Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Then, a wave of ecstatic joy, like "This is so delicious! This is so comfortable! I want more!" surged through the invisible mental connection between Xia Dong and the giant snake.

It held its head high, its tail thumping unconsciously on the ground, and the mental fluctuations it emitted grew stronger and stronger, even carrying a hint of impatient coquetry.

Xia Dong instantly understood what it meant—"Hungry, want more."

Xia Dong helplessly shrugged and waved his hand in the air: "That's all, just this one."

Upon hearing this, the giant snake immediately became anxious.

Its massive body twisted restlessly in place, then "suddenly" transformed into a black lightning bolt, darting back to the cliff where it had been sleeping.

Before Xia Dong could react, the black creature vanished and returned in a flash. In its gaping maw, it carefully held a huge, intact, bluish-black snake skin, presenting it to Xia Dong like a treasure. Its eyes clearly said:

"Take this...in exchange."

Xia Dong: "You want to trade your snake molt for the elixir?"

The giant snake nodded its head like a chick pecking at rice, as if afraid that Xia Dong would not agree.

Xia Dong couldn't help but laugh. Good heavens, this was a treasure garment comparable to that shed by a late-stage Qi Refining demon beast. For a few Qi Gathering Pills containing Xuan Yin Divine Water, this black-faced fellow actually didn't even want his own "old clothes."

He slowly pulled out the last two Profound Yin Gathering Qi Pills from his pocket and waved them: "Here, that's all I have left. You can have them all?"

Unexpectedly, the giant snake held onto the snake skin tightly, shaking its enormous head violently like a rattle drum.

Seeing that it was stubbornly protecting the snake skin, Xia Dong had an idea: "How about this, you give me the snake skin, and I'll provide you with one every month. But in exchange, you have to listen to me from now on."

The giant snake froze, a hint of human-like hesitation flashing in its enormous vertical pupils. It seemed to be seriously considering whether this deal was worthwhile.

A moment later, an extremely clear, even somewhat probing, mental wave transmitted through the mental connection:

"Two?"

Xia Dong stumbled in mid-air and almost fell off the Wind Control Technique.

Summer or winter?

This black fellow not only understands human speech, but he can even bargain?

Looking at the snake's "I won't do it if you don't give me two" attitude.

Xia Dong waved his hand dismissively: "Alright! Two pills a month then, it's a deal, no backing out!"

Hiss!

Upon hearing this, the giant snake was overjoyed. With a "thud," it quickly dropped the snake skin it was carrying in its mouth onto the ground, then coiled its tail, raised its head, and looked up at Xia Dong with its vertical pupils.

Xia Dong shook his head helplessly, flicked his finger, and fed it the remaining two Xuan Yin Gathering Qi Pills.

The giant snake gulped it down in two mouthfuls.

Next, the ferocious beast actually straightened its upper snake body, bent its head in a very serious manner, and gave Xia Dong in mid-air an extremely stiff bow, performing a ridiculously comical "gift".

"Alright, alright, no need for formalities."

Having consumed three Qi-gathering pills laced with Xuan Yin Divine Water, the giant snake was clearly experiencing some "drowsiness." It let out a huge yawn, its eyelids began to droop, and it immediately became extremely sleepy. Then, with a "whoosh," it skillfully swam back to its usual spot, coiled itself up, and fell into a deep sleep to begin digesting the medicinal effects.

After the giant snake fell asleep, Xia Dong clearly noticed that the mental connection between him and the snake had become stronger and more stable.

As long as it's within a certain range, he can clearly perceive even the slightest bit of kindness or malice from the giant snake.

Similarly, he could effortlessly issue extremely clear instructions to the serpent through this connection.

Xia Dong landed gracefully, looking at the large snake sleeping soundly in the distance, and couldn't help but think:

"The Blackwater Serpent lineage will never be enslaved... unless there's a sufficient supply of Profound Yin Gathering Qi Pills?"

He chuckled and turned to look at the huge snake skin on the ground.

