When they saw Luo Yu dragging in the Waterfallen Chicken's evolved form, the heads of the research institutes cursed inwardly. Why was it this kid again?
Director Yu Lei pushed through the crowd, strode forward, and took the Water Terror Chicken from Luo Yu's hand.
"Cluck-cluck..." The Water Terror Chicken struggled furiously, its claws kicking wildly.
"There's a bit of a difference, but not much... You're saying it didn't evolve by chance, but you evolved it?" Director Yu Lei didn't care who had found the evolution method. He only cared about results!
Luo Yu nodded. "I've confirmed it now. Whether a Waterfallen Chicken or another avian mutant beast can evolve through the Ancient Evolution Stone should depend on its 'rock element affinity'-in other words, its rock-type talent."
"So that's how it is!" Researcher Yu Zhifeng frowned. "But didn't you just say several of the ones you raised evolved?! Waterfallen Chickens are water-type. In theory... only one Waterfallen Chicken in ten thousand should have a rock-type talent. How did you do it?"
"Could it be... you have a way to develop a Waterfallen Chicken's rock-type talent?"
That was the only possibility!
They all looked at Luo Yu. In truth, no matter what technique Luo Yu had mastered, they wouldn't have been surprised. After all, both his parents had graduated from Canglan Ocean University, while not a single one of the researchers present had gotten into Canglan Ocean University!
Across all of Mirror Moon Island, only ten Beast Tamers had attended Canglan Ocean University.
From Luo Yu's performance, it was clear that Scholar Luo Shui and his wife definitely had real substance!
Ah! Luo Shui and his wife were just too caught up in a dead end! Chen Zhuo thought to himself. The couple had always wanted to prove themselves with some major achievement. They really had been shackled by the halo of their academic credentials. For instance, they had always wanted to develop an evolution path to a Monarch Species, but how could that be so easy? They had poured in a lot of money without seeing any return.
Although he too flew the grand banner of researching "longevity," Chen Zhuo was practical. What he researched first were skin-care products such as "anti-aging face masks" and "anti-aging creams" containing biological essence.
Who said an "anti-aging face mask" wasn't a small step toward researching "longevity"?
Making money was nothing to be ashamed of.
"I do have a way to develop rock-type talent." Luo Yu didn't explain much. After all, it was his patent.
"But..." He looked at the Water Terror Chicken and asked the director, "Did you notice anything?"
"Mm, I did. It's very similar to the previous evolved form, but they probably aren't the same species," the director said, setting the Water Terror Chicken down.
"That's right. It's much weaker. I tested it with the Bloodline Stone next door, and it's still a Low-Rank Species," Luo Yu said.
"The main reason is that the extent to which elemental affinity can be developed through acquired means is limited... I infer that the strength of the rock-type talent should be the key to the species rank after evolution."
Luo Yu gave his conclusion, feeling that it was probably close to the mark.
The researchers fell into thought, considering Luo Yu's inference. If that was the case, nurturing an evolved form with a high species rank wouldn't be easy... After all, rock-type talents were far too rare.
Luo Yu felt the same way. Evolving through an Ancient Evolution Stone demanded too much of a beast's rock-type talent!
A Waterfallen Chicken was a Low-Rank Ordinary Species, already the weakest species rank. Yet even with a Senior Level rock-type talent, it had only evolved into a Mid-Rank Species?
The higher the species rank, the harder it was to raise. If they used a Mid-Rank Ordinary Species bird instead, wouldn't it struggle to reach the Superior Species rank, even with a Senior Level rock-type talent?
He had gone to "so much trouble" to develop turtle honey, only for it to make a Waterfallen Chicken's physical strength a little greater through mutation and evolution, without raising its species rank one bit. Luo Yu felt helpless too.
It seemed that although the Ancient Evolution Stone was a wondrous evolution stone, its effects were limited. It could probably only help Common Species evolve. Relying on it to evolve a Monarch Species was likely unrealistic.
Unless there was a bird with a top-level rock-type talent. It might be able to become a Monarch Species with the help of an evolution stone, but a top-level talent was already in the same class as Walking Volcano. How could one be easy to find?
Could several hundred Ink Fish with Senior Level rock-type talents be synthesized into a Water Devil Beast with a top-level rock-type talent? Luo Yu was still thinking about breeding.
Director Yu Lei interrupted everyone's thoughts. "In any case, let's go over there and take a look first."
In another cave, chickens flew and dogs jumped.
Luo Yu paid no attention to these newly evolved weaklings. They were all level-one Low-Rank Species anyway and couldn't stir up any waves. Besides, July was guarding the entrance.
After they entered and saw the several Water Terror Chickens, they couldn't help falling into thought.
Researcher Chen Zhuo said, "Luo Yu, haven't you had your Earth Penguin try evolving?"
