"What on earth is going on…" Luo Yu pressed.
Luo Yu had not expected the matter Yuwan spoke of to be this at all—how was it connected to the Ground Penguin's evolution…
"It's a long story, but I'll make it short. Not long after your parents left the island, an earth vein disturbance occurred on Jingyue Island. A spot on Wangyue Peak collapsed, and an Ancient Stone Grotto was excavated underground."
Yuwan walked to the window and gazed at the sky.
"A grotto valley… imprinted in the earth vein's memory with traces of the dinosaur era, containing a vast number of dinosaur fossils!"
"The earth vein's magnetic field there is extremely strange."
"This Blue-scaled Snake was caught near there. It may have been affected by this place's earth vein magnetic field, so it also possesses a certain ancient dragon bloodline within its body."
"Earth veins?" Luo Yu pondered.
In Luo Yu's view, earth veins could be understood as an "underground energy channel."
These days, many places rich in energy were actually influenced by the power of earth veins.
This channel constantly carried natural energy from deep beneath the planet to the surface, forming various treasure lands of feng shui and affecting the ecology above ground…
Wait a moment!
Luo Yu suddenly realized something.
[Individual Talent: Dragon Blood (ordinary talent; influenced by earth veins, possessing a faint ancient dragon bloodline within the body.)]
[Individual Talent: Walking Volcano (top-tier talent; influenced by earth veins, born with an extremely deep resonance with the earth, able to use the body as a medium to convert earth vein energy into astonishing heat; when energy condenses to the extreme, everything around turns into churning magma, and the cooled magma becomes new land.)]
The little penguin's top-tier talent…
seemed to have been born because of the influence of the earth veins?
Adding this snake's Dragon Blood talent was also due to earth vein influence… Luo Yu suddenly understood everything.
"This grotto is not ordinary. Research has found that mutated beasts remaining inside it for a long time experience a certain strengthening of their physical strength, and it seems able to imperceptibly alter their bloodline."
"You should know about the three main ways mutated beasts evolve, right?" Yuwan asked.
Luo Yu nodded.
For mutated beasts to complete species evolution, there are currently only three paths.
First, they inherently possess evolution potential.
As their life level rises, upon reaching a certain fixed point, evolution happens as a matter of course, and their species rank leaps upward.
The Coiling Wind Worm is an example.
Second, by consuming a top-tier resource sufficient to alter the bloodline, causing the bloodline to change all at once.
Third, relying on a specific environment or ritual to evolve.
One type of mutated beast, the Golden Carp, completes evolution through the "Leaping the Dragon Gate" ritual and a specific waterfall environment, becoming part of the dragon race.
The inkfish's evolution likely follows the same path, completing evolution through some kind of specific ritual by merging together.
Of course, it is said that some Beast Masters forcibly modify mutated beasts using evil means to raise their life level, but this easily leads to evolution failure, the pet beast's genes collapsing, and incorrect evolution into mindless zombie beasts.
So…
Was this grotto this kind of specific environment that could allow mutated beasts to evolve?
"Currently, Jingyue Island's researchers have placed quite a few avian mutated beasts into the grotto for cultivation."
"Guess what they're doing this for?" Yuwan asked.
Luo Yu immediately said: "You just said this ancient grotto has traces of numerous ancient dinosaur fossils, with the earth vein imprinting memories of the ancient dinosaur era…"
"Meanwhile, birds are the only surviving direct descendants of dinosaurs, directly evolved from theropod dinosaurs."
"So Jingyue Island wants to see if keeping avian mutated beasts here will cause them to mutate toward reverting to dinosaurs?!"
Right, penguins are also birds!
They are themselves "dinosaur descendants" surviving to the present.
The evolutionary lineage can roughly be divided into: feathered small dinosaurs → prehistoric birds → birds surviving after the mass extinction 66 million years ago → early seabirds → primitive penguins appearing 61 million years ago!
Luo Yu's breath caught, and his gaze involuntarily drifted to the little penguin in the Beast Taming Space, sleeping soundly on its back.
No wonder Yuwan had asked whether there was a special reason for contracting a Ground Penguin.
She suspected he had known about this grotto in advance and deliberately contracted an avian pet beast.
Of course, that wasn't the real situation—Luo Yu didn't know about this grotto—but what could now be confirmed was that the Ground Penguin indeed had its top-tier talent born due to the earth vein disturbance, which was what drew his attention.
Viewed this way, top-tier talents were indeed rare.
The birth of the little penguin's top-tier talent was absolutely closely connected to that earth vein, not inherited from its parents.
Perhaps it was because the egg mutated under the earth vein's influence and seemed not like their own offspring, so its parents threw it out from underground, and that hunter picked it up.
