I proved immortality with thunder magic.

boom!

As a clap of thunder struck, the mountain stream, which had been filled with the croaking of frogs, fell into an instant of silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.

However, this quiet lasted only a moment before some particularly large Thunderfrogs swam swiftly towards the spot where the lightning had struck, vying for the lingering power of the lightning.

By the mountain stream, Zhou Tai watched this scene quietly, and then began to form hand seals and perform the "Thunder Serpent Dance" spell.

The power of "Lightning Strike" is still too great. Only some Thunder-Patterned Frogs with cultivation levels close to that of a first-tier high-grade demon beast dare to go over and devour the power of lightning.

For most Razorfrogs, the "Razorfrog Dance" is their favorite.

This year, a new batch of small thunder-patterned frogs appeared in the mountain stream frog pond. They were generally only the size of ordinary bullfrogs and were not even considered first-tier demonic beasts.

These little guys also need the power of lightning, but they can't even withstand a single "Lightning Arc Finger" strike. They can only wait for the big frogs to finish absorbing the lightning before jumping over to eat what's left.

Even so, some greedy little ones, because they went too early, still got shocked and convulsed, squealing loudly.

Upon witnessing this scene, Zhou Tai exclaimed with a touch of melancholy, "So don't rush things. Rushing ahead doesn't guarantee you'll get to eat first; you might just get eaten first!"

He has been raising frogs for many years, and almost all the frogs in this frog pond have been replaced. The fastest-growing frogs, the Thunder-striped Frogs, are also the fastest to die!

Since the "Egg Tasting Competition," Yang Jinsheng, who has tasted the benefits, has been sending several striped frogs to feed the birds every one or two months.

Therefore, even though the Rathalos taeniorhynchus lays eggs every year, the number of frogs remains within a certain range.

Of course, besides the ever-hungry Blue-feathered Thunder Crane, the zookeeper Zhou Tai was also one of the reasons that limited the expansion of the frog population.

With his cultivation and energy alone, he could only take such meticulous care of so many Thunder-Patterned Frogs.

If the population expands blindly, he will find it difficult to take care of it.

However, this year Yang Jinsheng has given orders to Zhou Tai to expand the frog colony as much as possible, because in the future there will be more than just the Blue-feathered Thunder Crane, a big eater, to feed.

Yes, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who bought a bird egg has successfully hatched a Blue-feathered Thunder Crane chick.

If the cub can eat Thunder-Patterned Frogs regularly, its growth period will be shortened considerably, so the Foundation Establishment cultivator has already placed an order with Yang Jinsheng.

Zhou Tai didn't know how many spirit stones Yang Jinsheng could get from selling a Thunder-Patterned Frog. He only knew that his workload had increased as a result, but he didn't get any benefit from it.

This is no wise ruler!

He lamented in his heart, and from then on, he no longer regarded frog farming as a career, losing the sense of responsibility and ambition he once had.

Moreover, since Yang Jinsheng isn't giving him any benefits, he shouldn't be surprised if he tries to get some benefits through his own methods.

He watched the frogs vying for food in the pond and soon found his target.

boom!

When another bolt of light blue lightning struck down from the sky, it landed near several of the larger lightning frogs, instantly stunning them.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Tai, the instigator, quickly stepped forward, scooped up several thunder-patterned frogs, and swiftly took out blood-collecting tools to perform bloodletting therapy on them.

To avoid damaging the Thunder Frog's vitality and revealing its weakness, Zhou Tai only collected a little bit of frog blood from each Thunder Frog.

After the blood draw is complete, he will apply hemostatic powder to the wound to help it heal quickly.

The frog blood collected was a perk Zhou Tai gave himself.

He was unwilling to do this before because he felt that if he did his duty and did his job well, Yang Jinsheng would see it and naturally reward him, just like the two bottles of pills he had been given before.

But now that Yang Jinsheng has ignored his contributions, there's no need for him to be so stubborn.

Anyway, he only takes a little frog blood. Even if Yang Jinsheng finds out, he will at most scold him and punish him with some spirit stones.

Moreover, such acts of stealing the spirit blood of demonic beasts by taking advantage of one's position are practically an unspoken rule among the miscellaneous disciples of Spirit Beast Mountain. Generally, as long as one doesn't go too far, the cultivators above will turn a blind eye.

After all, the menial disciples bear the heaviest chores in the sect and receive no benefits, so they need to have something to look forward to.

After collecting the blood, Zhou Tai quickly sealed the jade bottle containing the frog blood and put it away, then leisurely left the frog pond.

Two months later, when Zhou Tai went down the mountain to trade with Aaron Kwok, he handed over the frog blood to Aaron Kwok so that he could find someone to make the talisman ink for the thunder talisman.

After accepting the talisman and frog blood from him, Aaron Kwok suddenly looked at him and said, "The Demon Abyss Mountains have been quite turbulent lately, and the demand for talismans has increased significantly. Junior Brother Zhou, if you have time, you can draw more Fire Serpent Talismans and take the opportunity to make some extra money."

