Dou Qi Continent, Tagore Desert.
A group of mercenaries was escorting supplies.
"Move faster! This isn't the city—Snake-People could appear at any moment. If you fall into their hands, you know what happens!"
Xiao Li, the second-in-command of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group, shouted sternly at the team.
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone tensed up, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Humans and Snake-People were sworn enemies. Any encounter would end in a deadly battle.
If it weren't for their work as mercenaries, they wouldn't even dare step outside Stone Desert City.
In the group was a young man with sharp, refined features. His complexion was wheat-colored—healthy, though tanned from living in the desert.
"What a miserable life..."
Xiao Yun sighed inwardly.
He was born into the Xiao Clan in Wu Tan City, but his cultivation talent was mediocre.
According to clan rules, anyone who failed to reach the seventh stage of Dou Qi by age sixteen would be relegated to managing family businesses, losing the right to focus solely on cultivation.
Two years ago, Xiao Yun had barely reached the sixth stage—not enough to qualify.
Just as he was ready to accept his fate, the clan leader, Xiao Zhan, gave him another option—go to the Tagore Desert and join up with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
Xiao Yun knew what Xiao Zhan was thinking—he didn't want his own sons taking risks without backup, so he pulled some strings to send over some clan members as reinforcements.
Xiao Yun wasn't the only one tricked and shipped out like this. All of them were sixteen-year-olds stuck at the sixth Dou Qi stage.
Though technically below the standard, that level of talent was already considered above average within the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Yun wasn't the type to resign himself to mediocrity. He wanted to try his luck, search for opportunities. So he agreed and came to the desert.
At the very least, it got him away from the Xiao Clan—because a few years from now, when Xiao Yan draws the Soul Hall's attention, even running won't help.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li weren't unkind to their kin. They mostly gave them logistics work—low risk.
Unfortunately, the Mo Tie Mercenary Group had recently been suppressed by the Sand Mercenaries, suffering heavy losses. Now even the logistics teams were being pulled into frontline duties.
Xiao Yun gripped his iron blade tightly, alert. He rarely left the city, and had to be extra careful.
"Brother Xiao Yun, I'm scared..."
Behind him, a petite figure clutched the corner of his robe. Her soft, delicate hand revealed a faint hint of blue-green snake scales on her smooth wrist.
"Don't worry, Qinglin. I'll protect you."
Xiao Yun reassured her softly.
He might not have found any miraculous opportunities, but at least he'd attached himself to someone promising.
Because of her snake-human heritage, no one in the mercenary group liked Qinglin—except Xiao Yun, who treated her kindly.
Once Qinglin awakened her Three-Flowered Green Snake Eyes, she'd be a big deal—and he could ride that wave, relying on his little loli for a better life.
> Ding! Tag Copying System binding... binding successful.
"Huh?"
A mechanical voice echoed in his mind, and Xiao Yun paused in surprise.
'About time—but I won't complain.'
> Tag Copying System: Everything in existence has tags. The host can view and copy the tags of people, beasts, spirits, etc.
Xiao Yun carefully read the information and grasped the basics of the system.
There were conditions for copying tags:
First, every time he broke through a major cultivation realm, he could choose to copy one tag.
He was currently in the Dou Qi stage—so he had one chance. Upon reaching Dou Zhe, he'd gain another, and so on.
Second, defeating an enemy gave a random chance to drop a tag.
Additionally, aside from his own tags, there was a limit to how many copied tags he could activate.
At the Dou Qi level, he could activate one tag; at Dou Zhe, two, and so forth.
'Not bad at all.'
After pondering a bit, Xiao Yun murmured in his mind:
'System, show me my tags.'
> Name: Xiao Yun
Gender: Male
Cultivation: Dou Qi – Stage Seven
Tags: Mediocre Constitution (White), Dull-Witted (White), Unremarkable Luck (White), Minor Sword Talent (Green)
Copy Count: 1
'Mediocre Constitution... no wonder I've always had bad talent.'
Xiao Yun shook his head.
Tag levels ranked as follows: Gray, White, Green, Blue, Purple, Red, Gold, Rainbow, and Seven-Colored.
With white-level cultivation talent, it was a miracle he'd made it this far—clearly due to old-man-like perseverance.
Still, his swordsmanship talent wasn't bad. He'd been blindly cultivating without combat training, which was probably why he hadn't noticed.
'Now I've got one copy chance...'
He turned his gaze to Qinglin. In his view, the most valuable tag nearby was definitely on her. If he were back at the Xiao Clan, maybe he could've gotten one from Xiao Yan or Xun'er.
'System, show me Qinglin's tags.'
> Name: Qinglin
Gender: Female
Cultivation: Dou Qi – Stage Six
Tags: Minor Talent (Green), Uncommon Intelligence (Blue), Great Fortune (Red), Three-Flowered Green Snake Eyes (Gold)
'A gold tag!'
Xiao Yun's eyes lit up. As expected, she had it!
The Three-Flowered Green Snake Eyes—reputed to be the most powerful eye technique on the continent. It could dominate all snake-type beasts, with very few exceptions among those with ancient bloodlines.
'System, copy!'
> Ding! Copy successful!
A warm current surged into his eyes. Though he didn't have a mirror, Xiao Yun knew he now possessed the same legendary snake eyes as Qinglin.
He was thrilled, struggling to contain his laughter. These eyes didn't just control snake beasts—they could absorb their cultivation as well.
So what if he had weak talent? With these eyes, he'd climb to the very peak!
BOOM!
"Not good!"
Just as Xiao Yun underwent his transformation, disaster struck—the convoy came under attack. In the distance, sand surged and several snake-human figures raced toward them.
Xiao Li's expression changed drastically. The worst-case scenario had arrived—they'd been ambushed by Snake-People!
"Humans!"
Three Snake-People blocked the path. Each of them wore a Dou Qi veil—signs of a Dou Shi level cultivator!
"Dead for sure! Our Mo Tie Group only has two Dou Shi—the head and second-in-command—and the commander's not even here!"
A high-level Dou Zhe cried out in despair.
"Brother Xiao Yun!"
Qinglin trembled like a frightened rabbit, her delicate face pitiful and helpless.
"Don't be afraid."
Xiao Yun instinctively pulled her into his arms. Seeing the odds, he was already preparing to flee.
Snake-People weren't the same as snake-type beasts—until he tested it out, he wasn't going to risk his neck.
"Humans—die!"
The three Snake-People burst out with Dou Qi, ready to slaughter.
"Scatter and run! Whoever survives is lucky!"
Xiao Li shouted, making the best choice in that critical moment. Fighting would only lead to death—running gave at least a sliver of hope.
Panic erupted. Everyone bolted in all directions, using every ounce of strength to escape. Xiao Yun disappeared into the crowd, sprinting for his life.
"Hmph, think you can escape? Dream on!"
The lead Snake-Person snorted coldly, waved his hand, and dozens of snake-type beasts slithered across the sand, chasing down the fleeing humans.
"None of you are getting away!"