Chapter 155, Thunder Python Transforms into a Dragon

Translator: Raznick

 

The results of the martial competition within the Zhou Clan came quickly.

 

Young cultivators under thirty required no special mention; among those over thirty, several demonstrated remarkable talent.

 

These were people familiar to Zhou Chun.

 

One was Zhou Zhengyong; the life-and-death battles he experienced in Cloud Province not only triggered a transformation in his mindset but also made his combat experience incredibly rich, significantly increasing his combat ability.

 

Combined with his current Eleventh Layer of Qi Refining Stage cultivation and the several superior first-grade artifacts he held, he performed exceptionally well in this martial competition, directly securing first place.

 

Another was Zhou Zhengtao; this person was originally in the top ten of the youth group, and now, with cultivation reaching the Eleventh Layer of the Qi Refining Stage, his strength was remarkably impressive, almost defeating Zhou Zhengyong.

 

There was also the Jia generation-ranked thirty-five cultivator of the Zhou Clan, who also secured third place due to the power of his contracted spirit pet, the three-tailed demon fox.

 

In Zhou Chun’s view, if these three were to participate in the joint martial competition of the five major cultivating clans, they would all have a good chance of entering the top ten.

 

The artifacts he rewarded them after the competition would give them a little more chance of winning.

 

“Alright, the clan martial competition ends here. In the future, the clan will continue to host similar activities from time to time. Next time, I hope to see more clan members join, and I hope to see even more outstanding clan members appear!”

 

With Zhou Chun’s closing remarks, the assembled Zhou Clan cultivators quickly dispersed.

 

Simultaneously, after consultation with several elders, Zhou Chun also decided to accept the proposal from the Wang Clan for the Zhou Clan to host the next generation of the five major cultivating clan joint martial competition.

 

However, regarding the rules of the martial competition, Zhou Chun still needed to bargain with the other four clans and couldn’t truly do things completely according to their ideas.

 

Next, Zhou Chun dedicated himself to managing this matter.

 

After numerous rounds of negotiation, Zhou Chun finally reached agreements with several clans.

 

All participating cultivators could choose from two competition options.

 

One was to bring a spirit pet into the arena without using any talisman.

 

The other was to compete without a spirit pet, adhering to the old rules.

 

These two competition options primarily catered to Zhou Clan cultivators, but the restrictions were not as strict as they initially were.

 

Zhou Chun considered this level of restriction acceptable.

 

The event’s schedule was quickly finalized, set for seven months hence.

 

On this day, while Zhou Chun was handling clan affairs within the Central Palace, Zhou Clan Medicine Hall Executive Zhou Zhengyuan suddenly came to find him.

 

“Sixth Brother, you rarely leave Medicine Peak. What brings you here today? Is there something you need my help with?”

 

Zhou Chun looked at the approaching Zhou Zhengyuan, a look of surprise crossing his eyes.

 

This Zhou Clan’s finest alchemist, normally devoted to alchemy and cultivation on Medicine Peak, rarely ventures down.

 

He was considered the most enigmatic Zheng generation cultivator within the Zhou Clan.

 

And facing Zhou Chun’s surprised gaze, Zhou Zhengyuan’s dark, reddened face displayed an exceedingly serious expression.

 

He performed a formal, respectful bow to Zhou Chun, his tone grave. “I come to see the Deputy Clan Leader today to report a significant matter to the clan.”

 

Seeing this, astonishment deepened in Zhou Chun’s eyes.

 

Then his expression hardened, and he spoke solemnly, “Sixth Brother, please proceed.”

 

“I tried refining another furnace of demonic pills the other day, and it still failed!

 

“But this failure made me realize that it’s not that my alchemy skill isn’t up to par, but that my cultivation isn’t sufficient!

 

“If I could attain Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, I’d stake my life on it; I’d absolutely be able to successfully refine a demonic pill!

 

“So I came to see the Deputy Clan Leader this time; it’s to ask the clan to support my Foundation Establishment!”

 

Zhou Zhengyuan looked at Zhou Chun with a serious expression and spoke out his intentions in a very serious and earnest tone.

 

Having listened to his words, Zhou Chun’s expression changed slightly.

 

He finally understood why Zhou Zhengyuan would proactively leave Medicine Peak to seek him out.

 

To be honest, if another clan cultivator made such a request, Zhou Chun would only think he was crazy to dare to approach the clan leadership with such a demand.

 

But Zhou Zhengyuan was inherently straightforward in personality, and secondly, as the clan’s current highest alchemy skill expert, he did indeed have the qualifications to make such a request.

 

Although he didn’t necessarily have to be so blunt, he could use a more euphemistic manner and words to express his needs.

 

But now that he has spoken it plainly, Zhou Chun can no longer let him change the way he mentions this matter.

