The Key Attribute for July's Evolution!

Luo Yu was surprised. Results already?! *Ahem, looks like those researchers won't be getting chewed out by the director anymore...* Evolution completed after touching a special rock? "I want to go see," Luo Yu said, taking a deep breath. "When do we leave?" Could this special rock... make the little penguin evolve?! Species rank was far too crucial. As a Lower Common Species mutated beast, the little penguin's base attributes were still way too low. Luo Yu had worked relentlessly to nurture it, trying every method he could think of, yet it was still unable to condense magma. It was simply being held back by its physical constitution. If the Walking Volcano talent had been placed on an elephant, with a mutated elephant's physique, it probably would have been able to Create Land long ago. That was the sheer disparity in baseline stat panels. Even without mutating or evolving, a blue whale's pure tonnage alone made it nearly impossible for some ordinary mutated beasts to breach its defenses. "If you have the time, we can leave right now," the director chuckled. Whenever an opportunity like this arose, the director thought of Luo Yu first. The island was impoverished, but within their means, they would do everything possible to create opportunities for genuine talent. *** *Tweet—* Standing by the office window, Director Yu Lei blew a sharp whistle. The next instant, a black speck approached rapidly across the sky. A moment later, a tiger-headed sea eagle with magnificent plumage appeared in their sight and perched gracefully on the window ledge. [Species]: Storm Sea Eagle [Attribute]: Wind, Water [Species Rank]: Lower Monarch Species [Life Level]: Level 44 [Species Ability]: Rainstorm [Individual Talent]: 1. Diligent (Ordinary talent: Works harder than ordinary individuals.) 2. Agile (Ordinary talent: More nimble than ordinary individuals.) "Hop on. This is my longtime partner. Usually, it hunts nearby to earn a little extra on the side. We'll fly over," Director Yu Lei invited, hopping out the window onto its back first. *Still hale and hearty in his old age...* Luo Yu's gaze remained firmly fixed on the Storm Sea Eagle! A Monarch Species! As expected of the island's third-in-command—even in a civil administrative post, his pet beast was undeniably formidable! The ability Rainstorm... just the sound of it felt vastly more impressive than something like spraying water or ink. Its individual talents were rather ordinary, but its species rank was already a massive boost. Possessing both a lofty species rank and exceptional individual talents was a privilege reserved for the chosen of heaven. "All right!" Luo Yu climbed on as well. It was his first time riding a flying mutated beast, and he felt tense, gripping its feathers tightly out of fear of slipping off. Before long, the Storm Sea Eagle landed. Upon touching down, Luo Yu saw a fractured mountainside split open by a karst fissure leading into the subterranean depths. "No guards?" Luo Yu asked. "The guards are inside," the director answered. "There's flowing water deeper in, and the space is rather narrow—boats can't get through. We'll ride mutated beasts in." He led Luo Yu inside. The cavern was indeed damp and chilly, pervaded by a cold moisture that made Luo Yu feel slightly uneasy almost immediately after stepping foot within. *Splash...* When they reached the water's edge, a white crocodile surfaced. [Species]: White Croc [Attribute]: Water [Species Rank]: Upper Common Species [Life Level]: Level 29 [Species Ability]: Death Vortex [Individual Talent]: Stable (Ordinary talent: Greater balance than ordinary individuals.) An Upper Common Species White Croc! This was a pet beast bred by the Island Lord's clan, typically contracted only within internal family channels. It was said that the island's guardian deity, the Jingyue Giant Croc, had evolved from a White Croc. After riding a sea eagle, now he was riding a crocodile. Luo Yu was certainly getting his fill of novel experiences today. Mimicking the director ahead of him, he climbed onto the White Croc's back. Moments later, the beast began moving through the subterranean waterway, swimming deeper into the grotto. "Is this White Croc the guard of the Ancient Grotto?" Luo Yu rubbed his temples and asked. "In a manner of speaking. There are plenty more of them in the water..." "How are you feeling? A bit dizzy?" the director asked. "If you feel any discomfort, tell me immediately." "I'm fine, hanging in there," Luo Yu nodded. Seeing that the White Croc still had a fair distance to swim, Luo Yu asked, "So, out of everything, only that single Drowned Chicken born in this grotto underwent evolution after coming into contact with the special rock? Touching it had no effect on the other Drowned Chickens?" "That's correct," the director said. "None of the other Drowned Chickens or other mutated beasts showed any reaction. Even the chickens hatched from the very same clutch couldn't evolve—only that specific individual did. "They suspect that evolved chicken might have awakened some rare bloodline. But when they ran tests with their instruments, they didn't find any obvious differences between its bloodline and those of its siblings. All of them possess a modest trace of ancient dragon bloodline... "It seems it'll require a deeper investigation for a while longer... "So don't get your hopes too high on this trip. Just give it a try. "If your Ground Penguin can evolve, that's naturally ideal. But if it can't, don't feel disheartened." "Understood..." Luo Yu nodded, inwardly feeling that the odds were slim. He surmised that the sole Drowned Chicken capable of evolving probably possessed some unique talent that the others lacked... Once he inspected it with Data Eye, he might be able to uncover some clues. Passing through the jagged, craggy waterway, the cavern suddenly opened up, revealing a wide stone clearing with multiple branch paths leading into different deep chambers. "This ancient subterranean grotto is divided into several sections. Researcher Chen Zhuo and his team are exploring and conducting studies in different areas. Follow me this way." The director continued leading Luo Yu forward, selecting one of the tunnels. After ducking their heads and walking about a dozen meters, they entered an expansive clearing. Inside stood massive iron cages holding experimental chickens. [Species]: Drowned Chicken [Attribute]: Water [Species