"No..." Luo Yu looked over, and the others followed his gaze. July was sitting on a large rock at the cave entrance, reading a book with single-minded concentration, a fishing rod resting beside him...
The book was none other than Eighteen Fishing Techniques.
Everyone: "..."
Luo Yu said, "As I said just now, rock-type affinity is very likely the key factor determining the extent of evolution. Since he's my initial pet beast, I want to find more ways to raise his rock-type talent as much as possible before letting him come into contact with the Ancient Evolution Stone and evolve."
"That way, his species rank after evolution can be a little higher too."
After all, rock honey would probably only raise July's rock-type talent to the ordinary level, so he would probably still be a Common Species after evolving.
Luo Yu certainly wasn't satisfied with that result. So even though he now had a clear evolution method, he still wanted to wait and see. He would wait until he had bred a rock-type Water Devil Beast and see whether a Common Species could contract a Monarch Species.
A good meal was worth waiting for, and impatience couldn't get hot tofu into his mouth. If he was going to evolve, he would choose a perfect evolution, so he wouldn't be left with regrets!
"You have a point," Chen Zhuo said thoughtfully. "But methods to raise rock-type talent..."
They really weren't easy to find.
Hybridization Granny suddenly said, "Thousand Rock Island."
"The main pet beasts on Thousand Rock Island all have the dual attributes of water and rock. Rock-type sea beasts are especially abundant there. I once exchanged ideas with a scholar from the island."
"Compared with Mirror Moon Island, the Beast Tamers of Thousand Rock Island must have more experience than us in developing rock-type abilities and talents."
"Perhaps we could try contacting them and asking whether they have any way to raise rock-type affinity. If they do, we could buy it or reach a cooperation agreement with Thousand Rock Island."
Luo Yu nodded when he heard this. "That sounds good. My method of raising rock-type talent doesn't raise it by much, and it can't be widely applied for now."
"If we can find another way to strengthen rock-type talent, naturally, that would be even better. After all, if different methods are used together to develop a mutant beast's rock-type talent, they might produce a one-plus-one-equals-two effect."
Using the stings of Honey Water Bees with the Rock-Type Enhancement Talent together with the rock-type honey produced by the Flower-Picking Bandit might also make one plus one equal two!
One method of developing rock-type talent could only develop it to the ordinary level at most.
What if two were combined?
If two weren't enough, what about three or four?
With enough development methods, he might be able to stack them up after birth and produce an individual comparable to one with the Rock Element Affinity Talent.
Of course, it was more likely that the effects of each development method would be overridden by a stronger one. But he would have to try before he knew. He couldn't jump to conclusions without trying; perhaps the strengthening mechanisms of certain development methods didn't overlap.
Since July's future was at stake, Luo Yu naturally wanted to find more ways to increase rock-type talent and arrange them all for July: rock honey... rock needles... rock-type dependents... the secret techniques of an island specializing in nurturing rock-type sea beasts. In any case, he would try them all.
"I'll contact Thousand Rock Island and see," Director Yu Lei said with a nod.
"Luo Yu, tell me what reward you want." The director was in an excellent mood. Although the road ahead was still difficult, at least they had made another major breakthrough!
Luo Yu deserved credit!
Luo Yu smiled. "Actually, I just happened to stumble onto it. The credit belongs to the seniors. Without the foundation they laid, I couldn't have made the discovery so quickly. I don't need a separate reward."
The institute heads were taken aback. This kid was far too considerate.
"Mm, everyone deserves credit," Director Yu Lei said with a smile. "The island master has also been keeping an eye on the ancient cave. I'll make a full report."
"Oh, right," Luo Yu said. "Could we add more avian mutant beasts here as test subjects?"
"Do you have a new idea?" the director asked.
Luo Yu said, "No... It's mainly for nurturing my own Earth Penguin... Could you catch some more wild Earth Penguins on Mirror Moon Island and bring them here to be raised? I want to experiment on other Earth Penguins first and see what different possibilities there are for an Earth Penguin's evolution path."
"I see. Of course, no problem." Director Yu Lei readily agreed, and the others couldn't help looking at July, who was absorbed in his book.
This Earth Penguin had struck it lucky, ending up with Luo Yu.
With a biological scholar like him working hard to help plan its evolution path, even though it was only a Low-Rank Ordinary Species now, its future prospects... would surely be immeasurable!!
"Wu-ji!!!"
July suddenly stood up on his rock, put down his book, picked up the fishing rod, and began waving it around as though practicing some peerless divine art.
Everyone: "..."
So they still couldn't understand why Luo Yu was training a penguin's fishing skills.
"That's part of his training too." Luo Yu looked over. With so much going on here, July wasn't affected in the slightest. That concentration... was exactly the professional dedication of an angler!