 

He could only nod solemnly and reply, “I understand. I will report this to the Clan Leader and Grand Elder, and if there are any results, I will notify you as soon as possible, Sixth Brother.”

 

“Thank you, Deputy Clan Leader; I’m going back to wait for news.”

 

Zhou Zhengyuan finished speaking, then cupped his hands towards Zhou Chun, and left without any unnecessary pleasantries.

 

This style of conduct caused Zhou Chun to shake his head.

 

Fortunately, he wasn’t the type to hold grudges; otherwise, with that attitude, he probably would have been given a dose of medicine to ease the discomfort.

 

Perhaps it was precisely because he devoted all his energy to alchemy and cultivation that he was able to stand out from several alchemists!

 

Zhou Chun mused, then began to contemplate the feasibility of Zhou Zhengyuan’s request.

 

In fact, now that the Zhou Clan Foundation Establishment cultivator numbered seven, Zhou Mingde, Zhou Daoyi, and Zhou Chun, the core leadership of the Zhou Clan, didn’t have any plans to continue supporting new Foundation Establishment cultivators.

 

It was mainly due to the dangerous financial income and expenditure of the Zhou Clan, which couldn’t support them in conducting such a plan in the short term.

 

However, if Zhou Zhengyuan wasn’t lying, the benefits of supporting him to reach Foundation Establishment would also be quite substantial.

 

The Spirit Pet Pill was very important for the Zhou Clan Foundation Establishment cultivators.

 

Especially Zhou Chun himself; once his two spirit pets both broke through to second-grade, his demand for this pill would be enormous.

 

Therefore, supporting the Zhou Zhengyuan Foundation Establishment is extremely beneficial to them, the Zhou Clan leadership.

 

It was likely Zhou Zhengyuan also considered this point, which was why he dared to directly ask the clan leadership for support.

 

“Then let’s give him a hand; it’s also helping myself anyway!”

 

Zhou Chun’s eyes flickered, and he immediately set off towards Grand Elder Zhou Mingde’s cave on the mountaintop, reporting on this matter.

 

Not long after, Zhou Chun descended the mountain and returned to Central Palace.

 

Zhou Mingde also agreed to support Zhou Zhengyuan’s Foundation Establishment, but not now.

 

Now the Zhou Clan needed a period of keeping a low profile.

 

When Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi broke through to late Foundation Establishment, and his spirit pet Sky Cloud Python transformed into a Flood Dragon, only then could he boldly re-emerge.

 

Therefore, Zhou Zhengyuan could only wait for now.

 

Time flew by; in the blink of an eye, Silver Thunder Python Whitey had been submerged in the elixir for over three months.

 

One day, Zhou Chun was working within the Central Palace.

 

Suddenly, he sensed something, perceiving an unknown presence.

 

He hastily instructed a scribe and quickly left the Central Palace, returning to his residence.

 

Upon entering his courtyard, he saw Silver Thunder Python Whitey had awakened and was shedding its skin.

 

Since being promoted to a superior first-grade demon beast and growing dragon scales akin to a Flood Dragon, Silver Thunder Python Whitey hadn’t shed its skin.

 

But this advancement to second-grade essentially meant it had formally reached adulthood, and shedding was unavoidable.

 

He watched as its body relentlessly rubbed against the metal posts, and the scales that were previously incredibly hard now shed piece by piece.

 

These shed scales were dull in color, their spiritual energy lost.

 

Their essence had been absorbed by the newly formed scales beneath before they shed.

 

Therefore, these scales shed naturally through molting lack any value.

 

The entire molting process lasted roughly an hour.

 

When the old skin and scales sloughed off, a completely silver-white Silver Thunder Python appeared before Zhou Chun.

 

At this moment, the Silver Thunder Python, due to having just broken through, still had faint silver-white electric currents flickering across its body—a manifestation of uncontrollable power overflow.

 

Zhou Chun, seeing this, knew that the Silver Thunder Python, Whitey, would need some time to adapt to and master the power of the second-grade demon beast.

 

So, after offering a few words of praise, he brought over a large amount of food for it to eat.

 

Unlike human cultivators, demon beasts grow larger with each breakthrough, so their food requirements were extremely high.

 

Zhou Chun had long prepared a food reserve for Whitey’s post-breakthrough feasting.

 

Now, as it devoured over a ton of demon beast meat, stretching its belly round and plump, Zhou Chun smiled and stroked its head, letting it slowly adapt to the changes in its own power before turning and returning to the Central Palace to continue working.

 

Two months later, the Silver Thunder Python, Whitey’s condition, finally stabilized.

 

At this point, the Silver Thunder Python’s body length had already reached nearly twenty meters, already not inferior to the Sky Cloud Python when it was an average second-grade demon beast in terms of size.

 

And its body growth hadn’t stopped; there was certainly more to come.

 

Naturally, its power also grew along with its size.