Rank]: Lower Common Species [Life Level]: Level 2 [Species Ability]: Splash [Individual Talent]: Nutrient-Rich (Ordinary talent: Far more nutritious than ordinary individuals.) Luo Yu was speechless. He genuinely felt the urge to breed a batch of dual-talented Drowned Chickens with both Delicious Flesh and Nutrient-Rich... Turning them into McSpicy wings would definitely taste amazing. There were several dozen Drowned Chickens housed here, alongside a dedicated area for chicken eggs, which were far more numerous. Compared to the older Drowned Chickens, whose talents were varied but overwhelmingly ordinary, the eggs arranged in the transparent incubation chambers possessed vastly superior attributes when Luo Yu scanned them. These eggs... Roughly ninety percent possessed the ordinary talent Dragon Blood, identical to that Green-Scaled Snake from back then, with faint traces of ancient dragon bloodline flowing through them! As for the remaining ten percent, they carried advanced talents like Dragon Claws, Dragon Eyes, and Dragon Bones, traits that would grant their physical bodies extraordinary potential. However, these discoveries had already been reported by the researchers during the last research report meeting. It was unlikely that these talents were the key to evolution. "Where is the evolved Drowned Chicken?" Luo Yu asked. "Right here." A tent flap parted, and Researcher Chen Zhuo emerged carrying a massive cage. Inside was an extraordinarily muscular, bizarre bird—completely bald, without a single feather. [Species]: Azure Terrorbird [Attribute]: Water [Species Rank]: Mid Common Species [Life Level]: Level 1 [Species Ability]: Vortex Wing Slash [Individual Talent]: 1. Dragon Wings... 2. Rock Element Affinity... "Huh..." Luo Yu stared at the monstrous bird, falling into deep thought. A talent like Dragon Wings was likely present among many of the Drowned Chicken offspring here, representing a higher purity of dragon blood. Yet none of those other chickens had evolved upon touching the special rock. Ruling out the shared traits, could it be that this Drowned Chicken was able to evolve into an Azure Terrorbird specifically because of its Rock Element Affinity talent? That was genuinely plausible! After all, it evolved solely upon touching the rock. It made total sense that it needed an innate rock talent to resonate with it! Did that mean July couldn't do it? July only possessed earth and fire dual talents... Even though magma was, by definition, molten rock at extreme temperatures, the Walking Volcano talent had nothing to do with rock elemental talent. July could only convert earth vein power into high-temperature thermal power, but it couldn't create rock from nothing to melt. Therefore, compared to rock power, earth vein power and high-temperature thermal power were the true core of the Walking Volcano talent. Rock element accounted for almost nothing within it. That was likely another reason why the little penguin had been unable to condense magma for so long—beyond its low level, its rock element power was insufficient. If it couldn't condense rock from nothing and fuse it with high-temperature power into magma, then in the future, condensing magma would merely mean melting surrounding objects rather than creating it out of thin air. Its combat potency would be markedly inferior, especially at sea, where it would be heavily constrained. As expected, the Walking Volcano talent was far better suited to creatures that were inherently rock-attribute. As a Lower-tier Species, the little penguin couldn't bring out the talent's full potential on its own... But that was fine; it had him as its Beast Master! "Is this the evolved form? By the way, where is the rock that triggered its evolution?" Luo Yu asked. Regardless, he had to try it first. "Right over there." Chen Zhuo pointed toward a yellowish stone embedded in the corner of the wall, its texture markedly distinct from the surrounding rock face. "We haven't excavated it yet, out of concern that prying it from the wall might cause it to lose its evolutionary effect. So far, only three stones of this kind have been discovered in the entire grotto. We don't know if there are more hidden deeper within the rock face." "July." Luo Yu summoned July directly. Finding itself in this unfamiliar environment, the little penguin looked around with a bewildered expression, its heart thumping rapidly. "Go touch that and see what happens." He pointed toward the yellow stone, telling July to give it a shot. Hearing the command, July flapped its wings with a soft *guji* and waddled over. Then, its wing made contact with the rock. One second, two seconds, three seconds... Well, nothing happened. "As expected, it didn't work," Chen Zhuo said, shaking his head. "Though that's completely normal. "Never mind that. The pressing priority right now is to figure out what fundamental difference exists between this evolved Drowned Chicken and the others that failed to evolve. "If we can get to the bottom of that, we might be able to use this special rock to induce evolutions in specific species." The director nodded in agreement, then looked at Luo Yu with an apologetic expression. "Luo Yu, since you can already withstand the special magnetic field here, I'll issue you an access pass shortly. You'll be able to come here anytime to conduct research. "After all, even if it can't evolve your Ground Penguin, the ambient environment here can gradually refine its bloodline and temper its physique over time. Of course, your primary focus should still remain on the breeding work for the inkfish and Honey-Water Bees..." "Understood." Luo Yu nodded, his thoughts already racing to analyze why July couldn't evolve through the evolutionary stone. Was it truly because the rock-element proportion within the Walking Volcano talent was too negligible? It couldn't compare to a genuine Rock Element Affinity talent at all. In other words, if he wanted July to evolve using this special rock, he needed to increase its rock-attribute talent proportion? Ways to acquire or boost rock-system talents after birth... Would contracting a rock-type retainer work? By contracting a rock-type retainer, its rock affinity could be enhanced. Just like how a non-Water-system mutated Monarch, upon contracting a water-type retainer, could command water elemental power and increase its compatibility with the ocean to dive into the sea—it followed the exact same principle...