Insufficient balance

  Without hesitation, he took it and examined it in front of his eyes, admiringly saying: "What a pure and beautiful chicken blood stone! It's too pretty, thank you Lei, I will take good care of it."

  Jin Dao: "What's the point of keeping it well, it's obviously for us two anyway." I picked out another Tian Huang stone that looked like crystal ice and threw it to Jin, saying: "What's the fuss about, this one is yours, I don't even know what specific use it has, but I heard it's good for making seals."

  "Jin's eyes widened and he said, 'What? Using top-grade Tian Huang stone to make a seal is too wasteful. Something this good has a great use - if we practitioners wear it, we won't have to worry about going crazy from excessive energy. Its calming effect is excellent, its value far exceeds that of the Chi Xue stone.'"

  Sending out two pieces of jade made me realize the effect of Tian Huang stone, not bad. Silver Pouting said: "No way, I want that Tian Huang stone, let's exchange."

  Jin hastily put away the Tian Huang stone and turned his head like a child, saying "No exchange."

  I laughed and said, "What are you two arguing about? Anyway, the gemstone is on both of your bodies, so it's not like it matters who has it. Can you even control the radiation energy from affecting each other? Jin, as a man, give in a bit to Xiang, show some magnanimity."

  Yin Jiao smiled and said: "It is." She snatched the Tian Huang stone from Jin's hand, replaced it with the Chi Xue stone, and looked at it contentedly again and again.

  The nine-headed snake drooled and asked foolishly: "Hey, that Lei, you just casually gave away the precious gemstones to others, don't you know their value?"

  I glanced at him and smiled: "Value? Of course, I know. But Jin and Yin will always be with me afterwards, in order to let them make more contributions, I have to invest a little bit, besides, how can the value of these gems compare to our friendship, right, Jin and Yin?"

  Jin and Yin simultaneously showed excited expressions on their faces. Yin lowered his head and muttered, "Yes, what can be more valuable than friendship?"

  The nine-headed snake looked at me with some embarrassment and said, "Well, are we also considered friends? You mentioned earlier that we wouldn't know each other if we didn't fight. Is it...?" As he spoke, he rubbed his palms together.

  Yin Dao: "Hey, Nine-Headed Snake, your face is so thick, shame on you, wanting someone else's things."

  The nine heads of the nine-headed snake all turned red at the same time and shouted: "What do you know, I, that, can't even buy it with money?"

  "Buy? With the famous poverty of your Sariel clan, what can you use to buy this? Each gemstone here is conservatively estimated to be worth over 1 million gold coins. Do you have that much money?"

  "Jiǔ tóu shé hǒu dào: 'Wǒ... méiyǒu.' Shuō dào méiyǒu, tā dùnshí xiàng xiè qì de pí qiú yīyàng niǎng le xià lái. Tāmen hái zhēn de duì yuān jiā, dān dú de shí hou dōu hé wǒ shuō dé hǎo hǎo, zhēn zhèng yī pèng miàn, shuí yě bù kěn shōu liǎn."

  English Translation:

  "Nine-headed snake roared: 'I... don't have.' As soon as he said that, he suddenly became limp like a deflated ball. They really are sworn enemies, when they're alone, they all speak nicely to me, but once they meet, no one is willing to back down."

  I smiled slightly and said to the Nine-Headed Snake, "Nine-headed brother, it's not that I'm being petty, but these things are still very useful to me. In the future, I'll have many more tasks to complete and may have many companions. To make my companions and myself stronger, I must keep these things to give to them. Anyway, you're not in any danger here, so it's useless for you to want them. I won't give them to you, nor will I sell them. Forgive me, forgive me."

  The nine-headed snake was suddenly tongue-tied, what I said made sense, and he had no countermeasure for the time being. Yin took a smile and said: "How? Not even putting in any effort but still wanting others' things. You can just stay here and be lazy, sooner or later your body will rust, and compared to when I saw you last time, your cultivation hasn't made much progress at all. Lei Xiang and you aren't even friends, and even if you were, it's not necessarily that he has to give you such a valuable thing."

