"Since you don't want to die, then stop talking nonsense. I'm not in the mood to play games with you."
Bi Bi Dong stopped walking once again.
Her idealized view of the past had been shattered, which already left her dissatisfied.
Unexpectedly.
Not only did Ye Tian want to absorb a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, he actually wanted to obtain an All-Purpose Soul Skill too!
Wasn't he deliberately trying to make her unhappy?
"Teacher, I'm not crazy~"
Ye Tian peeked out from behind Bi Bi Dong.
Veins bulged on Bi Bi Dong's forehead - was she the crazy one instead?!
"Haa..."
Bi Bi Dong took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
Calm, she must stay calm.
This kid was a theoretical genius - perhaps he really wasn't spouting nonsense?
But was that even possible!
Bi Bi Dong felt she must be the crazy one for even considering believing Ye Tian.
But at least Ye Tian still called her teacher.
Out of a sense of responsibility toward her disciple, Bi Bi Dong turned to face Ye Tian. "Now, stop with all that irrelevant talk and properly answer my questions."
"Yes!"
Ye Tian stood at attention, nodding emphatically.
He knew Bi Bi Dong's patience was nearly exhausted.
"Good."
Bi Bi Dong nodded slightly.
Ye Tian's serious attitude helped ease her expression somewhat.
At the very least, her sense of responsibility was being respected.
Staring intently at Ye Tian, Bi Bi Dong said sternly:
"I'm asking you - what kind of Soul Skill, or rather what kind of Spirit Beast, do you actually want? If you're being fanciful and stubborn, then present your plan. If you have no plan, then as your teacher, I have the right to choose a suitable Spirit Beast for your Spirit Ring."
After speaking,
Bi Bi Dong's phoenix-like eyes remained firmly locked on Ye Tian.
"Now, present your plan. Remember - think carefully before you speak. You only get one chance."
Ye Tian smiled and nodded, readily accepting this.
Bi Bi Dong was doing this for his benefit, so of course he wouldn't be ungrateful.
He immediately presented his plan.
"Teacher, actually when I was browsing through the illustrated guide, I already picked several target Spirit Beasts. Most of them are medicinal plant-type Spirit Beasts with effects like Detoxification and Beauty Enhancement, Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Origin, and so on."
"Don't even think about medicinal plant-type Spirit Beasts. They might be suitable for you, but surviving past a hundred years is a challenge for them."
Hearing this,
Bi Bi Dong immediately frowned and waved her hand to reject the plan without hesitation.
It wasn't that medicinal plants couldn't cultivate into Spirit Beasts.
But these things were highly nourishing!
Such Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure not only had strict growth requirements, but were also extremely useful to both Soul Masters and Spirit Beasts.
As you can imagine,
how difficult it was for a medicinal plant to find suitable soil in a Spirit Beast forest and survive there long-term.
Most would likely get dug up roots and all by some low-level Spirit Beasts as soon as they sprouted. Even if they were lucky enough to reach hundred or thousand-year cultivation, they would still get completely uprooted by humans or beasts.
Therefore, aside from a few deadly poisonous varieties, medicinal plant-type Spirit Beasts were nearly extinct.
Only in places inaccessible to most Soul Masters or Spirit Beasts could high-level medicinal plant-type Spirit Beasts have the conditions to develop.
"Why do you always come up with such difficult problems? Don't you have any other options?"
Bi Bi Dong couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose.
This disciple was truly exhausting.
"Yes, yes, I do."
Ye Tian nodded repeatedly.
He had already considered this issue earlier.
After all, ginseng capable of cultivation would be fiercely sought after in any world.
He had only brought it up out of wishful thinking.
It would be great if available, but if not, he had other alternatives.
Ye Tian quickly added, "Teacher, if medicinal herbs aren't feasible, I'm quite interested in the Gluttonous Snake as a Spirit Beast."
"Gluttonous Snake?"
"What would you want such a thing for?"
Bi Bi Dong couldn't follow Ye Tian's train of thought at all.
Although food-system Soul Masters could attach both plant and animal Spirit Rings, they couldn't just choose randomly!
Ye Tian also understood why Bi Bi Dong held such a low opinion of this Spirit Beast.
The Gluttonous Snake was a relatively common Spirit Beast.
True to its name,
It was extremely greedy and had a huge appetite, completely unfussy about food.
Its attack method relied solely on using its teeth and body for physical constriction.
Its enormous stomach allowed it to grow at an astonishing rate, reaching nearly ten-thousand-year level in just a hundred years! One could say it was terrifyingly fast.
According to the Soul Beast Bestiary,
When first discovered, it was even named the Heaven Devouring Python.
But this name was quickly removed because the Gluttonous Snake's rapid growth came with a huge cost.
One could say it prospered through gluttony and fell through gluttony.
Every time it gained a thousand years of cultivation, it would undergo a transformation, expelling excess impurities from its body to restore and enhance its physical functions, maintaining its devouring and digestion speed as much as possible!
Continuing to eat voraciously, rapidly growing longer and thicker.
Looking at it this way, calling it the Heaven Devouring Python wasn't entirely inappropriate.
But as its cultivation increased,
The energy required for each transformation accumulated more and more.
Before it could even reach the tenth transformation, the Gluttonous Snake would die due to eating indiscriminately - the energy needed for transformation wouldn't accumulate in time, and too many toxins and impurities would build up inside, causing it to perish by its own doing.
This inevitable inability to break through to ten-thousand-year cultivation made it unworthy of the name Heaven Devouring Python, so it was renamed Gluttonous Snake.
Even its meat was sour and foul-smelling
Basically no Spirit Beast wanted to eat it.
The Gluttonous Snake was more like a hardworking sanitation worker in the forest.
Even so
Ye Tian quite admired it and had taken a liking to it at first sight!
But Bi Bi Dong rejected the Gluttonous Snake again.
"Not suitable, this one won't do either. It grows fast but dies quickly."
"Aside from its big stomach, it's practically useless."
Ye Tian shook his head.
"No! Teacher, I think the transformation is its greatest advantage!"
"Transformation?"
Bi Bi Dong rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to smash Ye Tian's head.
Clenching her fists, she said angrily:
"What snake doesn't shed its skin when growing?!"
"Teacher, it's different!"
"How is it different?"
"Does teacher think it achieves such terrifying growth speed just by eating?"
"Isn't that the case?"
As soon as Bi Bi Dong spoke these words, her eyebrows suddenly furrowed.
Seeing she had realized the problem,
Ye Tian pressed his advantage.
"Yes, all snakes shed their skin - even many insects molt. But they're just simply changing to a bigger house. The Gluttonous Snake is different - it does it more to maintain its peak growth speed!"
In essence, it was a physical return to simplicity!
"So... you want it for faster cultivation speed?"
Bi Bi Dong asked with a frown.
"Exactly!"
Ye Tian nodded.
This was his main requirement for his First Soul Skill, as it would affect his future development.
"Ye Tian!"
Suddenly,
Bi Bi Dong's expression turned serious, even tinged with displeasure.
"As your teacher, I must warn you. Overemphasizing early-stage cultivation speed is often not a good thing."
"Teacher, I understand this."
Ye Tian nodded.
But Bi Bi Dong seemed to have misunderstood his meaning, as her expression softened slightly.
"Since you understand, I hope you can reconsider. Food System Soul Masters have many choices—various speed and Soul Power enhancements, healing, detoxification, and even poisoning—all of which are extremely practical Soul Skills. Even if you are fortunate enough to become a Titled Douluo in the future—"