"First things first, let's add some points!"
He opened Basic Destiny and immediately chose to enhance his Luck.
[You spent 1 Destiny Point, tried to upgrade your Luck, and failed.]
[You spent 1 Destiny Point, tried to upgrade your Luck, and failed.]
[You spent 1 Destiny Point, tried to upgrade your Luck, and failed.]
...
[You spent 1 Destiny Point, tried to upgrade your Luck, and failed.]
Four times in a row, all attempts ended in failure.
"The probability of success seems a bit low," Shen Mo observed with a touch of disappointment. "I'll use my last Destiny Point to draw a Special Destiny. Better than spending five Destiny Points and getting nothing in return."
With that thought, he placed his last Destiny Point into the Destiny Vault.
WHOOSH!
As his Destiny Point dispersed, light shone within the Destiny Vault, then slowly faded.
A special Destiny Stone, enveloped in a faint blue glow, emerged before his eyes.
[Monster Identify (Blue): You have gained the ability to detect the weaknesses of demonic beasts. By consuming an equivalent amount of Spirit Stones, you can deduce the weaknesses of the selected demonic beast.]
"A blue Destiny!"
Seeing the color of this acquired Destiny, a smile spread across Shen Mo's face. Although among the seven classes of Destiny – gray, white, green, blue, purple, orange, and gold – blue is considered mid-tier, for Shen Mo at this moment, being able to draw a blue Destiny was undoubtedly a stroke of phenomenal luck. After all, this was his first blue Destiny!
"What capabilities does this Destiny bring?"
After the initial excitement, he started studying the function of his new Destiny. "Monster Identify... by consuming Spirit Stones, I can obtain information about demonic beasts and deduce their weaknesses? So it serves as a guide for dealing with demonic beasts?"
This ability seemed incredibly useful!
Equipping 'Monster Identify,' Shen Mo started to explore its capabilities.
No sooner had he attached the 'Monster Identify' Destiny to the Destiny Slot than a wordless book suddenly materialized before his eyes. It only documented two types of demonic beasts: the Silver Ring Demon Snake and the Double-headed Silver Ring Python.
The demonic beasts whose weaknesses can be deduced must be those I've encountered before, Shen Mo conjectured, attempting to flip to the next page.
Simultaneously, a message was transmitted.
[You are trying to scry into a peak Class I demonic beast, the Double-headed Silver Ring Python, which will cost two Lower Grade Spirit Stones.]
"Two Spirit Stones…"
Without hesitation, he took out two stones from his Universe Bag, sparing them from his already meager supply, and held them to his chest.
CLICK!
A powerful absorption force suddenly surged from the intangible Monster Identify book. The two Lower Grade Spirit Stones that Shen Mo held were swiftly drained of all their Mana, crumbling into powder that scattered across the ground.
[Demonic beast: Double-headed Silver Ring Python.]
[Realm: Peak Class I.]
[Summary: This demonic beast was born on the Yu Mountain Riverbank near Yong'an Town. Ninety years ago, it accidentally consumed a Qianyuan Fruit, awakening its gnosis and thus becoming a demonic beast. Over ninety years, through wind and rain, heat and cold, it shed its skin once every ten years. After long effort, it managed to grow a second head just three months ago. However, due to insufficient accumulation, the second head did not develop smoothly, thus it has not yet fully ascended to being a Class II demonic beast.]
[Weakness: This demonic beast is cold-natured and fears fire. For cultivators who practice Fire-type cultivation methods or magic, dealing with this demonic beast will achieve twice the result with half the effort. In addition, Fire-type talismans can also be effective. Its second head is not fully developed and is its weakest point. If it can be cut off, the beast can be easily killed.]
"This is... the information and weaknesses of the Double-headed Silver Ring Python, deduced by Monster Identify!" Shen Mo exclaimed. "So detailed."
He carefully reviewed the information before him, secretly astonished. So, its undeveloped head is, surprisingly, its weakest point.
He recalled the moment he saw the Double-headed Python. He had been so intimidated by its presence and focused on escaping that he hadn't noticed such details.
If, at that time, I hadn't run but attacked that python's head with my sword, would there have been a chance...
Most likely, there still wouldn't have been a chance, he thought, shaking his head. "During the day, I hadn't yet broken through to Layer VIII. Even if I had known its weakness, the gap in power between us was still too great."
"However..."
This demonic beast fears fire. I won't have time to learn Fire-type cultivation methods or magic in the short term, but I can get some Fire-type talismans. If I prepare thoroughly, perhaps there's a real chance of killing it!
After seeing the weakness of the Double-headed Silver Ring Python, Shen Mo was somewhat tempted. He still remembered that fleeting glimpse in the Spirit Field.
That purple Red Fruit... that Spiritual Qi! Even from a great distance, I could still feel its immense richness! Its value is definitely not low; the market price will certainly not be less than seventy Spirit Stones.
The more Shen Mo thought about it, the more tempted he became. Encountering such a top-grade Red Fruit, it would be a real shame to give up on it simply out of fear of the demonic beast's strength.
I'll see after I return to the sect. If I can successfully obtain Fire-type talismans within a month, I'll come back and try to kill this Double-headed Python.
According to the Zhao family, the Red Fruit in the Spirit Field was still more than two months away from being fully mature. This Double-headed Python was guarding it, not eating the Red Fruit immediately, apparently also waiting for it to fully mature.
I can return to the sect to prepare first. As long as I get back to Yong'an Town before the Red Fruit matures, I'll be in time!
「The next day, early morning.」
After cultivating all night, Shen Mo pushed the door open and stepped outside.
The Zhao family was shrouded in despair. All the family members were weighed down with grief. They had originally thought that the arrival of the upper-sect Immortal Master would solve the disaster of the Spirit Field. To their surprise, there was a big demon close to Class II in the Spirit Field, one that even the Immortal Master couldn't handle.
The Zhao family did have some residual wealth, but most of their fortune was invested in those Red Fruit trees in the Spirit Field. Now, the Spirit Field was occupied, and no one dared to enter. Those Red Fruits were obviously going to be devoured by the Demon Snakes, and the Zhao family's harvest this year was a complete loss. The payment given to Shen Mo earlier was the last bit of usable money the Zhao family had. Now, even if they wanted to spend a fortune to invite a high-class cultivator to exterminate the demon, they couldn't afford it.
"Sigh, we can only pray that these beasts leave soon after devouring the Red Fruits," Zhao Jiachang said with a sigh. "The loss of the harvest is already irreversible. The real fear is that if these beasts linger and don't leave, we won't be able to enter the Spirit Field. After a few months without the replenishment of spiritual water, it will be completely ruined, and the yield will plummet."
If a Spirit Field was to maintain high yields long-term, it needed to be irrigated with spiritual water at specific times each month to increase the spirituality of its soil. If it didn't receive proper care for a long period, even a high-grade Spirit Field would eventually turn into common land.
The Zhao family had relied on the thirty acres of Spirit Fields left by the patriarch, who had once joined the Riverside Sect, for their family's prosperity and rise. The patriarch had entered Life and Death seclusion five years ago, and there had been no news since; most likely, the situation was grim. The family had already lost its pillar of support. If the prolonged presence of these Demon Snakes caused this last Spirit Field to become barren, then the very foundation of the Zhao family's survival would be destroyed.
Moreover, the family hadn't produced anyone with cultivation Talent for several decades. The family's transition from prosperity to decline was foreseeable.