prove his path, he had to raise his Level as fast as possible. That meant he had to go kill some High Rank Spirit Monsters.

To put it nicely, he would be vanquishing demons.

'The very embodiment of justice.'

"I'm very happy that you have this level of awareness," Chen Mo said, looking at Tu Xiao'an with relief. He had been genuinely afraid this Snake Spirit would come to Wencheng to wreak havoc.

"Once they gain sentience and become Rank Two Awakened Creatures, it's very easy for them to lose their way and start committing heinous crimes. Even if a Spirit Monster like that is on the verge of breaking through, they will be struck down by Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire until nothing but ash remains. Your level of awareness is high. You truly are the True Snake that Brother Tu raised."

"Only by following the righteous path and accumulating blessings can one reduce the amount of Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire, allowing them to withstand the trial and become a Rank Three Creature."

Chen Mo wanted to say, 'With that kind of awareness, it's no wonder you were able to prove your path and become the Snake King.'

In reality, he had no idea that Tu Xiao'an was still a long way from proving his path.

'Blessings?'

Tu Xiao'an had always been unclear about the concept of blessings. "Doctor, do Rank Two Creatures that do good deeds really receive blessings? And do those blessings affect them when they are Crossing the Tribulation?"

Chen Mo nodded. "Good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil. Heaven spares no one. Those Rank Two Creatures that use sinister means to increase their power will know fear when it's finally time for them to be Crossing the Tribulation."

Tu Xiao'an listened intently and finally understood: the amount of Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire during the Tribulation Crossing wasn't fixed.

When a Peak Rank Two Awakened Creature is Crossing the Tribulation, there are typically nine strikes of Celestial Thunder and nine bursts of Celestial Fire. However, if you've done many good deeds and earned blessings, that number will decrease.

For example, the Celestial Thunder might end after only six strikes, as a show of leniency.

But if you've committed mass slaughter and harmed the balance of nature, then it won't be just nine strikes. It could even be eighteen or more.

If the lightning doesn't kill you, the Celestial Fire will burn you to cinders.

It was precisely because of this that the Human World was so harmonious.

Of course, there were still many Awakened Creatures who did evil, believing that taking shortcuts was the only way to become powerful.

Because their own power was weak, they were also easily hunted by human Martial Cultivators to be used as Miracle Elixirs.

Tu Xiao'an wasn't afraid of Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire, but he wanted to raise his Level quickly without resorting to mass slaughter. That left him with only one option: go after the "bad guys."

He could kill two birds with one stone.

"The Martial Cultivation Realm in our Wencheng is a chaotic mix. There are hidden clans that form their own factions, as well as powerful Spirit Monsters who have succeeded in their Cultivation. Humans and Demons are constantly fighting each other. Whoever loses becomes the winner's cultivation resource."

"Besides the clans, there are also numerous sects. Fights over resources can lead to carnage at any moment. You need to be careful now that you're in Wencheng," Chen Mo reminded him.

Tu Xiao'an listened and then asked, "Doctor, are there really that many Spirit Monsters?"

"If you were a mortal, you wouldn't see anything. But as a Cultivator, you can see them everywhere. Even the boss of a major corporation might be a transformed Rank Three Creature who has proven their path."

Chen Mo's gaze was profound. He obviously knew far more than a novice like Tu Xiao'an.

Tu Xiao'an deeply agreed with this statement. Just this morning, hadn't he gone into a noodle shop and discovered that the owner was likely a Rank Three Creature?

He just wasn't sure if she was a Creature or a Demon Spirit.

'The waters of this metropolis sure run deep.'

'A random cat turns out to be a Level 29 Cat Spirit.'

'A noodle shop owner is a Rank Three Creature.'

The ones who kept to themselves and lived harmoniously with humans weren't a problem. But the ones who wreaked havoc would be a disaster.

Chen Mo shared some more esoteric knowledge with Tu Xiao'an before hesitatingly saying, "Could you do me a favor?"

"Go on, Doctor," Tu Xiao'an said, not agreeing immediately. After all, they had been practically enemies before, and their relationship hadn't reached the point where they would go through hell and high water for each other.

"Yesterday, when you were at the Wencheng campus, did you notice anything different about it?" Chen Mo suddenly asked.

Tu Xiao'an immediately knew what he was alluding to. "I discovered a hidden Ancient Academy."

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you. That Ancient Academy is the cradle for human Martial Cultivators, providing new blood for the country."

"Every year, it recruits humans who have just broken through their physical limits and awakened their abilities, training them for the future."

Chen Mo continued, "What I need your help with is this: my friend's son is about to enter the Ancient Academy, and I hope you can keep him safe."

"Is entering the Ancient Academy really life-threatening?" Tu Xiao'an asked curiously. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Chen Mo explained, "The path of Cultivation is filled with aggressive and hot-blooded youths. One wrong move or an inability to withstand a blow can easily lead to injury or death."

"Although the Ancient Academy prohibits duels to the death, there are still quite a few deaths and injuries every year."

Tu Xiao'an understood. He was being asked to act as someone's bodyguard.

He didn't have time for something like that. Besides, "Would the Ancient Academy even let me in? I'm a Snake Spirit. I doubt I could hide my identity from the human experts there."

"I have my ways to handle that. I'm on good terms with the vice-dean of the Ancient Academy. I can pull some strings."

'Tu Xiao'an was stunned. A human Cultivation academy letting a Snake Spirit in? They could pull strings for something like that?'

'Their admission standards are surprisingly lax.'