Failure

The ten-odd minutes of waiting passed slowly amidst the sounds of the wind and flowing water along the riverbank.

Lu Heng stood quietly on the bank, the Companion King Snake still lurking in the grass beside him, its eyes unblinking, monitoring every movement beneath the river's surface. He did not lower his guard, remaining cautious and not entirely certain that the group of water turtles would keep their promise.

Just then, a series of heavy splashing sounds came from beneath the murky river water.

The waves surged and crashed, and several enormous black shadows slowly rose from the deep water.

One by one Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtle emerged from the water, each one clutching a treasure chest firmly between its mouths. Ripples spread outward from the water's surface as the heavy shells of the turtles pressed against it. The four turtles swam to the shore in turn and placed the treasure chests they were holding heavily on the muddy ground in front of Lu Heng's feet.

The three chests were dark in color, with water stains and algae covering their outer shells, classifying them as Black Iron-Level Treasure Chest. The remaining chest had finer patterns and its metal edges gleamed faintly, classifying it as Bronze-Tier Treasure Chest.

Lu Heng's gaze swept over the treasure chest on the ground, his face remaining completely expressionless.

We've struck gold. These strange beasts that have roamed the riverbeds for years are more familiar with every corner of the waterways than humans. Having them help search for treasure chests is far more efficient than wandering aimlessly through the wilderness and riverbeds on our own.

Four treasure chests were neatly arranged on the muddy beach. The turtles, having completed their delivery, all stopped in the shallow water, their murky, vertical pupils fixed on Lu Heng, waiting for the transaction to be completed.

Lu Heng looked at the Turtle King, his gaze calm.

"Do you need me to help you separate this core?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he handed the Mutant Core, which was glowing with azure light, forward, suspending it above the water.

Without waiting for Lu Heng to make a move, the Turtle King suddenly thrust its massive head forward, its wide and hard jaws biting off most of the Mutant Core with a snap, severing the core in two.

The remaining half of the core floated on the surface of the water. The Turtle King extended its sharp and thick claws and, with a few strokes, evenly separated the remaining fragments, the number of which corresponded exactly to the other water turtles.

Lu Heng stood on the shore, taking in the entire scene.

The leader of these mythical beasts distributed the spoils so fairly. In contrast, some humans scheme and plot against each other for profit, even worse than these turtles.

After the fragments were distributed, the Turtle King lowered its head first, taking the majority of the core into its mouth, and visible greenish-blue energy began to surge within its body. The other water turtles also stepped forward, each swallowing their own fragment.

They no longer paid attention to Lu Heng on the shore, and were completely immersed in absorbing energy. A faint blue mist rose from their bodies, and the power of the Mutant Core was constantly seeping into their flesh and blood.

The wounds left from the battle were still slowly oozing blood from several of the water turtles. Now, under the cleansing effect of the core energy, the flesh at the wounds was faintly writhing.

The changes first appeared in the Turtle King.

A dull tremor emanated from within its body. The originally thick and simple gray-brown shell began to bulge with sharp bone spikes, its edges extending outwards, making its shell increasingly ferocious and terrifying. The energy fluctuations around it rose steadily, completely breaking through the barrier of the Black Iron Tier and firmly stepping into the Bronze Tier.

Lu Heng's pupils contracted slightly.

He had imagined that the Mutant Core might help the alien beast advance, but witnessing a Black Iron-Level Exotic Beast break through the level barrier in just a few minutes and directly step into the Bronze Tier was a far more intense experience than he had anticipated.

A single core fragment, with just this little bit of energy, directly completed a leapfrog evolution. This thing's potential far exceeded his expectations.

The Turtle King slowly raised its head, its cloudy pupils clearing somewhat, its intelligence clearly increased compared to before. It turned to look at Lu Heng, and their eyes met.

Lu Heng actually read a hint of emotion in the eyes of that strange beast, as if it was mocking his earlier overreaction.

The risks associated with the Mutant Core materialized faster than anticipated.

A piercing, frenzied roar suddenly exploded out.

It wasn't the deep, resonant hum that turtles should have; the sound was sharp and distorted, carrying an almost manic pain.

It was one of the common Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtle had swallowed the fragment.

Its body convulsed violently, its limbs pounded the water frantically, its form twisted and contorted, and it descended into utter madness. The power of the Mutant Core did not grant it an opportunity for advancement; instead, it propelled it into a berserk state of aberration.

The other turtles were instantly startled and quickly paddled backward, keeping a safe distance from their crazed brethren. Even the newly evolved Turtle King looked grave, staring intently at the mutated individual, its muscles tense and filled with vigilance.

Lu Heng frowned slightly.

The risks of the Mutant Core are no exaggeration. Successfully advancing is only part of the story; the real hidden danger is the uncontrolled mutation. The gamble involved in this thing is now starkly real.

We can't leave this Mutated Turtle here; nobody knows what it might do next.

Lu Heng didn't take out the Rat King Bone Knife, which was good at armor-piercing and killing. Instead, his gaze fell on the Deboning Knife left behind by the Butcher in his backpack. He could take this opportunity to test this weapon obtained from the dungeon. Besides, the water turtle had plenty of flesh and blood, which was a perfect match for the Deboning Knife's characteristics.

However, these were ultimately the Turtle King's subordinates.

Lu Heng took a step forward, his gaze fixed on the Turtle King in the shallow water.

"This one has completely mutated. I'll deal with it and take its corpse with me. Do you have any objections?"

The Turtle King remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly with its enormous head.

After advancing to Bronze, its comprehension ability significantly improved.

Compared to the unpredictable nature of humans, these strange beasts are simple and direct in their thoughts, without so many twists and turns, making communication surprisingly smooth.

The Deboning Knife landed in his hand.

Lu Heng no longer held back, pouring a large amount of Mental Energy into the blade. The pale blue spiritual power spread along the hilt, wrapping around the entire blade. With the surge of spiritual power, a faint aura of killing intent emanated from his body, vaguely carrying specks of starlight.

The mutated water turtle was still writhing wildly, splashing water everywhere, having lost its mind.

Lu Heng exerted force with his feet, his body suddenly surging forward, and he leaped into the shallows.

He raised the Deboning Knife high, and brought the blade, imbued with spiritual power, down with a fierce slash.

Bang!

A piercing metallic clang rang out as the blade cleaved heavily at the junction of the Mutated Turtle's head and shell. The hard shell wasn't severed entirely, but the blade still carved deep into it, embedding itself firmly within the carapace.

The Deboning Knife's properties were triggered in the next instant, and the blade began to greedily draw in the warm blood gushing from the Mutated Turtle.

Under the intense pain, the Mutated Turtle struggled even more violently, its massive body churning and thrashing wildly in the water, splashing large amounts of murky river water everywhere.

The Turtle King. Seeing the short sword that kept sucking blood and feeling the murderous aura emanating from Lu Heng, a deep sense of dread quietly rose in its eyes, which had just become clear.

The blade was stuck in the tortoise shell, and the rampaging, Mutated Turtle writhed wildly.