Chapter 81: The First Evolution of the Python

Li Miao’s heart was beating fast as he took out his phone and scanned the QR code hidden among the leaves beside the nearest glowing orb.

Information popped up on his phone screen.

[Name: Basic Healing Spell.]
[Click here for more details.]

Li Miao carefully read the description of the Basic Healing Spell and shared it with his audience in the livestream.

After explaining it, he made the payment without hesitation.

Eight hundred million was deducted from his bank account.

Under the watchful eyes of Li Miao and tens of billions of viewers in the livestream, the glowing orb soared directly above his head and then, in the blink of an eye, merged into him.

He shut his eyes, quietly feeling the sudden new change within his body.

It was as if he had gained a new organ.

He stretched out his right hand, raised it to his mouth, and bit down hard enough to draw blood.

Activating the Basic Healing Spell, the wound quickly faded, and after three seconds, it vanished completely.

“This really is a miracle skill,” he couldn’t help but smile.

The livestream was flooded with comments, full of envy and sourness, as though someone had poured lemon juice over the screen.

Squatting at the entrance to the haunted house, watching the stream on her personal phone, Liang Xiaoyu was filled with regret.

She had originally planned to use this frail-looking guy to prove that being scared to death wasn’t just a matter of cowardice, never expecting him to be such a freak.

To pull out so much money at once—he was clearly prepared for this!

Li Miao repeated the process, purchasing and assimilating the other two abilities.

Once everything was done, a misty passage appeared before him.

He was about to explore further when a sudden force from behind shoved him into the passage.

Before leaving, he managed to look back and saw Sadako on the other side, making a grotesque face at him.

A true ghost’s face!

Her complexion was ashen, blood flowed from her eyes, her long tongue hung outside her mouth…

She looked almost exactly like Liang Xiaoyu did when she was hanged.

“I…” Li Miao grumbled inwardly.

There was a flash of light in front of him, and he found himself outside the haunted house once more.

The moment he reappeared, he felt several burning gazes fixed upon him.

There were men and women, more than ten in total, staring straight at him.

Among those gazes, one was particularly… unsettling.

Li Miao’s heart tightened.

It felt hundreds of times more terrifying than being watched by a female ghost.

“You came prepared, didn’t you?” Liang Xiaoyu said softly.

“Goddess Xiaoyu!” Li Miao scratched his head awkwardly.

“Any special tricks?” Liang Xiaoyu asked.

“What tricks?” Li Miao didn’t catch her meaning at first.

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“Not afraid of ghosts—how do you do it?” Liang Xiaoyu asked seriously.

She had already seen the comments in the livestream.

Everyone was mocking her for being timid.

Timid?

Others came out scared to death after an average of twenty minutes; she always lasted more than twenty-five minutes.

She was anything but cowardly!

Li Miao considered his words and replied, “What’s there to be afraid of?”

Liang Xiaoyu felt a tightness in her chest.

Was he mocking her?

Seeing her sour expression, Li Miao hastily added, “Maybe it has something to do with my work.”

“Work?” Liang Xiaoyu looked up, curious. “At a crematorium or a funeral home?”

“I write novels,” Li Miao said, embarrassed. “Horror novels.”

“No wonder,” Liang Xiaoyu said in sudden understanding. “You people really have twisted hearts.”

Li Miao looked at her, bewildered and innocent.

“Any masterpieces?” Liang Xiaoyu gestured at the livestream. “Perfect chance for some promotion.”

“They’ve all been banned,” Li Miao said awkwardly, “but you can remember my author name. You might still find my works on the DB site, and I’ll probably write new ones in the future.”

Liang Xiaoyu took his phone and wrote his author ID in her livestream’s title.

“Thank you, Goddess Xiaoyu!” Li Miao said gratefully.

If his novels hadn’t been 404’d, with this kind of promotion, it would be hard not to become famous.

But seeing so many people in the livestream talking about him, Li Miao suddenly realized that he might already be famous.

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As for everything happening in the haunted house, Qiao Mian paid no attention.

At that moment, he was in the Serpent Pavilion.

Deep in the dense forest.

Beside a shadowy pool.

Qiao Mian hovered in mid-air, gazing at the churning waters.

A gigantic dark form rolled beneath the surface, splashing water everywhere.

Occasionally, muffled roars echoed out, full of intense pain.

Beside the pool, several blood-red flowers bloomed.

Blood orchids.

This was forbidden ground for visitors.

For other giant pythons, it was equally off-limits.

“How long has it been?” Qiao Mian asked.

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Number Zero replied mechanically, “Fifty-six minutes and thirty-two seconds.”

“Is there any way to speed up its evolution?” Qiao Mian frowned.

The massive shape in the water was one of the first giant pythons he had “fished” here.

He named it Python One.

This was its territory.

Thanks to the unique environment of the Serpent Pavilion and the blooming blood orchids, Python One had begun its evolution.

But the process was treacherous—neither of the previous “Python Ones” survived.

Qiao Mian was very curious: If a python successfully evolved, would it transform into a dragon, as legend said?

He crossed his arms and watched silently from above.

About half an hour later, the commotion in the pool slowly subsided.

Forty minutes later, all was quiet.

“Failed again?” Qiao Mian thought regretfully.

Just as he had that thought, the pool suddenly churned violently and a massive creature emerged.

“Congratulations. The park has successfully bred a creature meeting recruitment conditions,” Number Zero announced coldly.

Joy flashed across Qiao Mian’s face.

Python One raised its head above the water and let out a deep roar toward Qiao Mian.

Yet the sound was full of delight, affection, and flattery.

“Well done!” Qiao Mian called.

Python One was as thick as a barrel, its length unchanged, but its black scales were darker and denser, reflecting a cold sheen in the sunlight.

No horns had grown on its forehead, but its triangular eyes were far more lively.

Python One affectionately approached, rubbing its wet head against Qiao Mian’s feet.

With a gentle nudge, it almost knocked Qiao Mian out of the air.

“Quite strong,” Qiao Mian said, flickering in the air before leisurely landing atop its head.

He felt a slight regret that it hadn’t grown horns.

He knew, after all, that transforming a snake into a dragon was harder than turning a cat into a person—he couldn’t expect too much.

Looking at Python One’s powerful body, Qiao Mian nodded slightly.

“Would you like to become an official employee of Fantasy Park?” he asked.

The evolved Python One could understand him and conveyed a sense of joyful assent.

“Your pay and duties will be just like Savage Dragon’s,” Qiao Mian laughed. “Go chat with it later.”

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