Zhou Tai was slightly taken aback, and immediately asked, "What is the Demon Abyss Mountains? What's the situation there?"

"My bad, my bad! Looking at your age and appearance, Junior Brother Zhou, I completely forgot you've only been a disciple for a little over ten years!"

Aaron Kwok chuckled wryly and patted his head, quickly explaining, "The Demon Abyss Mountains are a western border region of our Heng Kingdom, bordering the Ba Kingdom, which is dominated by demonic cultivators. It was once a major battlefield in the war between immortals and demons!"

At this point, he frowned, realizing that explaining in detail would be too troublesome, so he changed his words and said, "Regarding the specific situation of the Demon Abyss Mountains, Junior Brother Zhou, you can check it out in the library when you have time. In short, just know that there are a lot of battles taking place there every day, and the demand for consumable resources such as magic talismans and pills is huge, and now it is even greater than usual."

Is it the Demon Abyss Mountains?

Zhou Tai memorized the place name, then nodded and said, "I understand. I will try my best to make more Fire Serpent Talismans."

"Alright, then I'll come back to see you in two months. Don't miss this opportunity, Junior Brother Zhou."

Aaron Kwok gave one more instruction and then left.

Zhou Tai took his words to heart and began drawing talismans after returning home.

For the next two months, Zhou Tai spent most of his free time drawing talismans.

When he made another deal with Aaron Kwok, he directly handed over as many as forty-eight Fire Serpent Talismans to the other party.

Upon seeing the talismans he produced, Aaron Kwok exclaimed with delight, "Excellent! Junior Brother Zhou, your talisman-drawing skills have indeed improved again. Please continue your efforts. The fighting in the Demon Abyss Mountains is intensifying now, and it seems that several ancient cave ruins have been discovered. This is the perfect time for us to make a fortune!"

"I have no problem with that, as long as you, Senior Brother Guo, provide enough spirit stones."

Zhou Tai nodded, feeling somewhat pleased.

A mid-grade first-tier fire serpent talisman isn't cheap. When Aaron Kwok bought it from him, he had to pay two and a half low-grade spirit stones per talisman, meaning he gained over a hundred low-grade spirit stones in one go.

Although these spirit stones were exchanged for talisman-making resources such as talisman paper and ink, they were still his.

Considering he would be drawing even more Fire Serpent Talismans next time, Zhou Tai hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "By the way, Senior Brother Guo, could you bring me a bottle of Ginseng Spirit Qi-Boosting Pills next time?"

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Aaron Kwok immediately waved his hand and said, "What do you need Ginseng Spirit Qi-Boosting Pill for? That's something for early-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Next time, I'll bring you a bottle of Ginseng Essence Qi-Nourishing Pill, Junior Brother Zhou. This is a pill made primarily from fifty-year-old spiritual ginseng, and it's most popular among mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators!"

Zhou Tai immediately gave a wry smile. He did want such a good pill, but his wallet wouldn't allow it.

Just as he was about to decline Aaron Kwok's offer, the other party seemed to know what he was about to say and waved his hand first, saying, "Don't be in such a hurry to refuse, I can let you pay on credit."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai's wry smile instantly turned into delight. Fearing that Guo Fucheng might change his mind, he hurriedly cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Then this junior brother thanks Senior Brother Guo in advance!"

"That's all for now. I have to go pick up goods in other places. See you in two months!"

Aaron Kwok waved his hand, finished speaking, and hurriedly left.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Tai hurriedly returned to the bamboo house to draw talismans.

Unexpectedly, just over a month later, he also came into contact with the Demon Abyss Mountains, which he had never been to before.

That day, Zhou Tai was giving the frogs electrotherapy in the mountain stream frog pond when he suddenly received a message from Qi Yuntao, asking him to come and meet him immediately.

When he arrived at Qi Yuntao's residence, he saw Qi Yuntao saying solemnly, "Junior Brother Zhou, I am about to travel to the Demon Abyss Mountains with Uncle Yang. This time it may take some time before we return. While we are away, you must take good care of the frog troop and do not go down the mountain easily again."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and hurriedly nodded in response, "Junior Brother understands. I've heard that the Demon Abyss Mountains are not a safe place. Senior Brother Qi, you must be extra careful."

He was still grateful to Qi Yuntao, his fellow disciple who had taken good care of him, so his reminder at this time was well-intentioned.

However, Qi Yuntao didn't seem too worried about his safety on this trip. After hearing this, he simply waved and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, I'm just going with Uncle Yang to check things out. Besides, Uncle Yang is watching over everything!"

He then hurriedly gave Zhou Tai a few more instructions before letting Zhou Tai leave.

Soon after, Zhou Tai saw the giant blue-feathered thunder crane take off from the mountaintop, carrying Yang Jinsheng and Qi Yuntao away from Thunder Crane Peak.