Ye Ningze, after emptying the fierce beast's blood, gave Xiaobai another task.
That was to search for fierce beasts with high-level defense talents in the Great Prajna Forest.
Since he could obtain a talent ability once a month, Ye Ningze chose not to waste it and copied Xiaobai's endurance talent.
Thus, Ye Ningze's talents became as follows.
Race: Human.
Cultivation Talent: A-level.
Speed Talent: S-level.
Blade Skill Talent: B-level.
Flame Shadow Talent: C-level.
Strength Talent: A-level.
Endurance Talent: B-level.
Having copied the endurance talent, Ye Ningze was no longer afraid of being surrounded and attacked. His stamina was incredibly abundant.
Even if he encountered a large group of Grandmasters engaging in a war of attrition against him, he would not be afraid.
After completing these tasks, Ye Ningze temporarily returned to the Qingcheng Base and entered a long period of secluded cultivation.
His realm had just broken through to Grandmaster, and his physical strength was undergoing a rapid ascent.
After some time, Ye Ningze not only stabilized his cultivation but also successfully honed his physical strength to 150,000 jin.
This strength of 150,000 jin was basically on par with most early-stage Grandmaster martial artists.
Seeing that his cultivation speed had entered a plateau and the high-grade fierce beast blood was almost depleted, Ye Ningze returned to the Great Prajna Forest to investigate the situation again.
As soon as he arrived at Xiaobai's territory, Xiaobai rushed over, bringing Ye Ningze good news.
"Master, I found a fierce beast with a defense talent!" Xiaobai said excitedly.
"Really?" Ye Ningze's eyes lit up, and his heart was filled with joy.
During this period, obtaining a defense talent had almost become a knot in Ye Ningze's heart.
This was because his current combat capabilities, whether in strength or speed, were already on par with extraordinary martial artists; only his defense was lacking.
If he could fill this gap, Ye Ningze would be able to achieve the strength of an extraordinary martial artist at the Grandmaster stage.
"That's right, Master!" Xiaobai began to explain the situation to Ye Ningze.
"Since receiving your command last time, I dispatched my kin to search everywhere. A few days ago, we finally discovered a fierce beast with a defense talent. It was a high-grade fierce beast, so I went there personally. My attacks couldn't break its defense, but it couldn't do anything to me because of my speed!"
Hearing Xiaobai's words, Ye Ningze was overjoyed.
A high-grade fierce beast whose defense even Xiaobai couldn't break, meant that it was certain to possess a considerable defense talent.
"Perhaps it's even a high-grade defense talent!" Ye Ningze secretly guessed.
"Take me there quickly!" After receiving the definitive information, Ye Ningze immediately commanded Xiaobai.
"Yes, Master!"
Ye Ningze rode on Xiaobai's back, and the man and beast headed towards the depths of the mountains.
Xiaobai's speed was not very fast. After about half an hour of travel, they entered the deeper regions of the Great Prajna Forest.
Finally, Xiaobai stopped beside a pool.
"Master, it's here." Xiaobai pointed to the pool in front.
The pool was bottomless, making it difficult to see what was inside. However, as Ye Ningze approached, he could feel a fierce beast aura rushing towards him.
Splash!!
A giant snake poked its head out of the pool, its upper body completely exposed to the air.
It was entirely black and covered in numerous scales. Each scale had a dull sheen, like precious treasure.
"This is at least fifty meters long."
Ye Ningze made a preliminary judgment and then proceeded to check the giant snake's talents.
Race: Giant Python.
Bloodline Talent: A-level.
Defense Talent: B-level.
"So it's not a high-grade defense, but a mid-grade defense talent! However, mid-grade defense is also acceptable. It's enough for now to compensate for my shortcomings. I can fuse it with something better when I encounter it later."
The next second, Ye Ningze copied the giant snake's defense talent from afar.
Hiss hiss hiss!
The giant python in the pool flicked its tongue, clearly sensing its unease.
It had recognized Xiaobai.
A few days ago, Xiaobai had come and fought with the giant snake, even hurting it.
Now that Xiaobai reappeared before it, it was a case of enemies meeting, and their animosity intensified.
Whoosh!
The giant snake raised its head, opened its massive maw, and attacked Xiaobai and Ye Ningze.
Seeing this, Xiaobai instinctively took two steps back, on high alert as if facing a formidable enemy.
In contrast, Ye Ningze on the side was relaxed and composed. He even had an uncontrollable smile on his lips as he watched the approaching giant python.
"Such a large high-grade fierce beast can provide over a hundred portions of high-grade fierce beast blood. Moreover, its sturdy scales can be made into defensive armor. If I can't use it all, I can sell it in the black market!"
Before the battle even began, Ye Ningze was already calculating how to divide the giant python's corpse.
If the giant python knew this thought, it would probably die of anger.
Clang!
A sound of metal striking metal echoed.
It turned out that Ye Ningze, seeing the giant python had arrived, immediately drew his saber and slashed towards the giant python's seven-inch mark.
Hitting a snake at its seven-inch mark targets its heart, its most vital spot.
However, the giant python's fatal seven-inch spot did not mean its defense was weak; it was also covered with thick scales.
Ye Ningze's saber pierced the scales at the seven-inch mark and then he continuously swung his saber.
What appeared as indestructible armor in Xiaobai's eyes was easily cut by Ye Ningze.
Ye Ningze's attack power was not comparable to Xiaobai's, even though Xiaobai also possessed Grandmaster-level strength.
However, with the enhancement of the high-grade strength talent, Ye Ningze's actual attack power had long surpassed Grandmaster, reaching the extraordinary level.
Even an extraordinary martial artist like Wu Ning couldn't withstand a few of Ye Ningze's blows. How could a mere high-grade fierce beast withstand them?
Within one second, Ye Ningze didn't know how many times he had struck the same spot.
A large hole had already appeared in the scales at the giant python's seven-inch mark. Ye Ningze's saber had pierced the giant python's heart, and its life force began to dissipate slowly.
Boom!
The giant python fell heavily to the ground. With its heart pierced, it was as dead as it could be.
Witnessing this scene, Xiaobai's eyes widened as it looked at its master, Ye Ningze.
It clearly remembered that although Ye Ningze's strength was greater than its own, the difference was quite limited.
But how much time had passed, and Ye Ningze had already grown to such a terrifying extent!
The giant python, which even it couldn't deal with, was so easily killed by Ye Ningze.
"As expected of my master, Xiaobai!" Xiaobai thought proudly.
After killing the giant python, Ye Ningze immediately began collecting its heart blood. The heart blood was a concentrated essence of the fierce beast's vital blood, containing more pure energy.
After collecting the heart essence blood, Ye Ningze also collected dozens of portions of high-grade fierce beast blood from the giant python.
Once he ensured no more blood was flowing out, Ye Ningze had Xiaobai drag the giant python back.