 

Perhaps its bloodline was truly powerful, or perhaps the three-hundred-year-old Dragon Blood Ginseng was particularly effective.

 

This breakthrough to second-grade resulted in three innate mystical arts being reinforced and advanced.

 

One was Lightning; after being reinforced, the lightning that the Silver Thunder Python, Whitey, exhaled possessed the destructive power of a second-grade mystical art, and it also integrated the previously mastered Chain Lightning.

 

One was a second-grade Heavenly Thunderstrike enhanced and advanced Thunderstrike, which could directly invoke heavenly thunder to bombard powerful enemies, with a greater potency than Thunderstrike itself, and without requiring prior accumulation of energy.

 

Another was a second-grade Thunder Explosion enhanced and advanced through Thunder Storm.

 

This mystical art was truly remarkable; the Silver Thunder Python could preliminarily condense thunder orbs and suspend them around its body, then arbitrarily direct one or multiple thunder orbs to bombard enemies.

 

The precise number of thunder orbs that could be preliminarily condensed and suspended around the body depended on the Silver Thunder Python’s own mastery of this mystical art.

 

Because with each additional thunder orb condensed, it needed to divide its energy to control and maintain its existence.

 

And aside from these three second-grade mystical arts advanced from the original innate mystical art, after Whitey, the Silver Thunder Python’s breakthrough, he also awakened a new second-grade innate mystical art, Lightning Flash.

 

This was a type of mystical escape art, allowing the Silver Thunder Python to approach enemies at an extremely fast speed or to escape.

 

And the advanced mystical art of this mystical art was the famed Lightning Escape.

 

It could be said that after the advancement was completed, the Silver Thunder Python’s actual combat ability had completely surpassed that of his master, Zhou Chun.

 

Not to mention Zhou Chun, even those other Zhou Clan cultivators who had already transferred their cultivation method to the early Foundation Establishment stage wouldn’t be a match for the Silver Thunder Python.

 

I fear only those cultivators who had cultivated battle art could barely manage a solo battle with the Silver Thunder Python.

 

This was the power of a bloodline demon beast.

 

Once they reached a certain rank, they could become the strongest within that rank.

 

However, it was also through their bloodline that they succeeded, and by it that they failed.

 

The bloodline granted demon beasts powerful strength but also limited their potential for advancement.

 

Average demon beasts, once they evolved into superior second-grade demon beasts, faced a significantly greater challenge in ascending to the third-grade, becoming greater demon beasts, than lesser demon beasts evolving into average demon beasts.

 

Throughout the Zhou Clan’s seventeen hundred-plus years of history, the number of demon beasts that have progressed from average to greater demon beasts barely exceeded twenty, a testament to their extreme rarity.

 

“Incredible, Whitey.

 

“Your responsibility for my safety now rests on your shoulders!”

 

Within the cultivation grounds designated exclusively for Zhou Clan Foundation Establishment cultivators, Zhou Chun, after personally assessing the current strength of the Silver Thunder Python Whitey, lavishly praised the spirit pet with genuine surprise.

 

Not only was its offensive power formidable, but its speed was astonishing.

 

Even its defensive capabilities were exceptionally strong.

 

At least the inferior second-grade artifact he used struggled to penetrate its dragon scale armor.

 

If it weren’t for the Silver Thunder Python still possessing only the body of a python, lacking dragon claws and horns, Zhou Chun would have questioned whether it was a Flood Dragon.

 

However, thinking of a Flood Dragon, Zhou Chun’s gaze drifted to the top of the Silver Thunder Python’s head.

 

At this moment, the top of the Silver Thunder Python’s head was slightly swollen, as if something was incubating within.

 

So, now to test that secret art.

 

Zhou Chun’s eyes flickered with anticipation.

 

Years had passed; the secret art, Ancestral Awakening, which he initially chose to cultivate, he had already preliminarily cultivated successfully, and the Silver Thunder Python, Whitey, whom he personally hatched and raised, would naturally not resist him wielding this technique.

 

However, while the Ancestral Awakening secret art possessed tremendous power, its side effects were equally severe.

 

The demon beast, having undergone the ritual, would take at least six months to fully recover, its cultivation effectively stalled during that time.

 

Zhou Chun found himself momentarily uncertain, weighing whether or not to attempt it.

 

“Whitey, do you want to try transforming into a dragon?”

 

Ultimately, Zhou Chun deferred the decision to the Silver Thunder Python, Whitey, seeking its opinion and informing it of the lingering effects.

 

Hiss～

 

Whitey lightly touched its snake head, its eyes brimming with excitement, clearly unconcerned with the consequences.

 

Truly, the recklessness of youth knew no fear!

 

Seeing this, Zhou Chun hesitated no longer.

 

“Alright, let’s give it a shot!”

 

He nodded and immediately began to cast an art, employing the Ancestral Awakening secret art.