  The nine-headed snake glared at Silver with a fierce gaze, its nine heads quivering constantly. Clenching his fists tightly, he shouted excitedly: "Shut your stinking mouth! What do you know? Do you know how useful these gems are to me? If they're in your hands, they'll only amplify their power, but if I get them...!" Even when facing the threat of death earlier, the nine-headed snake hadn't used such an agitated tone with Gold and Silver. Now, he was turning against them for a few pieces of treasure, revealing just how important these things were to him.

  Jin glared at Yin, not letting her continue speaking. Yin also felt that it was somewhat unfair to belittle the Nine-Headed Snake and hummed in agreement, no longer making a sound. For personal gain, I had joined Jin and Yin in deceiving this seemingly honest Nine-Headed Snake into coming out of hiding. Suddenly, I felt ashamed and sighed, secretly vowing that even without the Nine-Headed Snake, I might still be able to succeed.

  I looked at him and said, "Nine-headed snake, don't get angry. I don't want you to fight over these few stones. How about this? If you can give me a suitable reason, I'll pick one out from here and give it to you."

  The nine-headed snake was overjoyed when it heard this, took two steps forward and grabbed my shoulders, saying: "Really?"

  I nodded and glanced at the gold and silver, saying: "I won't force you to come out of retirement to help me. If these gems are really that important to you, what's the harm in giving you one?"

  The nine-headed snake's eighteen small eyes blinked simultaneously, revealing gratitude: "It's useful, not just useful, at this time I have nothing to hide. This secret is unknown even to the Double-Headed Wolf. Now I'll tell you. My training method with Jīn and Yín is different. Although they are generally inferior to me, they have their own advantages. They can practice on their own like humans, constantly improving themselves, but I cannot. I must rely on external energy to help me."

  Jin Qi said: "Outside help? How can you help, I've never seen you ask anyone for help."

  The nine-headed snake smiled bitterly: "You actually saw it before, do you still remember what I liked to do most in the forest?"

  "Let's eat."

  The nine-headed snake turned around and walked to the door, stroking the jade stone railing, and sighed: "Yes, eating, I have to eat dozens of times more things than you in a day. Do you think I'm really doing it to satisfy my own gluttony? No, it's because I myself can't produce energy to boost and enhance my potential, so I must eat, even if I'm full, I still have to eat."

  "What he said was a bit incoherent, I said: 'Can you speak more clearly?'"

  The nine-headed snake turned around and walked back slowly, saying: "My ancestral training method requires external forces to trigger my internal energy, which is then fused and trained. You eat food because you need the nutrients it provides for your body. I'm different; food intake can provide a lot of thermal energy, and that's what stimulates my internal energy to activate my potential for training. Jin Yin, have you ever tried eating ten bear men in one day? I have. After finishing, I could hardly move, and even dared not breathe too hard. Compared to you, my training is a hundred times more painful. To maintain the activity of my internal energy, I need to spend one-third of each day eating. Do you know why I make my subordinates find beastmen for me to eat every day? It's a terrible behavior, isn't it? But this is the method passed down by my ancestors, and I can only do this to ensure the continuation of our nine-headed snake clan."

  His nine heads were painfully entwined together, apparently deeply resentful of eating this originally wonderful thing.

  Yin asked, "What does this have to do with you wanting these gems? Can they provide the energy you need?" The nine-headed snake looked at Yin in surprise and said, "You're very clever. I've told you all this because if I can just get one of those gems, I'll be able to become a normal beastman like you, and I won't have to eat so many things anymore."

  "So, you're saying that the radiating energy of the gemstone can stimulate the energy within your body, allowing you to practice without relying on heat intake anymore, right?"

  The nine-headed snake looked at me pitifully and nodded its head.

  I smiled faintly, pointing to the gemstones on the table, and said: "In order to prevent any more beastmen from being eaten by you, and also to allow you to pass down the Nine-Headed Snake lineage, choose one, my friend."

  The nine-headed snake wrapped its body around me, with all nine heads coiled around my neck. The slippery feeling was unbearable and its enormous strength nearly suffocated me.

  I could feel his genuine joy, a gemstone that can be exchanged for a true friend is simply too cheap, even if he couldn't be of use to me, it will definitely not harm my actions in the future. I struggled for a moment, hoarsely saying: "Quickly choose one you like."

