CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 125: NIU NIU’S EVOLUTION: COCOONING

Three hours later, the large vat started bubbling, and Xiaobai couldn’t wait to rush over but was stopped by Chen Yun, who said, "Don’t rush."

Turning her head, she asked Lin Chen, "Are you sure?"

Lin Chen nodded.

Only then did Chen Yun summon her Spirit Beast, just like before.

When both Spirit Beasts were ready, Xiaobai got the signal and jumped swiftly into the large vat.

The bubbling water was a bit scalding at first, but once the skills of the two Spirit Beasts came under Chen Yun’s boost, Xiaobai immediately felt a wave of comfort, as if energy was seeping into its body through its pores...

This pleasant feeling didn’t last long before Xiaobai suddenly began to feel pain.

Xiaobai clenched its teeth and prepared itself.

But it found that this feeling wasn’t as painful as when purifying its bloodline.

This was natural.

Purifying bloodline is going against nature, whereas Spirit Beast evolution is one of the biological laws and cannot be compared.

Xiaobai mooed softly, and Chen Yun was surprised to hear it.

Not painful?

That’s unusual.

Last time, she had also assisted a tortoise in Divergent Evolution, and that tortoise was in excruciating pain.

While Chen Yun pondered, the barrier was already completed.

Xiaobai’s eyelids began to open and close as Lin Chen, holding the Little Fox, sat and said, "We’ll be waiting here for you."

"Moo~~"

Xiaobai let out a soft moan and finally fell into a deep sleep.

...

Waiting is an excruciating moment, but not for Lin Chen.

He likes reading, which calms his mind. He had already prepared his books, sitting there, slowly reading.

The Little Fox beside him wanted to go out and play but held back its playful urges, thinking of Xiaobai still in the "pot."

Lin Chen reads a wide range of books, and this time he had specially borrowed one from Chen Yun.

Although he couldn’t become a Catalyst Master, learning more is never a mistake.

Seeing this, Chen Yun, who was outside, said to the nearby Lee Zhen, "Where did you find this young man? Not bad at all."

In this world, Beast Taming is king, but many ignore cultural knowledge, focusing only on battle.

But in reality, cultural knowledge is quite useful.

After all, without these, the Beast Taming system would never have been established. Things like elixirs, formulas, etc., would be empty talk.

Lee Zhen smiled and shared some things about Lin Chen with her, leaving Chen Yun dumbfounded.

This Lin Chen is truly capable; at such a young age, he has experienced so much.

Four days later, Chen Yun came to reinforce the catalyst again and told Lin Chen that Xiaobai’s condition was better than expected.

"The efficacy of the Heart of the Ox King is beyond doubt," Chen Yun said to Lin Chen. "Its duration is long, and the absorption effect is better."

The Heart of the Ox King is rare even in a big city like South City; few forces can obtain it.

Another eight days passed, and Xiaobai was still absorbing, showing no sign of forming a cocoon.

Lin Chen began to feel anxious, but Chen Yun said, "Don’t worry, the cocoon-forming process will not go wrong, the slower the time, the better the absorption."

Lin Chen nodded.

He understood this in principle, but concern can sometimes lead to confusion.

On the thirteenth day, Xiaobai finally started forming a cocoon; as he watched the large Niu Niu turn into something resembling a giant white egg-like cocoon, Lin Chen felt his heartbeat quicken...

No wonder people often say, gamblers need a strong heart.

Even after the cocoon formed, Chen Yun kept the fire burning for two more days, as the medicinal effect of the Heart of the Ox King was terrifying, allowing it to continue absorbing effortlessly even in its cocoon.

On the fifteenth day, the fire was put out, and everything returned to calm.

...

The world outside was bustling.

Four months had passed since the Celestial Treaty 2.0, and the Demon Race had finally initiated its plan to build cities in forbidden zones.

Several Demon Beast Kings above Level 80 announced the establishment of forbidden zones, barring humans from entering.

This received permission from the Dubhe Pavilion, which began organizing local people to move out of those areas.

For a while, public resentment grew, with many feeling that once the Demon Race claimed these areas, they would begin demanding more.

However, new news soon spread that the relocated residents received huge compensations.

For a time, curses turned into envy.

As some confirmed, the relocated residents had all become wealthy, becoming the winners of the Demon Race’s forbidden zone plan.

"I admit, I’m envious. I wish the Demon Race would build a forbidden zone here."

"Wake up, it’s just a few million or ten million; we must prioritize the bigger picture."

"Our flight routes have been changed, and we can’t fly over these Demon Race forbidden zones any longer."

"Let’s hope in four years, Humans’ Beastmasters can defeat the Demon Race and have these zones revoked."

"Will the relocated families return the money then?"

People discussed it extensively, with jest and envy...

But more people were worried about the future.

The Celestial Treaty 1.0 arranged:

The Human-Demon war stopped; the Human Race lived on Blue Star, while the Demon Race lived in their Secret Realms or deep in the mountains.

Now, with Celestial 2.0, the Demon Race was planning to surface.

Thus, times are changing, and so do people’s hearts.

In fact, Dubhe Pavilion did not want educational reform, as they were unsure if it would affect their rule once education systems were reformed.

However, this reform is imperative.

If the Monster Hunter Guild is canceled, the smaller Demon Beast Secret Realms’ survival chance would greatly increase, ensuring the strength of the Demon Race’s younger generation.

On the contrary, due to the deliberate oppression and monopolization by major powers, many Beastmasters cannot access resources, and hence, strong young generations are not born.

Educational reform will undoubtedly shake the foundations of major powers, but Dubhe Pavilion also understands...

Compared to internal threats, the external threat from the Demon Race should be the top priority.

....

On the 28th day, Lin Chen awoke, and the first thing he did was check the cocoon. Blurry, he seemed to see a crack, so he asked the Little Fox beside him, "Is it cracking?"

"Gul~~"

The Little Fox nodded, having seen it too.

Lin Chen was instantly overjoyed.

After waiting for so long, it finally happened.

According to Chen Yun, the longer it takes to break the cocoon, the greater the chance of emerging with good quality.

"I wonder what kind of creature it will become after metamorphosis," Lin Chen thought with increasing anticipation and worry.

Divergent Evolution is akin to activating latent bloodlines, leading to many variables.

This hidden bloodline certainly contains all sorts of chaotic bovine varieties. Transforming well means progressive evolution, transforming poorly means regressive...

Lin Chen had considered a few types of bulls:

First, the Spirit Ruins Ox.

This is a common bull that awakens the Soul-Calming Hoof. Since Xiaobai’s first bloodline purification, it has taken on some aspects of mutation, so evolving from a Plowhorn Beast, a type of Barbaric Power Bull, to a Spiritual Ox is quite possible.

Divergent Evolution inherently has this characteristic.

Second, the Barbaric Ox.

The orthodox progenitor of the Barbaric Bloodline, also one of the representative species of the Barbaric Power Bull.

Relatively speaking, Lin Chen thought the latter had a higher probability and hoped for the latter.

After all, under Lin Chen’s training system, Xiaobai has always focused on high burst damage to quickly end battles.

If it suddenly transformed into a Spirit Beast mainly relying on Spiritual Power, Lin Chen wouldn’t adapt, and neither would Xiaobai.

In this anxious and restless wait, fifteen whole days passed, even longer than the evolution time of Qin Shaoshao’s Spirit-Devouring Vine.

Finally, on the sixteenth day, signs of the cocoon breaking appeared.