Besides the species abilities they inherited through their bloodlines, mutated beasts could also learn other abilities.
Abilities with the same attribute as their own were relatively easy to learn, while those with different attributes were harder. From the attribute to the ability's effects, everything depended on compatibility.
For an ordinary Beast Tamer, getting a pet beast to train its species abilities well was already a passing grade. But for some formidable Beast Tamers, finding ways to teach their pet beasts more abilities on top of that could greatly increase their combat power.
Blazing Blade, Sun Peck, Flame Tread!
For the time being, they could be considered three new abilities with similar effects. Although they drew on the power of the earth veins, they could be classified as fire-type.
With more skills, July's training became more substantial, and Luo Yu's daily life could become fuller too. Now that July finally had some fighting power, he could bravely take a new step.
When Luo Yu first transmigrated, he had visited every pet beast shop and breeding house in Mirror Moon Town, big and small, hoping to find a heaven-chosen overlooked gem. Obviously, though, he hadn't found one.
Before meeting July, he had also considered searching in the wild, but because of concerns for his personal safety, he hadn't carried out the plan right away.
Now, with July's protection and after familiarizing himself with the research institute's various "beast-repellent sprays," Luo Yu felt he could try looking around in the wild.
The coastal waters were naturally off-limits because of the threat of zombie sea beasts, but mountains and wilderness like Moon-Gazing Peak were perfectly viable options. After all, the excessively dangerous mutated beasts had long since been cleared out. As for the rest, as long as he was a little careful, there generally wouldn't be any major problems.
At worst... he could have the little penguin dig a hole on the spot and take him inside. Surely no mutated beast could wage "tunnel warfare" against them?
In that case, if he swept through the area, he might discover another overlooked gem or two as exceptional as July... After all, plenty of wild mutated beasts had probably been affected by the earth veins and undergone slight genetic mutations.
Of course, Luo Yu didn't have very high hopes. That Azure-Scaled Snake had only possessed "ordinary talent: Dragon Blood." He figured a rare individual like July probably required the right time, place, and people, with none of them dispensable, to come into being...
"Come on, I'll take you out for a look around. Today, you can try fishing in the wild!" Having made up his mind, Luo Yu immediately pulled July along and set out.
Seven Waters Village was named for the seven water sources with relatively concentrated water-type energy outside the village. The village itself lay at the foot of Moon-Gazing Peak, directly on Luo Yu's route up the mountain.
After passing through the village, Luo Yu first went to Ink Moon Pool, one of the seven water sources, a pool formed by the rising tide. He had promised to let July fish in the wild.
Compared to the little ditches by the roadside, Ink Moon Pool was much larger, with more water-type mutated beasts and a more complete ecosystem.
The reason he had come here was that it was one of the few places where Ink Fish lived.
Luo Yu had July fish here mainly because he wanted to see if he could find other high-quality Ink Fish to take back for breeding.
"So many Iron Pincer Shrimp..."
When Luo Yu arrived at Ink Moon Pool, there wasn't a person in sight. Masses of little black crayfish lay densely packed on the shore, basking in the sun.
Iron Pincer Shrimp were a Low-Rank Ordinary Species. Their main means of attack was their pincers, which were highly destructive.
However, as a mutated species of crayfish, Iron Pincer Shrimp had a glaring weakness in their speed... They couldn't even run as fast as children. As long as one paid a little attention, there was little chance of getting hurt. They were also timid and would run away on their own when they encountered people.
Of course, the biggest pity was that their meat tasted terrible. No matter how it was cooked, it had a fecal smell... Their mutation could be called an utter failure.
"When did the Iron Pincer Shrimp take over this place? Can there still be any Ink Fish here?"
Luo Yu swept his gaze over them, and individual talents flashed past his eyes one after another.
Ordinary, ordinary, ordinary...
Among the vast number of ordinary talents, a Senior Level talent would only occasionally appear.
There were roughly several hundred Iron Pincer Shrimp along the stretch of shore directly in front of him, and only two of them had Senior Level talents.
Leaving Water Element Affinity aside, the other was a talent he had never seen before.
Cannibalism, a Senior Level talent: after devouring members of its own species, the speed at which its life level increased would rise sharply.
"Good grief..."
That talent was ruthless enough, though Iron Pincer Shrimp did indeed eat their own kind.
"Wu ji..." July stood on Luo Yu's shoulder, uninterested in the shrimp by the water. He just wanted to start fishing right away. At such a young age, he was already hooked.
"We're going now..." Luo Yu took him out toward the shore. Sure enough, as they approached, the shrimp scattered in a panic, all fleeing back into the pool.
Before long, Luo Yu found a spot. July rubbed his wings together, immensely excited, but fishing in the wild was far more difficult and complicated than fishing in an artificial pond. Luo Yu figured he would need some time to adjust...
"You fish here. I'll have a look around nearby. If there's a problem, call me through the contract."
With that, Luo Yu began searching the vicinity for high-quality wild mutated beasts...
To be honest, that Iron Pincer Shrimp with Cannibalism had been pretty good. The talent would let it accelerate its growth by devouring its own kind, which looked very economical. That way, its life level would certainly be high in the future; it wasn't impossible for it to reach level 20 or above.