  He finally let go of my arms and squatted beside the coffee table, carefully selecting the gemstones with a joyful expression. Seeing his happy face, a warm current flowed through my heart.

  Jin and Yin walked up to me, Jin transmitting a message: "Lei, are you really going to give him a gemstone for free?"

  I nodded and said, "Yes, look at his appearance, how happy he is. He's your friend, which means he's also my friend. These gems are all free for me to take, so giving him one won't hurt, and it can even prevent him from being eaten by other beastmen in the future. It's just doing a good deed."

  Jin looked into my eyes, confirming my sincerity. My eyes were clear and pure, without a hint of selfishness or desire: "What? Don't you trust me? Are you afraid I'll take advantage of your friend?"

  Jin Dao: "Thanks, Lei, you're the best Beastman I've ever seen."

  I chuckled and said: "No need to be polite, just help me out more in the future and that's fine."

  "Nine-headed snake, haven't you picked yet? Stop picking and choosing, hurry up. We're still waiting to go back and attend to things."

  The nine-headed snake looked at Yin with a strange gaze, picked out a diamond and said to me: "Can I have one of these?" "Of course you can, will it help you with your practice?"

  "This gem's energy is very pure, most suitable for me to use. Thank you, Lei." "Don't be polite, my friend, I still have some requests for you."

  The nine-headed snake who got the gemstone was in a great mood and laughed, saying: "I know, isn't it just that Beast God Sect thing? Don't worry about it, I've got it covered. Anyway, there's no real Beast God, and I should indeed help Sasari develop well, not letting them monopolize everything. You two rest here for now, Jinsil, you've consumed too much energy, take a day to recover, we can leave tomorrow, I'll handle this matter as soon as possible."

  I nodded and said, "Then thank you, Brother Nine-headed Snake."

  The nine-headed snake carefully held the diamond and said: "What's the politeness for? Compared to this precious gem, that little thing is nothing. You can rest here first, I'll have someone send some food over later, I'll go make arrangements now."

  He's a straightforward person, saying and doing. Diamond seems to be a good catalyst. That night, Jin Yin and I stayed in the palace of the Nine-Headed Snake to practice together. The Nine-Headed Snake said that he had ordered his subordinates not to make it difficult for passing beastmen from now on, and also announced that he was an envoy of the Beast God Cult. The status of the Nine-Headed Snake among the snake tribe is absolutely supreme, saying one word and no one dares to oppose it, nor will anyone go against it. All members of the snake tribe believe that their saint is always right in whatever they do.

  "Lei, thank you, thank you." His words made me somewhat perplexed. "What's the matter, Jiu Tou She, why are you thanking me again? I haven't done anything."

  The nine-headed snake excitedly said: "How is it not done, look, look at my head." I took a closer look and found that the four heads he had destroyed yesterday had grown back and were full of vitality. The damaged heads also returned to their original state. I smiled and said: "Congratulations, have your powers all recovered?"

  "Although my strength hasn't recovered yet, all of my heads have already been restored. Once I recover my strength, it will be a matter of doubling the effect. You also know that my head is the source of my power. The fact that I can recover so quickly is all thanks to the gemstone you gave me - it's truly amazing! It seems to be one with me, and the energy inside my body has been stirred up incredibly, far surpassing what I could get from just eating food before. I believe that in no time at all, I'll be able to reach the state of being an absolute master."

  "I curiously asked: 'The End of the World? What is that?'"

  "I'll answer that question." Jin's voice came, and he was also awake. The Nine-Headed Snake smiled: "You're also awake, how's your strength recovered?"

  Yin Mai Dao said, "You're so noisy, it's strange that we didn't wake up. Our strength can't recover that quickly, although our meridians aren't damaged, it'll still take a day to fully recover."

  Jiǔ Tóu Shé Dào: "Méi guānxi, nǐmen jiù zài duō liú yī tiān, míngtiān zài zǒuhǎo le." Wǒ yáo tóu dào: "Bù, wǒ yǒuxiē qí de nàxiē shǒuxià, yào jǐn kuài gǎn huíqù hé tāmen huìhé cái néng fàng xīn. Héguò, zài lùshang Jīnyín de gōnglì yě huì zhújiàn huīfù de. Duì le, Jīn, nǐ hái méi shuō shénme shì juédì ne?"

