Stronger with Crimson Modifier

Hu Qi had already stopped his breathing exercises as soon as the two appeared.

He lowered his head, opened his jaws, and swallowed the food offered by the two smaller snakes in a single gulp.

Afterward, he casually swung his thick tail, patting the two small snakes on their heads.

It was a sign of encouragement.

Then, he once again immersed himself in his Cultivation.

The two small snakes, however, seemed long accustomed to this. They quietly retreated a meter away and began to imitate Hu Qi.

They coiled their bodies, one loop after another, and raised their heads.

Flicking their long, thin tongues, they clumsily yet diligently mimicked Hu Qi’s actions of absorbing Spiritual Energy.

Their rhythm was chaotic and haphazard, a far cry from Hu Qi’s fluid movements.

Fortunately, the Spiritual Energy gathered by Hu Qi’s Spirit Devouring Talent was like an invisible energy vortex. Even the Spiritual Energy that dissipated just a meter away greatly benefited the two small snakes.

’Perhaps my Spirit Devouring Talent began absorbing Spiritual Energy even back when I was in the egg.’

’That must be why these two little snakes next to me benefited as well, raising their intelligence to a level comparable to that of a five- or six-year-old child.’

Previously, after all the snake eggs in the cave had been eaten.

With no food left, the two small snakes began to copy Hu Qi, proactively diving into the water to hunt.

Thanks to their bodies being nourished by a bit of Spiritual Energy, and the fact that they almost always hunted together, each outing was generally quite fruitful.

Later on, every time the two little ones returned, they would present their captured prey to Hu Qi.

In this cruel world, the law of the jungle—the weak are prey for the strong—is immutable.

This is something carved into the very bones of all living creatures.

They understood that survival was only possible by depending on the strong.

And among the three of them, Hu Qi was undoubtedly the strongest one.

Hu Qi didn’t refuse this arrangement.

He figured he might as well let the two small snakes stay and keep him from getting bored.

However, in all these days, the mother snake that laid these eggs had never once appeared.

It seemed she had already completely abandoned them.

However, this was quite normal.

Different species of snakes behave differently after laying their eggs. Some care for them, and some do not.

Some snakes exhibit egg-guarding behavior after laying their clutch.

For example, they might coil their bodies around the eggs and use rhythmic muscle contractions to raise their body temperature. This provides a suitable environment to promote incubation and protects the eggs from external threats.

But other mother snakes typically lay their eggs in concealed locations like grassy patches, caves, or piles of decaying leaves.

They rely on the natural temperature and humidity for incubation and leave immediately after laying, providing no care for the eggs whatsoever.

’Looking at the surroundings...’

’Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she was probably the latter type.’

’Of course, I can’t rule out the possibility that she met with an accident and died out there.’

These thoughts just flashed through his mind.

Whether the mother snake appeared or not was not important to him.

He absorbed Spiritual Energy while simultaneously checking the condition of his body.

Over the past few days, whenever Hu Qi got hungry, he would dive into the water to hunt.

He spent the rest of his time absorbing Spiritual Energy to nourish his body.

In just a few short days, the strength of his body had grown considerably, and his muscles, bones, and hide had become increasingly resilient.

Furthermore, after a few days of experimentation, he had developed a set of highly effective techniques for breathing and absorbing Spiritual Energy.

This could increase his efficiency under normal conditions by nearly thirty percent.

’Unfortunately, this method can only be considered a set of techniques.’

’It hasn’t formed a Skill on the panel.’

’Therefore, I can’t add points to it.’

After all this time, he had gained a basic understanding of the Crimson panel.

’This situation probably arose because I lack knowledge of this world’s Cultivation System and Cultivation Methods.’

Besides that, he had recently been feeling an itch all over his body.

Hu Qi had a feeling.

’It must be time to shed my skin.’

Shedding skin is crucial for snakes.

The most important reason is to facilitate growth.

Unlike human skin, a snake’s skin isn’t elastic; it’s relatively tough with limited flexibility.

As a snake grows, its body gets longer and thicker, and its old skin begins to restrict its growth.

By shedding, the snake breaks free from the confines of its old skin, creating space for further growth and allowing its body to develop properly.

The second reason is to repair injuries.

Due to a snake’s lifestyle, its skin is inevitably subjected to various injuries during daily activities, such as scrapes from branches or fights with other animals.

Shedding replaces the damaged skin. The new skin can better protect the snake’s body, reducing harm from external elements and lowering the risk of infection.

Typically, young snakes shed their skin most frequently.

They shed roughly once every few months.

After reaching adulthood, however, the interval lengthens to once every few years.

Yet, it had only been half a month since Hu Qi was born.

The reason for this was clearly that he was growing too quickly.

...

「A few more days passed.」

The cave was very quiet.

Only a faint rustling sound echoed in the dim cave.

At this moment, a giant black snake, a full five or six meters long, was coiled in the depths of the cave.

Its body was pressed tightly against the rough cave wall, constantly writhing as if trying to break free from some invisible restraint.

The giant black snake’s head repeatedly rubbed against a protruding rock.

Finally, the old skin on its neck was torn open.

Its body trembled slightly, and the old skin gradually peeled away from its head, revealing new, faintly gleaming scales.

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