A palm-sized Iron Pincer Shrimp at level 1 or 2 might not be very intimidating, but whatever the species, nothing could stop its size from soaring once its level got high enough. Who would dare ignore a level 40 Iron Pincer Shrimp as big as a boat?
If a species fell short, levels could make up for it. No matter how strong the species or how good the talent, being crushed by a higher life level was just as hopeless.
Unfortunately, space at the research institute was limited. What Luo Yu lacked now wasn't an individual that could level up quickly-after all, how fast could it really be? He needed individuals of "strategic significance," like the Ink Fish with Mercy, which could change Mirror Moon Island's medical system...
"Search and search, look and look, found myself a good friend... Knock you out, stuff you in a sack, you're my good friend."
Luo Yu and July stayed for half the day. During that time, July caught a pile of rotten fish and shrimp. He was quite pleased with himself, but after looking them over, Luo Yu shook his head.
All ordinary talents... Just low-level mutated beasts.
"Gu ga!" July even roasted one and ate it himself, then handed another to Luo Yu. For him, roasting a fish meant holding it and activating his Volcano talent...
"Thank you." Luo Yu took the grilled fish. Of course, he hadn't found any valuable mutated beasts himself. He had covered the entire area nearby and could now be sure there was nothing good here. Tomorrow, he could try somewhere else...
But just as Luo Yu and July were packing up to head home, a swarm of Honey Water Bees suddenly flew across the sky.
[Species]: Honey Water Bee [Attribute]: Water [Species rank]: Low-Rank Ordinary Species [Species ability]: Poison Sting
These were mutated beasts commonly found in the wild. Although they had Poison Sting, it wasn't lethal. They generally didn't provoke others without cause and lived peacefully in the wild alongside humans. There were also beekeepers who raised them specifically for their honey.
"Honey Water Bees..."
Luo Yu paused slightly when he saw the swarm. At first, he didn't pay them much attention, since most of them had very common ordinary talents, such as Tenacity, Keen Senses, and Big Eater. But suddenly, one bee's information flashed past, bringing Luo Yu to a halt.
[Individual talent]: Defense Enhancement (ordinary talent; the venom in its Poison Sting can enhance the defense of other living beings.)
"This...!!" The Honey Water Bees had already flown far away, but Luo Yu was still pondering the talent.
Defense Enhancement? In other words, according to the talent's description, if it stings July, his defense will be enhanced?
There's something this convenient?
Then if a hundred Honey Water Bees with the Defense Enhancement talent stung July, couldn't July cultivate an "indestructible vajra body"?!
Although that's a bit exaggerated, and there would probably be diminishing returns, since there's a Poison Sting that can enhance defense, could there be ones that enhance "strength" or "speed"?
"Honey Water Bees!! This kind of mutated beast has a lot of potential."
Luo Yu felt that today's outing hadn't been for nothing. Another day, he could go up the mountain specifically to search for Honey Water Bees. If he could raise a swarm of Honey Water Bees with special talents like this... training pet beasts would yield twice the result with half the effort.
When he no longer needed them himself, he could also cooperate with the school and have the teachers use them to sting the students every day. The students would surely improve faster, and it would count as a contribution to education on Mirror Moon Island?
This was even more valuable than certain Senior Level talents...
That day, Luo Yu and the little penguin returned happily to the research institute.
But as soon as he got back, Luo Yu discovered something serious.
The Breeding Paragon... seemed to have laid eggs!!
It had only been a little over ten days since they mated, yet she had laid eggs. Under normal circumstances, shouldn't it take a month before she laid them?!
"Premature birth?"
"Or does the Breeding Paragon herself have an exceptional talent for breeding, speeding up the process?"
Luo Yu hurried over to check and found that not only was every egg plump and full, with none of the defects of premature offspring, but while an ordinary female Ink Fish usually laid seven to nine eggs at a time, this Breeding Paragon had laid a full sixteen, twice as many.
Phew... As long as nothing had gone wrong with the breeding, that was good.
As expected of a Breeding Paragon.
Luo Yu swallowed and nervously examined the talents of the Ink Fish eggs. Sure enough, he could see them in advance.
"Incredible..."
Luo Yu examined them one by one, his emotions surging.
Of the sixteen eggs, twelve actually had Senior Level talents. Not only had most inherited the Mercy talent, but two had even inherited the Breeding Paragon talent.
A Breeding Paragon mother had given birth to Breeding Paragon young.
Another had undergone a mutation, producing a new Senior Level talent besides Breeding Paragon, Mercy, and Thick Skin and Tough Flesh. It seemed to be a fusion of two talents!
"Judging by the eggs' condition, they probably won't take long to hatch either. In that case, this is much faster than expected..."
"Good. This way, at least I won't have to show up empty-handed and embarrass myself at the research presentation Teacher Yu Wan mentioned... I've made some progress."
What delighted Luo Yu most was that two more Breeding Paragons had been born. Perhaps he could arrange childhood betrothals between those two and the descendants of the dark Eight-Sword Style family, joining them in marriage. With this group of Breeding Paragons, no one could stop him from breeding an "ultimate Ink Fish descendant" packed with freakish traits!