  When it comes to the realm of our hands, I suddenly have a bad premonition in my heart, which makes me feel uncomfortable. Jin looked at the nine-headed snake and nodded his head. "The absolute land refers to the realm we are cultivating, only our ancient tribe will use this term to describe our abilities. Our cultivation is generally divided into nine levels: initial glimpse, rough understanding, small vehicle, gradual entry, clear understanding, absolute land, supplementing heaven, shining today, and leaving dust. Silver and I have now reached the level of gradual entry, while this guy has reached the level of clear understanding. Didn't you hear him say that he is about to enter the realm of absolute land? When we upgrade one level in our cultivation, our power will be greatly enhanced, of course, it's not easy to rise to the next level."

  Yin Chuizi said, "If we wait until the Nine-Headed Snake reaches the boundary of the ultimate realm, I'm afraid that even if we join forces, we won't be able to defeat him. Lei, how about this: why don't we take advantage of the situation and beat him up again? What do you say?" Yin Jiao's silly expression made us all burst out laughing, while the Nine-Headed Snake pretended to be scared, making a fool of himself.

  I asked, "When you practice to the state of leaving the dust, how powerful will you become?" Jin Yin and Jiu Tou She exchanged a glance, their faces revealing a look of yearning.

  The nine-headed snake murmured like a dream, saying: "If I can reach that level, I'm afraid I'll become the Nine-Headed Holy Dragon, and it won't be comparable to ordinary dragon clans. Even if the Beast God is reborn, he won't be my opponent." Xīn asked Jīn, "What will we become when we reach that level?"

  "We've never been apart before, you don't know, how would I know?"

  The nine-headed snake looked at me and said, "Lei, do you know? The so-called beast god of the beastman tribe is actually a single individual who cultivated to the realm of today's past. Now this species has become extinct, so you can imagine how powerful Lichun is. I'm afraid that by then, it will be comparable to the divine beasts in heaven."

  I was secretly shocked, it turned out to be so fierce, wouldn't I have to cultivate to the level of a six-winged fallen angel to be on par with them? In fact, I thought wrong, the six-winged fallen angel is the realm of Lucifer, the first demon god under Hades, how can ordinary divine beasts be compared to it.

  "Congratulations to you, Nine-Headed Snake. You're just two realms away from reaching the level of a Beast God. At that time, I'll introduce you to the Beast Emperor and you can become a Beast God."

  The nine-headed snake let out a deep sigh and said, "Do you think it's that easy? Although I'm the fastest to cultivate among all the nine-headed snakes in history, the absolute ground boundary might be my limit. If I can reach the level of supplementing heaven, I'd already be laughing secretly. This is the highest boundary we nine-headed snakes can achieve. As for Jīn and Yín, they're even worse than me; at best, they can only reach the absolute ground boundary, which is why they say they're one boundary lower than me - it's because of this upper limit."

  I was stunned for a moment and said: "Isn't there any other way to change this situation?"

  Jiutou Snake and Jinying shook their heads at the same time, Jiutou Snake said: "In my ancestors, those who reached the realm of Bu Tian did not exceed five, and there was no one who could develop towards Shuo Jin. I've never heard of any method that can make a breakthrough again."

  Jin Dao: "We're even more miserable, only three of our ancestors have reached the state of absolute nothingness, and that was thousands of years ago during the heyday of the Double-Headed Wolf. For us two to reach the state of emptiness is already quite good, which is also why we don't know what phenomena will appear when reaching that state."

  "So that's how it is. Is there any ancient tribe that can cultivate to the limit of the Detached Realm? Probably not, even the Nine-Headed Snake isn't possible."

  Jin Dao: "No way, the races that can be passed down to this day are already very few, we and the Nine-Headed Snake can be considered as one of the best among them." The Nine-Headed Snake looked at Jin Yin, then looked at me, and surprisingly nodded solemnly: "Jin Yin, you're wrong, that race does exist."

