Premature Birth

Besides the species abilities inherent in their bloodlines, mutated beasts could also learn other special abilities. Abilities that matched their own attribute were relatively simple to learn; those of a different attribute were harder. From attribute to ability effect, everything came down to compatibility. For an ordinary Beast Master, getting one's pet beast to polish its species ability to a shine was already a passing grade. For truly capable Beast Masters, finding ways, on top of that, to teach a pet beast more abilities could greatly raise its combat power. Blazing Blade, Pecking the Sun, Treading Flame! These could roughly count as three new abilities with similar effects. Though they drew on the power of the earth vein, they could be classified as fire-type. With more skills in hand, July's training grew fuller—and Luo Yu's daily routine could grow fuller too, because July finally had real combat strength now, and he could bravely take a new step. At the start of his transmigration, Luo Yu had toured every pet beast shop and breeding house, big and small, in Jingyue Town, hoping to find a Heaven-Chosen Hidden Gem. Clearly, he hadn't found one. Before he met July, he had also thought about heading into the wild to look around, but for the sake of his personal safety, the plan hadn't been carried out right away. Now, though, with July's protection, and after getting familiar with all the research institute's "beast-repellent sprays," Luo Yu felt he could try strolling through the wild zones. The near sea was of course off-limits, with zombie sea beasts lurking there. But mountain wilds like Wangyue Peak were perfectly reasonable choices. After all, the truly dangerous mutated beasts had long since been cleared out; as for the rest, with just a little care, there would basically be no big problems. And at worst… he could have the little penguin dig a hole on the spot and crawl in with him. Surely no mutated beast would wage "tunnel warfare" against them? In that case, a good sweep might turn up another top-tier hidden gem or two like July… After all, plenty of wild mutated beasts had presumably been affected by the earth vein and undergone some genetic mutations. Of course, Luo Yu wasn't holding out much hope. That Green-Scaled Snake had carried only an "ordinary talent: Dragon Blood," after all. Individuals like July were probably rare specimens that took the right time, the right place, and the right people all at once to create… "Come on, I'm taking you out for a stroll. Today you get to try wild fishing!" Decision made, Luo Yu set off at once, towing July along. ………… Qishui Village took its name from the seven water sources on its outskirts where Water-system energy ran especially rich. The village itself sat at the foot of Wangyue Peak—on the unavoidable route for anyone hoping to climb the mountain, Luo Yu included. Past the village, since he had promised July it could fish in the wild, Luo Yu headed first to Moyue Pool, one of those seven water sources: a pool formed by the rising tide. Compared to the little ditches by the roadside, Moyue Pool was far larger, with more Water-system mutated beasts and a more complete ecosystem. The reason he had come here was that this was one of the few places where inkfish dwelled. Letting July fish here was mainly so Luo Yu could see whether he might turn up other quality inkfish individuals to haul back for breeding stock. "So many Iron-Pincer Shrimp…" When Luo Yu reached Moyue Pool, not a soul was by the water. Swaths of black crayfish lay sprawled on the land, sunning themselves in dense, packed clusters. The Iron-Pincer Shrimp—a Lower Common Species. Its main mode of attack was its pincers, and those packed real killing power. But as a mutated breed of crayfish, the Iron-Pincer Shrimp's fatal flaw was speed… it couldn't even outrun a small child. With just a little care, you basically wouldn't get hurt. What's more, they were timid by nature and would scurry off on their own at the sight of people. And of course, the greatest pity of all: their meat tasted terrible. However you cooked it, there was a whiff of dung about it… a mutation that had failed, one could say, down to the bone. "Since when has this place been taken over by Iron-Pincer Shrimp? Could there even be any inkfish left?" Luo Yu swept his gaze across the shore. Individual talents flickered past his eyes, one after another. Ordinary, ordinary, ordinary… Among the mass of ordinary talents, an advanced one only surfaced now and then. On this stretch of shore he faced, there were perhaps several hundred Iron-Pincer Shrimp, and only two of them carried advanced talents. Setting aside the one with Water Element Affinity, there was another talent he was seeing for the first time. Kin Devouring—an advanced talent. After devouring its own kind, the rate at which its life level rose would greatly accelerate. "Well, well…" Brutal, that talent. But Iron-Pincer Shrimp really did eat their own kind. "Wee-jee…" July stood on Luo Yu's shoulder, taking no interest whatsoever in the shrimp at the water's edge. It wanted to fish, this instant. So young, and already hooked. "Right away, then…" Luo Yu walked it out. Sure enough, at their approach the shrimp scattered in a panic and all fled back into the pool. Before long, Luo Yu found them a spot. July rubbed its wings together, thrilled beyond words—but wild fishing was far harder and trickier than angling in a man-made fish pond, and Luo Yu reckoned it would need a while to adjust… "You fish right here. I'm going to look around nearby. If anything comes up, call me through the contract." With that, Luo Yu set off to search the area for quality wild mutated beasts… Honestly, that Kin-Devouring Iron-Pincer Shrimp from earlier wasn't bad. That talent would let it speed up its growth by devouring its own kind—and it looked dirt-cheap to raise, too. Its future life level was bound to be high; reaching level 20 or above