Xia Dong made a grabbing motion with one hand across the air.

The snake molt looked enormous, with its remaining scales appearing fierce and terrifying, even gleaming with a bluish-metallic luster in the sunlight.

But when Xia Dong actually took it in his hand, he found that it was surprisingly light and had almost no weight to him.

"This is truly a wonderful thing. It's both light and tough, with a mysterious flow of spiritual energy. It's naturally imbued with Daoist principles, making it an excellent material for crafting defensive inner armor." Xia Dong stroked the snake's molted skin and nodded in satisfaction, but then sighed regretfully, "Unfortunately, I don't understand the art of weapon crafting at all right now."

Xia Dong drew the fine steel dagger he carried with him and slashed the edge of the snakeskin with the tip of the blade. With a screeching sound, only a shallow white mark was left on the seemingly thin snakeskin.

He was secretly alarmed, and then simply mobilized the Xuan Yin magic power in his dantian to attach to the blade, cutting back and forth until he managed to cut off a few regular scraps from the edge.

"Even with my current strength and magical power, it's still so difficult to cut. The defensive power of this snake molt is truly remarkable." Xia Dong looked at the slightly warped dagger, not only without feeling sorry for it, but also extremely satisfied with the amazing toughness of the snake molt.

In the world of cultivation, the fur of demonic beasts has always been an excellent material for making talismans and talisman pens.

Xia Dong plans to keep these scraps for now, and try making talismans from the snakeskin, which is full of spiritual energy, when she has time in the future, to see how much the power of the talismans can be improved.

As for the remaining large piece of snake molt, he naturally hoped to make it into an inner armor.

He figured he'd be going back to the city in a few days anyway, so he might as well ask Zhao Ting for help.

Within the Eagle Wolf Guard, there are naturally weapon refiners. Such a large snakeskin is more than enough to tailor-make an inner armor for him.

Coincidentally, it was time to hand over the quota of talismans and pills for this month, so I took them back to the city to report to Zhao Ting.

However, Xia Dong had already made up his mind that the "Mysterious Yin Gathering Qi Pill" mixed with Mysterious Yin Divine Water must not be sold.

Although the addition of divine water improved the quality of the pills, the trace of Xuan Yin divine water aura they contained was too peculiar. If a master were to notice something amiss, it would surely cause trouble.

Having made up his mind, Xia Dong followed the secret passage back to the secret chamber at the bottom of the well.

He sat cross-legged, adjusting his energy and spirit to their optimal state.

In the following days, he devoted himself entirely to alchemy and talisman making.

After consuming three drops of Profound Yin Divine Water, he refined three Profound Yin Qi Gathering Pills for future use. He then started a batch of ordinary Qi Gathering Pills for trading and drew a batch of low-level talismans.

Once everything was ready, Xia Dong packed the items into his storage bag and quietly left the secret room.

As we passed that cliff, the Black Water Serpent was still deep in slumber, digesting the medicinal effects.

Monsters have a strong sense of territory. Even when it is asleep, its fierce aura still permeates the surroundings without reservation.

Intimidated by this aura, ordinary beasts and birds of prey dared not approach this area at all.

Xia Dong wasn't worried about anything. By chance, he sneaked into the cave and even found a secret room.

Xia Dong moved swiftly and quietly used the Wind Control Technique.

An invisible force gathered beneath his feet, lifting his body up from the ground, allowing him to nimbly weave through the dense forest and treetops, heading straight for the city.

His wind manipulation technique has become increasingly refined, and his figure is as graceful as an immortal. Each time he glides by using the wind, he subtly exudes a mysterious charm of "riding the wind and treading the sea, soaring through the void and controlling the wind".

However, as Xia Dong carefully sensed the flow of magical power within his body, he knew in his heart that his Wind Control Technique was still some distance from true "perfection".

"I wonder if I can break through the limit again after I master the Wind Control Technique..." Xia Dong pondered to himself as he rode through the wind.