  Jin and Yin were shocked, Yin said: "What did you say? Is there actually a race that can cultivate to that realm?"

  "It's highly unlikely that they can cultivate to that realm, but one thing is certain: they do have a limit to their Dust Separation Realm."

  "What kind of race is it?"

  "Dragon, is the king of the dragon tribe living in the Dragon God Empire. Ordinary dragons can only reach the absolute ground boundary, while the dragon king is different, they are like us, a single inheritance, and have an upper limit that can be promoted to the dust-free boundary. Alas, even if I reached the dust-free boundary, I am still not a match for the dragon king. After the dragon king reaches that boundary, he will fly up to heaven and become a god with a divine position, while I, at most, am just a sub-dragon god."

  Jin Dao: "You're not bad, be content with what you have. You still have hope for further breakthroughs. Unlike us, our parents reached the ultimate realm at the age of 200, and remained there until they died at the age of 542. I've long given up any hopes."

  "Is there really a god in heaven?" I asked doubtfully.

  "There should be, it was passed down from my ancestors that there is not only a divine realm but also an underworld. They are located in different spaces, and our continent is sandwiched between these spaces. The so-called ascension to divinity is nothing more than reaching a certain level of power, allowing one to break free from the constraints of space and go to the divine realm."

  The realm of gods, what a place it is! The path I yearn for: "To reach that state, we must work hard, and who knows, maybe one day it will come true."

  With a cold smile, he said: "We still have hope, you can forget about it, the dark magic you're practicing will only take you to the underworld as a demon god at best, becoming a god in the divine realm is impossible."

  I smiled indifferently and said, "The Underworld isn't bad either. Who knows, it might even be less restrictive than the Divine Realm. How about I invite you to visit sometime?"

  "Alright then, it's settled. Don't regret it later, okay?"

  "It's not possible, we're just daydreaming for now. We need to reach the highest realm on the mainland first and become an unparalleled strongman before we can hope to achieve it! Alright, Ninth Brother, let's take our leave."

  The nine-headed snake reluctantly said: "You're in such a hurry to leave, why don't you stay one more day?"

  I shook my head and said, "No, I have too many things to do right now. Next time I'll come visit you again. You must work hard and strive for your goal of becoming a nine-headed holy dragon. As for the Snake Clan, I'm counting on you. Later on, I'll send some Beast God Sect members to help the people of Sasari develop their agriculture and industry. Please support them, don't you also want to make your own territory stronger?" I stood up, "Let's go, no need to see us off, I remember the way back."

  The central venomous head of the nine-headed snake suddenly flashed a hint of light and nodded: "Alright, have a smooth journey."

  Jin and Yin looked at the nine-headed snake, wanting to say something else. I pulled them out of the nine-headed snake's palace and into the tunnel. After that, I said to Jin: "Didn't you tell me not to force him? Why did you want to go talk again?"

  "Finally made up, and yet I'm a bit reluctant to part with that guy."

  I smiled and said, "Forget it, everyone has their own way of life. You like new and unusual things, while Jiu Tou She likes a comfortable life. I've figured out not to ask him for help, how can't you see through that? If fate permits, we will meet again."

  Jin Wunai said, "They've already left, what's there to see through?" As he spoke, we had already walked out of the tunnel. The surface of Panchi Lake was calm and peaceful, with the rising sun shining brightly on the rippling water. I smiled wryly and said, "I forgot to ask Jiutou Snake for a boat, this distance is too far for us to fly over."

  Yin smiled mysteriously and said, "Who says it's impossible to fly? Have you forgotten about wind magic?"

  I was taken aback and said, "Can Wind magic really fly? The so-called flight technique is just a bit faster." Silver said, "That's just because you haven't practiced it well enough. The Cloud Soaring Technique in the 6th level of Wind magic can actually fly."

  "Tengyun technique? It seems I have some impression: 'Elder sister, aren't you making things difficult for me? My highest magic level is around 5th grade and that's already my limit. As for the 6th grade, it's not even something I dare to think about.'"

  I can only barely use a few dark sixth-level magic, the others can only use fifth-level or below." Silver heard me call her "big sister" and said with glee: "You're really stupid, you can't use it, does that mean we can't either?"

