Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 13 Iron-Scaled Serpent, Transform!
"When I was young, I obtained a snake breeding formula. I used it for over twenty years, crossbreeding seventeen different venomous snakes, to cultivate a highly venomous snake..."

The stall owner carefully took out a pair of iron gloves, put them on, and pulled out a strange snake about a foot long from a black urn.

With a triangular head, blood-red eyes, and a body as thick as a chopstick, covered in black scales except for a thin line of silver on its belly, it lay listlessly coiled in the stall owner's hand...

But the iron gloves tightened so much they made a "crackling" sound and twisted out of shape.

What a strength!
The stall owner pulled out a sharp dagger and slashed hard at the strange snake, which produced a burst of sparks, and the snake…

Yet they were completely unharmed!
Its scales are hard, it's small but powerful, and as for its toxicity…

Just by looking at its triangular snake head, you can tell that its venom is extremely potent.

"I named it the Iron-Scaled Serpent. Its venom is extremely potent, capable of killing instantly upon contact with blood. Once inside the body, it gradually transforms the blood into venom..."

The stall owner reached out and stroked the little snake's head, saying in a low voice:

"Unfortunately, its bloodline collapsed, and it won't live for more than a few days."

That's perfect, it'll make it easier for me to negotiate a lower price!
Liu Sheng raised an eyebrow, a look of regret appearing on his face:
"What a pity. Sell it to me cheaper, I'll go back and try to see if I can keep it alive..."

The stall owner put the iron-scaled snake back into the snake jar, hesitated for a moment, and asked for 100 taels of silver. After a heated debate, they finally settled on 50 taels of silver.

According to him, even if the snake were to die, it could be sold to a restaurant for more than 40 taels of silver.

After exchanging money and goods, Liu Sheng, carrying the snake urn, went to the pharmacy to buy a large bag of realgar. Then he left the city and found a secluded open space, preparing to refine his second incarnation.

"Although this snake is dying, it's strong, highly venomous, and impervious to weapons. We need to be careful to avoid a rollover..."

He first sprinkled a circle of bright realgar around the snake jar, then poured some on himself, and then sprinkled another circle of realgar twenty paces away before standing in the circle.

Then he took out a throwing knife and smashed the snake jar with a "crack".

"Fizz!"

In an instant, a streak of dark light soared into the air, swept across several steps, and pounced towards him.

A sweet, cloying fragrance drifted on the breeze, making one's head spin...

not good!

Liu Sheng immediately held his breath, his eyes flashing with a bluish light as he caught the trajectory of the dark light in mid-air—

The snake's tail swayed, its body stretched taut like a spring, its mouth gaped open, venom oozing from the tips of its fangs…

“Swish!”

The next moment, a willow-leaf blade shot out and struck the iron-scaled snake's open mouth.

"Shh! Shh! Shh!"

Then, three more blows were delivered in quick succession, each hitting his vital spot.

"Clang clang clang!"

Amidst a series of clanging sounds and sparks flying, the impact merely sent him flying.

"hiss~"

In response, the iron-scaled snake struggled frantically, spitting out venom that corroded large pits in the surrounding vegetation and rocks.
Densely packed, with wisps of blue smoke rising straight up.

"So much realgar was sprinkled, and it was all useless? And even the throwing knives made of refined iron couldn't break through the defenses..."

It seems we have no choice but to resort to this last resort!

Liu Sheng's eyelids twitched. After a slight hesitation, he revealed his form as the Azure Sparrow with Blade Tail in the white mist.

"Chiji~"

The bluebird chirped softly, flapped its wings, and transformed into a blue light as it flew out. Its tail feathers swayed, and in a flash, it swept past the iron-scaled snake's vital spot!
"Dang~"

In an instant, sparks flew, but it only cut a small opening.

"hiss~"

The Ironscale Serpent retaliated, its body twisting as it tried to coil around the snake, but Liu Sheng, who had activated "Sparrow Eyes," dodged it in advance.

For a moment, a snake and a bird fought a life-or-death battle, battling from the ground to mid-air, and then from mid-air to the trees, in a fierce and chaotic display, with sparks flying everywhere.