Luo Yu had been wondering all along how tiny Jingyue Island had birthed such a preposterous talent as "Walking Volcano"—obviously not through heredity, and as for genetic mutation, there would need to be a strong enough inducement, and this place wasn't a volcanic island…
After Yuwan revealed the matter of the ancient grotto, Luo Yu finally had an answer; only this made sense.
"That's well said."
"So, thinking you had contracted a Ground Penguin, I guessed you might have known something in advance." Yuwan said: "By rights, the grotto matter is still classified, so I thought a researcher on good terms with your parents who could enter the grotto might have told you."
"A pure coincidence…" Luo Yu said.
"That's right. Of course… everything researched in the grotto so far has not succeeded; to this day, no avian mutated beast has completed mutated evolution in the Ancient Stone Grotto."
"Originally, Luoshui Research Institute—your parents—were also qualified to enter the grotto for research work, but who knew such an accident would happen before they could be informed."
"And now, you have inherited the research institute."
"The Blue-scaled Snake just now was a test, perhaps. The Director sent me to see if you have the ability to enter this grotto for research, and looking at it now, you are fully capable."
"In short, the island has decided to give you this opportunity—the opportunity to enter the Ancient Stone Grotto to explore and carry out research work. This research work will likewise come with research funding. I just don't know if you're interested." After Yuwan finished speaking, she looked into Luo Yu's eyes.
Luo Yu nodded.
I see… Speaking of which, Chen Bo said his father went to participate in some closed-door research—was this it?
"Of course I'm interested. Thank you for your trust, Leader."
"I just don't know what the specific work of my institute—the Luo Yu Research Institute—is?"
Yuwan smiled: "Your specific work is, of course, to research how to let your Ground Penguin complete evolution in the Ancient Stone Grotto."
"Researching your own contracted pet beast will surely make you more dedicated and serious than researching other pet beasts, right?"
"If your pet beast can complete evolution inside the grotto, then by analogy, summarizing experience and finding a way to let other avian mutated beasts evolve in the grotto won't be difficult."
Luo Yu felt suspicious in his heart. How was this issuing a research task?
It was clearly giving him a huge advantage for free through this method.
Knowing his contracted beast was a bird, letting him enter the grotto to purely enjoy the benefits.
Giving research funding without assigning strict tasks—how was that different from giving money for free?
"Alright, I'll do my best. When do I start work?" Luo Yu said.
"I've been waiting for you to say that. However, there's no rush with the work." Yuwan suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Luo Yu's arm.
After a moment, she let go and said: "Although I can see traces of training, your physical fitness is still somewhat lacking. That underground grotto is extremely cold, and there is a chaotic, powerful magnetic field sufficient to affect mental state. Wait until you become a formal junior Beast Master, after your body receives its first major strengthening, then go."
"Your task now is to raise your level and your pet beast's level as quickly as possible. When the time comes, someone will naturally receive you."
"By the way, what is your innate talent? If it's "Defense" or "Spirit", that would be best. Then you probably wouldn't be affected." Yuwan asked.
Luo Yu said: "Neither. It's Soul."
"It doesn't matter if not… wait, wait?" Yuwan suddenly widened her eyes and asked: "What did you say?!"
"Soul?!"
Of the tens of thousands of people on Jingyue Island, had a second Soul-talent Beast Master finally appeared?
Currently, the vice-captain of Jingyue Island's largest fleet, the Jingyue Armed Fleet, is a Soul-talent Beast Master—one could say they are the fleet's pillar of stability, more important than the captain.
Yuwan never expected Luo Yu to have Soul talent…
Soul-talent Beast Masters are born helmsmen; the sea is their backyard. But now Luo Yu had shown such strong research talent and clearly wouldn't go on sea expeditions—what a waste!
Truly… comparison is the thief of joy. So many impressive talents, why did they all appear on the same person?
While Yuwan was lost in thought, Luo Yu was also considering her words in his mind.
"I didn't expect to find July's evolution opportunity so soon…"
In his mind, he conjured an image of July wearing a dinosaur costume—yes, indeed much more formidable.
However, so many senior researchers on the island had been unable to cause any significant mutated evolution in avian mutated beasts in this ancient grotto. Figuring this place out probably wasn't simple.
Phew… Yuwan came back to her senses.
"Soul talent… the Director will probably be startled."
"In short, that's all for now. Now that you've inherited Luoshui Research Institute, I'll tell you the time of the next Research Institute Meeting. The Research Institute Meeting is held regularly; the heads of several major research institutes report their phased research results to the Director at this meeting, exchange ideas, and the Director offers some guiding opinions…"
"Of course, don't worry. You've just inherited the research institute; it's fine even if you don't have research results for now. The main thing is to have you attend as an observer, such as learning more about the Ancient Stone Grotto…"
Chapter 13