Although Tu Xiao'an had now turned into a snake, he seemed to be even more suited for this line of work than before.
This was because he possessed the Snake Race's dominance ability, which allowed him to enslave other snakes.
In Bai Town, there were Snake Catchers and Snake Breeders.
The practice of snake breeding evolved from snake catching; breeders would capture snakes to raise them.
Snake Breeders played the long game, aiming for bigger profits by making full use of a snake's resources. The first step, naturally, was to raise the snakes and harvest their venom. Only when a venomous snake's fangs could no longer produce venom would they choose to kill and sell it.
Capturing a rare venomous snake was no easy task, and as the saying goes, rarity equals value.
Snake venom could be used to create not only antivenom but also hemostatic drugs. It was particularly effective as a painkiller for late-stage cancer patients. In recent years, venom-based medicines had seen widespread use, especially for their blood-staunching properties.
Snake Catchers, on the other hand, opted for a quick payout, selling the venomous snakes immediately for a decent profit. However, that was only viable if you could guarantee a good catch every time you went Ascending the Mountain.
Common venomous snakes weren't worth much, anyway.
Tu Xiao'an slithered into a dense forest on the back of the mountain. Activating his dominance ability, his entire body began to radiate a kingly aura.
In an instant, a bizarre scene unfolded. From the depths of the forest, snake after snake appeared, drawn from all directions as if by magic. They gathered around the small, silver-white snake and prostrated themselves, like subjects beholding their Emperor.
Within moments, no fewer than fifty snakes—both venomous and non-venomous—had gathered by Tu Xiao'an's side.
The largest among them was nearly two meters long.
Level 3. Tu Xiao'an's Level had risen to Level 3, and activating his dominance ability now created the spectacular scene of a hundred snakes paying homage.
A forest of venomous snakes rose up around him. The sight would have been enough to make an ordinary person piss their pants in fear.
As these venomous snakes gathered, the unique, chilling aura they emanated caused the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.
"Ding... Indochinese Rat Snake, Level 2, non-venomous common Snake Species, adult stage."
"Ding... Gray Rat Snake, Level 2, non-venomous common Snake Species, adult stage."
"Ding... Seven-step Snake, Level 3, rare Snake Species, growth stage."
Whenever Tu Xiao'an looked at a snake, its data would appear in his mind. 'This system is practically a high-tech marvel.'
But despite the large number of snakes, most of them were non-venomous. There were venomous ones, too, but many were still in their growth stage.
'What does this mean? It means my Level still isn't high enough to summon adult-stage venomous snakes.'
When Tu Xiao'an saw the Seven-step Snake, he smiled faintly. 'This is a decent species. Its venom is worth a fair bit.'
He had come Ascending the Mountain mainly to see what kinds of venomous snakes he could now summon. But looking at the dozens of snakes around him, he shook his head in dissatisfaction.
'Whether for collecting venom or for selling, the venomous snakes I've summoned aren't quite up to par.'
'Either the species is too common, or the snake itself is too young.'
Moreover, the vast majority were common species, not even worth a second glance from Tu Xiao'an.
Only that Seven-step Snake was halfway decent, but it hadn't reached its adult stage yet.
The Seven-step Snake was also known as the Five-step Snake, or more commonly, the Money-pattern White Flower Snake. A person bitten by one would die of respiratory paralysis.
This snake was infamous. Many had heard of the Seven-step Snake due to a rumor that anyone bitten by it would die within seven steps, a tale that struck fear and terror into people's hearts.
In reality, "seven steps" was just a metaphor for the venom's extreme potency. Many people had heard of the Seven-step Snake, as well as similar names like "three-step snake" or "ten-step snake," but they all referred to the same species.
'Based on my current theory,' Tu Xiao'an surmised, 'a decent-quality venomous snake probably reaches its adult stage around Level 5.'
'Non-venomous snakes, on the other hand, reach adulthood at Level 2 or 3.'
'It seems I'll have to reach Level 5 before I can fully execute my plan.' Furthermore, what frustrated Tu Xiao'an the most wasn't that he'd become a snake, but that he had lost the ability to speak.