Fortunately, this Ironscale Serpent was already weakened by bloodline collapse and was no longer at its peak. Furthermore, it had previously been weakened by realgar and stabbed by a throwing knife…

After repeated weakening, it is already at its last gasp.

"Clang clang clang!"

A moment later, Liu Sheng seized the opportunity, turning into a blur as he swept past, his tail feathers slashing out seven times in one breath... each time striking the Iron Scale Serpent's vital spot!

"puff!"

The snake's head flew off, spraying blood everywhere. The remaining snake body writhed in place for a while before finally coming to a stop.

Until a white light emerged from the snake's corpse, a line of ink-wash characters finally appeared in his vision...

[Iron Scale Serpent Essence Detected*1. Refine it to obtain the "Iron Scale Serpent" Avatar?]

Liu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and made his choice without hesitation.

"Refining!"

In an instant, a white light surged in and entered his body.

It transforms into wisps of cool energy, surging within the body, seeping into the skin, muscles, tendons, bones, and internal organs…

Aching, stinging, and indescribable pain quickly spread to every part of my body.

The whole person is like iron on a chopping board, being repeatedly forged, tempered, and quenched, over and over again, as if being skinned, tendons pulled out, flesh stripped, and bones removed...

Then it is reassembled, disassembled and forged, then reassembled again, in a continuous cycle, until a complete transformation occurs.

A memory of a "snake" flooded into my mind...

Fifteen minutes later, all the strange phenomena receded like the tide.

Liu Sheng let out a long sigh of relief, regaining his senses, and almost wondered if he had been dreaming.

Only the ink-wash characters shimmering before my eyes—all of this is real…

[Successfully refined the Iron-Scaled Serpent's essence, obtaining the Iron-Scaled Serpent incarnation...]

You have gained the Ironscale Serpent talent "Serpent Form" and "Ironscale" buffs.

"Two new talents, they seem rather ordinary..."

Liu Sheng blinked, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. He had been in so much pain earlier that he felt like he was about to die!
However, after examining the changes in his body, he was overjoyed.

He was a bit thinner than before, but his strength had increased considerably. With a casual punch, his limbs swayed, and power flowed through his body...

It actually made a "whoosh" sound, like a soft whip slicing through the air.

His strength has probably doubled...

His muscles, like repeatedly forged iron plates, were attached to his bones, lean and sturdy. When he exerted force, his skin tightened, and his veins twisted like thin snakes, hard and tough, as if he were covered with a layer of scales.

Defense greatly increased!

More importantly, he discovered that his bone flexibility had reached…

It's inhuman.

With each breath, his spine rose and fell like a snake, as if he had come alive.

He casually reached out, his left hand looping behind his neck and touching his right chest.

If you dart your head down between your legs, you can kiss your lower back!
My neck can rotate 180 degrees to see my heels…

If it happened at night, it would probably scare people to death.

In addition, his balance and coordination have improved significantly, especially in narrow and irregular areas, where he can perform movements similar to those of a snake or python.

Unbelievable!
He pulled out a throwing knife and stuck it into his forearm, but it was as if he had pierced a layer of smooth scales. Not only did it fail to break through the defense, but most of the force on the tip of the knife was also deflected.

It wasn't until he used six or seven tenths of his strength that the skin was slightly broken, leaving a bloodstain.

"These 50 taels of silver... are such a great deal!"

Liu Sheng's eyes narrowed into slits with laughter, and his mouth stretched almost to his ears.

Previously, I was thinking of creating an avatar of a turtle or a bull, with thick skin and tough flesh, to enhance my ability in direct combat.

Unexpectedly, a pleasant surprise occurred: he forged an "Iron Scale Serpent" avatar, which not only significantly enhanced his defense but also gradually developed superhuman strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination.

The only regret is that it didn't have the terrifying toxicity of the "Ironscale Serpent".

But I can transform!
"Iron-Scaled Serpent, transform!"

In an instant, white mist rose up...

(End of this chapter)