wasn't out of the question. A palm-sized Iron-Pincer Shrimp at level 1 or 2 might not be the least bit intimidating. But no species could hold out forever once high levels sent its size ballooning—who would dare ignore a level-40 Iron-Pincer Shrimp as big as a boat? When species fell short, level made up the difference. However strong the species, however fine the talents, once it got crushed in life level, there was no answer to it. Unfortunately, space at the research institute was limited, and what Luo Yu lacked now was not individuals that could level up quickly—how far could "quickly" get them, anyway—but individuals with "strategic value." Like the Mercy inkfish, for instance, which could reshape Jingyue Island's entire medical system… "Searching and searching, searching for a good friend… knock them out cold, stuff them in a sack—you're my good friend now." Luo Yu and July ended up staying a whole half day. In that time, July hauled in a pile of stinky fish and scraggly shrimp. It was quite pleased with itself, but Luo Yu took one look and shook his head. All ordinary talents… nothing but low-grade mutated beasts. "Gu-gah!" It even grilled one for itself and handed another to Luo Yu. As far as it was concerned, grilling fish simply meant hugging the fish and giving its Volcano talent a little trigger… "Thanks." Luo Yu accepted the grilled fish. Not that he himself had found any worthwhile mutated beasts either; he had trodden every inch of this stretch of land and could already confirm there was nothing good here. Tomorrow he would try somewhere else… But just as he and July packed up to head home, a swarm of Honey-Water Bees suddenly flew across the sky. [Species]: Honey-Water Bee [Attribute]: Water [Species Rank]: Lower Common Species [Species Ability]: Poison Sting This was an extremely common mutated beast in the wild. It carried a Poison Sting, but a nonlethal one; left unprovoked, it lived in peace with humans, quietly making its home in the wilds. There were even beekeepers who raised them specially for their honey. "Honey-Water Bees…" At the sight of the swarm, Luo Yu started slightly. He hadn't paid them much mind at first, since most of the individuals carried very common ordinary talents like "Tenacious," "Keen," and "Big Eater." But then one bee's information flashed past, and Luo Yu stopped dead in his tracks. [Individual Talent]: Defense Enhancement (ordinary talent; the toxin of its own Poison Sting has a strengthening effect on the defenses of other living beings.) "This…!!" The bees had already flown far off, but Luo Yu was still turning the talent over in his head. Defense Enhancement? That meant that, going by the talent's description, if one of them stung July, July's defenses would be strengthened? Since when was there something this convenient? Then if a hundred Defense Enhancement Honey-Water Bees stung July with their Poison Stings, wouldn't July be able to forge an "indestructible diamond body"! Granted, that was an exaggeration—there would probably be diminishing returns—but if there were Poison Stings that strengthened defense, were there not stings that strengthened "strength," "speed," and the like? "Honey-Water Bees!! This mutated beast has real potential." Luo Yu felt the trip hadn't been wasted after all. Some other day he could go up the mountain specifically to track down Honey-Water Bees. If he could raise a whole swarm of bees with these special talents… training pet beasts would get twice the results for half the effort. And once he had no further use for them, he could partner with the school and have its teachers sting the students with these every day. The students would surely progress even faster—call it a contribution to Jingyue Island's educational cause? That was worth more than some advanced talents… ………… That day, Luo Yu and the little penguin returned to the research institute in fine spirits. But the moment they got back, Luo Yu discovered something serious. The Breeding Exemplar… seemed to have laid eggs!! It had been barely ten-odd days since they had mated, and it had laid already. Under normal circumstances, shouldn't a month have to pass before laying?! "Premature birth?" "Or does the Breeding Exemplar itself have an exceptional talent for breeding—one that sped up the whole process?" Luo Yu hurried over to check. Not only was every egg plump and full, without the slightest defect of a premature birth, but where an ordinary female inkfish generally laid seven to nine eggs at a time, this Breeding Exemplar had laid a full sixteen in one go—exactly double. Whew… as long as nothing had gone wrong with the breeding, that was what mattered. It truly lived up to the name Breeding Exemplar. Luo Yu swallowed, then nervously probed the talents of these inkfish eggs. Sure enough, those could be seen in advance. "Incredible…" He examined them one by one, his emotions surging without pause. Of the sixteen eggs, fully twelve carried advanced talents. Most had inherited the Mercy talent—and what's more, two had inherited the Breeding Exemplar talent itself. The Breeding Exemplar's mother had borne Breeding Exemplar young. And one of them had mutated, producing a new advanced talent beyond "Breeding Exemplar," "Mercy," and "Thick Hide"—it seemed, in fact, to be a fusion of two talents! "Judging by the state of the eggs, hatching won't take long either. At this rate, everything is moving far faster than expected…" "Good. That way, at least when I attend the research report meeting Teacher Yuwan mentioned, I won't awkwardly show up empty-handed… I'll have real progress to present." What delighted Luo Yu most was the birth of two more Breeding Exemplars. Perhaps he could arrange a childhood betrothal between those two and the descendants of the Dark Eight-Blade Style family—a proper marriage alliance. With this flock of Breeding Exemplars, no one could stop him from breeding an "ultimate inkfish offspring" stacked with freakish traits!