Ch. 8 - The First Evolution Begins
Reborn as a Gluttonous Divine BeastThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Hey, what do you think of our little Gluttonous Beast's progress? Visit us on Discord and let us know!
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Hey, what do you think of our little Gluttonous Beast's progress? Visit us on Discord and let us know!
Ling Qingxue put the now-full Wu Liang back into her bag and zipped it up.
If things continued like this, her trip to the Green Forest would be pointless.
Her original main goal was to kill magical beasts to refine Wu Liang's body, but now that she knew Wu Liang was a magical beast with a hidden bloodline, there was no need to take that risk anymore.
"Then, I'll kill some magical beasts to make money for the Vitality Pills. I need to build a solid foundation so I can absorb the Star Spirit and cultivate the "Ten Thousand Sources Return to One" technique!"
The "Ten Thousand Sources Return to One" technique could fuse various elemental spirits into one's body, making the physical body incredibly powerful. Even if she only absorbed the Star Spirit, her strength would probably be enough to directly fight a First Rank late-stage cultivator.
With a clear goal, Ling Qingxue worked even harder.
Wu Liang, lying in her backpack, counted down the time for his digestion to complete.
A First Level early-stage Wood-Spotted Snake should have at least eight evolution points.
Since a half-riped Spirit Gathering Grass could have four points, it was normal for a whole Wood-Spotted Snake to have twice that. Forty minutes passed quickly.
[Ding! First Level early-stage Wood-Spotted Snake digested. Strength +5, Defense +3, Evolution Points +8!]
Upon seeing the System notification, Wu Liang's eyes widened.
"These attributes and evolution points are really good. Awesome!"
[The Divine Gluttonous Beast can devour everything. Additionally, it can absorb certain attributes from ores or certain special items to enhance itself.]
Wu Liang mentally gave the System a thumbs up.
Choosing this God-Slaying Divine Gluttonous Beast was definitely the right choice, truly amazing!
By the end, he would be covered in buffs.
So powerful!
[Host, you have enough evolution points to evolve into a Devouring Beast. Evolve now?]
Wu Liang stroked his chin with his little paw.
"Does evolution take time?"
[Yes, but the early evolution speed is very fast. It will only take a few minutes for the host to evolve into a Devouring Beast. During this time, the host will enter a deep sleep and will be unable to perceive anything outside.]
"Alright, then start evolving immediately!"
[Ding! 10 Evolution Points deducted. Evolution begins.]
As the System notification sounded, Wu Liang felt dizzy and then fell into a deep sleep.
He completely entrusted his safety to Ling Qingxue.
After all, she was a reborn Empress; she should be reliable.
Ling Qingxue, who had just killed a First Level early-stage Burrow Rat, immediately sensed an unusual feeling emanating within her body, from the contract.
She pulled Wu Liang out and saw wisps of familiar blood energy churning within him.
Shock filled her eyes; this was definitely the most shocking thing she had ever experienced since her rebirth.
"This magical beast can actually evolve on its own without consuming any special evolution potions!"
This completely shattered her previous understanding of evolution!
The bloodline evolution of magical beasts was extremely difficult, requiring evolution potions made from precious materials to help them break through their bloodline shackles.
Furthermore, each type of magical beast required different evolution potion materials.
Wu Liang was an extremely complex beast type; even Ling Qingxue couldn't analyze it.
She had even planned to take some of his blood to research how to create an evolution potion, but now Wu Liang had begun to evolve on his own.
"Spirit-Gathering Grass, Wood-Spotted Snake... Could it be that what he ate just happened to be the materials needed for evolution?"
However, what was the probability of encountering suitable evolution materials right after birth?
Do you think you're the chosen one?!
[Ding! Evolution complete. System panel generating...]
