After taking care of the most important matters, Su Ming and Xu Qianqian's conversation consisted mostly of idle small talk that led nowhere.
Of course, that didn't mean their small talk contained nothing important.
For example, the damaged scale Su Ming had given Xu Qianqian the previous week had already been handed over to an expert for study.
According to the results, the scale seemed somewhat similar to a Rotwater Demon's scale.
"Rotwater Demon?" Su Ming furrowed his brows. "You mean the Rotwater Demon that inhabits the waters of the Spirit Fiend Abyss and is considered the most common aquatic Phantom Demon there?"
"That's right." Xu Qianqian nodded. "There are many Phantom Demons that live in the water of the Spirit Fiend Abyss, but the most common are the Rotwater Demons. They can survive even in the filthiest waters. Among the aquatic Phantom Demons that have come from the Spirit Fiend Abyss into the present world, the Rotwater Demon is also the one we've encountered in the greatest numbers."
Su Ming naturally knew that.
Not only did he know it, he had also received several missions to clear Phantom Demons inhabiting important waterways. Together with Lei Hao and Ye Bai, he had hunted Rotwater Demons several times.
The Rotwater Demon was indeed the most common aquatic Phantom Demon. Whenever a supernatural disaster was related to water, the culprit behind it was a Rotwater Demon nine times out of ten.
That showed just how common these aquatic Phantom Demons were.
"But I remember that Rotwater Demon scales don't look like this."
Su Ming pointed that out.
The Rotwater Demons Su Ming had seen were Phantom Demons that looked somewhat like merfolk. They were larger than ordinary adults, standing around two meters tall, with sharp claws and fangs. Their skin was blue. Although they had scales, those scales usually only grew on a few areas, such as their arms, thighs, necks, and faces. They looked like fish scales—and the ugliest kind at that.
By contrast, the scale he had found was smooth as a mirror, bright as a diamond, and exceptionally beautiful.
Yet Xu Qianqian claimed that such a beautiful scale had fallen from a Rotwater Demon.
No wonder Su Ming had furrowed his brows so deeply.
"I was surprised at first too, but thinking about it carefully, it isn't strange at all." Xu Qianqian explained to Su Ming, "Once a Phantom Demon evolves from a Lesser Phantom Demon into a Greater Phantom Demon, it undergoes a complete transformation and becomes an entirely new individual, doesn't it?"
Su Ming somewhat understood what Xu Qianqian was getting at.
"In other words, you think the owner of that scale evolved from a Rotwater Demon?" Su Ming looked at Xu Qianqian. "The mysterious being that suspicious group is hunting really is a Greater Phantom Demon?"
Although they didn't know whether it was a juvenile, once it was confirmed that the scale's owner had evolved from a Rotwater Demon, the speculation that it was a Greater Phantom Demon could be directly proven.
Just as Su Ming was thinking this, Xu Qianqian gave him another, less certain answer.
"It might not be a Greater Phantom Demon that has successfully evolved. It could also be a mutant."
Xu Qianqian's words made Su Ming blink.
"A mutant?"
Su Ming fell into thought.
Meeting Su Ming's gaze, Xu Qianqian began to explain.
"After a Lesser Phantom Demon consumes enough blood and accumulates enough power, it evolves. But evolution doesn't necessarily succeed." Xu Qianqian said, "If it encounters an accident during the evolutionary process, or if the power it has accumulated isn't enough to support the entire process, then the Phantom Demon will stop evolving and mutate in another direction, right?"
In other words, it was a mutation.
A mutation caused by incomplete evolution.
"Phantom Demons that appear in this way are called mutants. They haven't fully evolved, but they've still broken free of the Lesser Phantom Demon category. They lie between Lesser Phantom Demons and Greater Phantom Demons."
Xu Qianqian's voice clearly reached Su Ming's ears.
"It's not only Lesser Phantom Demons that can fail to evolve and instead mutate. There are also such beings among Greater Phantom Demons, aren't there?"
Although a Lesser Phantom Demon evolving into a Greater Phantom Demon could be considered a complete transformation, it couldn't be regarded as reaching the end point of the species known as Phantom Demons.
Regardless of the type of Phantom Demon, each would have three opportunities to evolve over the course of its life.
The first evolution was from a Lesser Phantom Demon into a Greater Phantom Demon, allowing it to stand out completely from the riffraff and truly gain the power to change its fate.
However, there were also levels among Greater Phantom Demons.
The first stage among Greater Phantom Demons was called the Hazard Breed. It was merely the earliest and weakest form of Greater Phantom Demon.
Aside from Hazard Breeds, there were also Nightmare Breeds and Terror Breeds among Greater Phantom Demons.
If an individual that had evolved into a Hazard Breed continued consuming blood and accumulating power, it would undergo a second evolution.
If that evolution succeeded, it would become a Nightmare Breed.
By the same principle, when a Nightmare Breed had also consumed enough blood and accumulated enough power, triggering its third and final evolution, it would become a Terror Breed if it succeeded.