He couldn't talk, couldn't reveal his identity to his family. So many things were inconvenient.
'Just think, if I could speak, I could find my sister and tell her who I am. Then I could just get her a few high-quality snakes to sell, and things would be so much simpler.'
But alas, he was just a snake, unable to speak a human word.
After moping for a good while, Tu Xiao'an looked at the venomous snakes of all different species and colors, and a greedy light flickered in his eyes.
His eyes narrowed. He first set aside a few of the more promising venomous snakes for later use, since he knew exactly which species had valuable venom.
Though he was surrounded by venomous snakes, Tu Xiao'an only subjugated five of them. All were Level 3 rare Snake Species, but none had reached their adult stage yet.
'I'll take them back to my family's backyard and raise them for now. Even though they're small, their venom shouldn't go to waste. The yield will just be much lower than from an adult.'
Next, Tu Xiao'an turned his gaze to the vast majority of remaining snakes and began viciously Devouring them one by one.
'This is all Energy Value. Letting them go would be a total waste.'
Besides, if She Mountain had one thing in abundance, it was venomous snakes.
After a bout of Devouring, Tu Xiao'an's Energy Value had skyrocketed by more than seven hundred. 'Grinding mobs for EXP like this is just too damn satisfying.'
After some thought, Tu Xiao'an decided to explore She Mountain a bit more. Besides grinding for levels, his main goal was to subjugate a few rare, high-quality venomous snakes.
And so, the small silver-white snake was seen slithering swiftly through the weedy forest, advancing deeper into the primeval woods.
Tu Xiao'an quietly discovered that moving through the world from a snake's perspective had its own unique appeal.
It was common knowledge that a snake's eyesight is actually terrible. Nearly all snakes are extremely nearsighted and can't see clearly—or more accurately, can't see much at all, relying almost purely on their sense of smell.
But the House Snake that Tu Xiao'an had become not only had excellent vision but also a powerful sense of smell.
As the mountain terrain grew steeper, Tu Xiao'an began to sense the auras of snakes hidden in the bushes and grass.
Some of the auras were strong, while others were quite weak.
In Tu Xiao'an's current understanding, a strong aura meant a higher-Level snake. If he encountered an aura that made him feel fear, he wouldn't hesitate for a second—he'd turn tail and flee.
After all, he was just a little Level 3 snake. In these mountains, where danger lurked around every corner, it was best to be cautious.
He had no desire to end up being Devoured by some bigger snake.
The deep, primeval forest was exceedingly treacherous. Besides the venomous snakes that roamed about, there were other terrifying creatures. Ordinary people never ventured this deep; only some Snake Catchers or Hunters would dare to trespass.
In the dense forest where Tu Xiao'an now found himself, the roars of wild beasts and the ceaseless chirping of insects could be heard from time to time. The mountain wind howled, and there was no telling how many venomous snakes lay hidden within.
The place on She Mountain with the highest concentration of snakes was called She Tou Mountain. This so-called "Snake Head Mountain" was just a small peak that, from a distance, somewhat resembled a snake's head, which is how it got its name.
She Tou Mountain was located deep within the range. Aside from Snake Catchers and Hunters, absolutely no one else would come here.
That area was a hotbed of snake activity, with venomous snakes visible practically everywhere. Even an average Snake Catcher wouldn't dare to enter and exit casually.
Back then, the legendary Vampire Snake had appeared on Niu Tou Mountain—the very place where Tu Xiao'an had lost his life.
Tu Xiao'an's memory of that place was seared into his mind. That legendary Vampire Snake, a one-in-a-million mutated venomous snake, was not only worth over a million yuan but was also his sworn enemy.
'One day, I will return to She Tou Mountain, find that mutated Vampire Snake, and take my revenge.'
Just then, as Tu Xiao'an was passing a large boulder, he abruptly stopped. The powerful aura of another snake washed over him.
He glanced over and saw a massive venomous snake hiding in the shadows beneath the rock. Its body was coiled and half-reared, its baleful, ghostly glare locked onto him, the small silver-white snake.