【Host: Wu Liang】
【Beast: Devouring Beast (Next form: Gluttonous Beast, requires 100 evolution points)】
【Rank: Not yet ranked】
【Talent: Devouring All Things (30%)】
【Bloodline: Low Level two-star】
【Attack: 28】
【Defense: 20】
【Speed: 18】
【Spirit: 14】
【Evolution Points: 5】
【Skills: Gluttonous Stomach lv2, Greed lv1, Damage Reduction lv1, Size Control lv1, Supernatural Smell lv1】
【Gluttonous Stomach lv2: Fixed passive skill, representing the digestive ability of the Gluttonous Beast. The stomach can store 20 cubic meters of food and can digest everything to nourish itself. Digestion speed increased by 50%.】 (Note: The 50% increase in digestion speed is an additional skill bonus after evolving into the Devouring Beast, not the current digestion speed. Please don't misunderstand!)
...
After evolving into Devouring Beast, Wu Liang's bloodline level reached the Low-Level two-star, giving him the potential to break through to the First Level.
Not only that, but all four main attributes improved.
His current strength was slightly higher than that of an ordinary animal; defeating a dog wouldn't be a problem.
The "Gluttonous Stomach" skill also underwent some changes after he evolved into the Devouring Beast, with a fixed 50% increase in digestion speed!
This meant he might only need twenty minutes to digest a first-level early-stage magical beast.
Looking at the remaining evolution points, Wu Liang had just enough to upgrade "Gluttonous Stomach" to level 3, further increasing his digestion speed.
[Gluttonous Stomach Lv3: Fixed passive skill, representing the digestive abilities of the Gluttonous Beast. The stomach can store 30 cubic meters of food and can digest everything to nourish itself. Digestion speed increased by 50%.]
Wow, his eating speed was even faster now!
Ling Qingxue picked up Wu Liang, who had just successfully evolved. He had gained some weight, and his size had increased significantly
Moreover, some scarlet patterns were now showing on his body, making him appear even more magical.
Ling Qingxue's eyes were filled with excitement, as if she herself had evolved.
"Low Level two-star, your bloodline has evolved to Low Level two-star on its own! From now on, with my knowledge, I will surely be able to push your bloodline to the Imperial Level. I'm back in the game!"
Thus were the ups and downs of life.
Wu Liang's evolution gave Ling Qingxue confidence—the confidence to defy fate.
By contracting a unique species among magical beasts, her future path had changed. She once again had hope of ascending to Godhood!
"Hungry~"
Hearing the childish voice in her mind, Ling Qingxue, who had just calmed down, felt helpless again.
It seemed like she might not be able to afford to raise this little guy.
But Wu Liang's self-evolution had changed her fate. It was just a First Level early-stage Burrow Rat; he could have it!
Ling Qingxue fed the rat into Wu Liang's mouth.
As for herself, she just ate some jerky to replenish her energy.
Constant fighting was too taxing on her stamina. She hadn't successfully cultivated the "Ten Thousand Sources Return to One" technique yet, so she had to take it slow.
[Ding! One First Level early-stage Burrow Rat consumed. Estimated digestion time: 18 minutes!]
Wu Liang smiled with satisfaction. Just as he had guessed.
After evolving into a Devouring Beast, his devouring speed had greatly increased. A First Level early-stage beast only needed a dozen minutes to be digested, and a First Level mid-stage beast would roughly double that.
"System, are there any limitations to my current devouring ability?"
[No. The Gluttonous Beast can digest anything, but there's a limitation on its digestion speed. For example, it can also devour a Second Level magical beast, but the digestion time might be one or two days, and it will occupy the host's Gluttonous Stomach space.]
Wu Liang understood.
High-level items were digested very slowly. If his "Gluttonous Stomach" was completely filled with high-level items, he could not continue to devour other food.
This hindered his progress. The best solution was to devour food that was about one level higher than him, or food that was of a higher level but smaller in size, like ores and spiritual herbs.
Wu Liang's current level was still unranked, meaning he was not even a First Level magical beast.
His four main attributes were still too low; he needed to be close to 100 points to reach the First Level.