That was the endpoint of Phantom Demons.
That was the final stage a Phantom Demon life-form could reach.
Only by becoming a Terror Breed could it become the strongest of Phantom Demons and rule the entire Spirit Fiend Abyss.
By then, it would possess the power to dominate the entire Spirit Fiend Abyss and become a genuine Phantasmal Demon King.
However, this evolutionary path wasn't something that could be completed easily.
Setting aside the astonishing amount of blood and flesh required to evolve to the final stage, evolution itself could fail.
Once evolution failed, the Phantom Demon could become a mutant stronger than other Phantom Demons of the same level. However, it would also permanently lose the opportunity to evolve again and could only remain at its current stage.
That was what was known as a mutant.
For this reason, Xu Qianqian had raised this possibility.
The mysterious Phantom Demon being hunted by that suspicious group could be a mutant whose evolution had failed.
"Still, a mutant that evolved from a Lesser Phantom Demon shouldn't be enough to make the higher-ups of a Base City deploy their own private soldiers to hunt it."
That was what Xu Qianqian believed.
"So the true identity of this Phantom Demon is most likely still a juvenile Greater Phantom Demon."
This was the result of the investigation into that scale.
"This really is troublesome." Su Ming scratched his head. "Have you reported this matter to the Base City higher-ups who assigned you the commission?"
"Mm, I've reported it." Xu Qianqian admitted, "They've begun taking the matter seriously. But the entrance to the Spirit Fiend Abyss is about to appear within the Base City's urban district, so they may not have time to deal with this matter promptly."
"Then it has nothing to do with me." Su Ming spread his hands, looking completely unconcerned. "I'm only responsible for completing the investigation you commissioned. Everything else is none of my business."
"I know." Xu Qianqian already understood what kind of person Su Ming was, so she wasn't surprised at all. "As for how to deal with that suspicious group and the suspected juvenile Greater Phantom Demon, that's for the higher-ups to decide. We're only students, so we just need to handle the investigation."
"Okay." Su Ming snapped his fingers with a smile. "Then this matter is much easier to deal with."
As long as he only had to investigate and could ignore everything else, Su Ming had already decided to do exactly that.
"Then I'll head back first." Su Ming stood up and said to Xu Qianqian, "As for the trade, please urge them a little more and help me complete it as soon as possible."
"I will." Xu Qianqian said calmly, "If you receive any news or have anything you need to discuss, you can contact me immediately."
"Sure." Su Ming agreed.
Only then did Xu Qianqian summon the butler and have him see Su Ming out of the villa.
Under the butler's seemingly respectful yet actually vigilant gaze, Su Ming left the villa and returned to the academy.
The following day passed peacefully.
The Demon Hunter Academy remained bustling with activity. People were busy everywhere, and the entire place seemed to be working at full steam.
Su Ming, Lei Hao, Ye Bai, An Zijin, Yao Beibei, and Jiang Wanyu—the six of them—didn't waste any time either. The next day, they began preparing for their expedition.
Some needed to ready their weapons, some needed to prepare tools, and everyone pooled their money to purchase supplies. After one or two group meals as well, they gradually became more familiar with one another.
Well, mainly Ye Bai wanted to grow closer to An Zijin. Lei Hao, meanwhile, had nothing better to do and went to flirt with the two fierce, tall junior girls. The two fierce, tall junior girls paid Lei Hao little attention. Instead, they deliberately kept placing themselves between An Zijin, who was equally unwilling to deal with Ye Bai, and the innocent, pitiful Su Ming, preventing An Zijin from clinging to Su Ming.
This could—barely—be considered becoming familiar with one another, right?
At the very least, Su Ming had gained a thorough understanding of all the tangled romances and grudges within the team. He had seen through everyone's ugly faces, and in a sense, he had become familiar with them.
Under such circumstances, the day of departure gradually arrived.
Night had fallen deep.
Tonight at the Demon Hunter Academy was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Because once dawn broke tomorrow, the academy's students would all set out together for Huaming District to participate in the battle against the Phantom Demons.
Thanks to that, many people seemed unable to sleep peacefully, and the dormitory lights remained brightly lit.
At this time, Su Ming quietly left the dormitory, and even left the academy.
He had received a message.
A message from Xu Qianqian.
"Come over to my place."
There was no need to say more about what this brief message conveyed.
By the time Su Ming arrived in Mirror Lake District, brimming with excitement, and entered Xu Qianqian's villa, a large cargo truck was already parked in the courtyard.
Xu Qianqian wasn't there.
Only several staff members and the old butler were present.
"The young lady is preparing for tomorrow's expedition, but she's already instructed me to hand this shipment over to Young Master Su."
As he spoke, the old butler opened the rear doors of the cargo truck.
The next second, countless neatly arranged supernatural items came into Su Ming's view.
Su Ming immediately smiled.
Tonight really would be a sleepless night.
Before you continue