  "It's not that I'm stupid, I know you can use it, but your state hasn't recovered to its best yet. Using such energy-consuming magic is too much of a waste, let alone having to bring me along."

  Jin said with a raised head: "It's just a sixth-level magic, what's the big deal? This distance shouldn't be able to stop us."

  Just as we were arguing, the voice of Jiu Tou She (Nine-Headed Snake) came from behind: "Stop arguing, Jin and Yin. Your strong and arrogant attitude still hasn't changed. In your current state, it's absolutely impossible for you to bring a person over my Pan Cheng Lake."

  Jin and Yin responded in unison: "You dead insect, don't underestimate us."

  The familiar figure of Jiu Tou She appeared in our line of sight, wearing a large cloak that covered his entire body: "I'm really afraid of you two. Alright, alright, I was wrong. But since you're here, I'll still have to play the host and send you over."

  "Alright then, we'll trouble you just this once."

  The nine-headed snake smiled bitterly and said, "You guys, go ahead." One of his green snake heads chanted, "Great wind, please heed my call, gather around me, and offset the weight of my body."

  I remembered, this is the incantation for Cloud Soaring Technique. I'll have to try it out when I get a chance. A gust of clear wind blew by, and the Nine-Headed Snake's body floated up. Its blue head chanted: "Great waters, listen to my summons, condense according to my instructions." This one I know is a 4th-level water-element magic - Ice Condensation Technique.

  A blue halo kept emitting from the nine-headed snake's blue snake head, and a layer of thin ice suddenly floated on the surface of the Pan City Lake. The nine-headed snake wrapped one hand around my waist and the other hand around Jin Yin's waist, shouting loudly: "Rise."

  Thanks to the Cloud Soaring Technique, our bodies became very light under the traction of the Nine-Headed Snake. The three of us rose into the air and continuously borrowed force from the ice surface. The ice was extremely thin, and every time we stepped on it, it would shatter immediately, but this was already enough for us to cross. The Nine-Headed Snake really knew how to conserve energy. After a dozen or so ups and downs, we successfully arrived at a large tree on the opposite bank.

  Jin Not Dusty said: "I thought you were going to take us flying directly, but it turns out it's this method, we can do it too." The Nine-Headed Snake stretched out his hand and patted Jin's wolf head, saying: "You're capable, you're capable of anything, don't you know I haven't fully recovered yet? Where would I have the energy to take three heavyweights like you guys?"

  "Hey, don't say another word," I interrupted him. "Thanks for seeing us off, Nine-headed Snake. The green hills will remain unchanged and the clear waters will continue to flow; we'll meet again someday." With that, I pulled Jin and Yin along and was about to leave.

  The nine-headed snake suddenly blocked my way, stuttering: "That, that, Lei Xiang, I want to go with you." I and Jinyan were stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, and the three of us exclaimed in unison: "Really?"

  The nine-headed snake puffed out its chest and said, "Of course it's true. I've thought it through, and Silver Little Sister is right. I can't stay here forever. Now that I don't need food to aid my cultivation, why not go with you all? Maybe it'll be more beneficial for my cultivation. At the same time, I think Ray is a trustworthy person, so I've decided to follow you all and take a look at the outside world together. However, I have two conditions."

  I smiled and said, "Go on." The nine-headed snake hesitated and said, "Firstly, I want you to help me think of a good name. I don't want you all to keep calling me the nine-headed snake; secondly, when the opportunity arises, I hope...". At this point, the nine heads of the nine-headed snake all turned red again, and I understood that this was his way of showing embarrassment. "I hope you can help me find a wife."

  "Gold and Silver exclaimed in unison: "Wife?" Then they burst out laughing, with Silver saying: "So you're thinking of spring already? Haha, I'm dying from laughter!"

  I forced back a smile and said: "The first one is easy to say, I can help you now, but this second one... I don't have any experience in helping others with matchmaking, what do you want me to do?"

  The nine-headed snake rushed to the golden and silver ones, saying: "Do you think you are all like you, with both male and female bodies? How can I find an old wife to inherit our nine-headed snake clan?"