Chapter 431: Chapter 354: Transplant
The Rune pattern wasn’t complex, somewhat resembling three vertical lines. The silver lines etched upon it seemed alive.
Hu Qi could clearly perceive a rich sense of Vitality and liveliness from it.
Looking at this piece of bone,
it was as if it were a living creature.
He performed an Introspection on himself for comparison.
This piece of bone with the Rune was the only anomaly in Iron Bear’s body.
’Erosion Seal... so that’s what it is.’
Hu Qi fell into deep thought.
According to what Iron Bear had said,
after successfully awakening, one could perceive a seal.
However, Iron Bear hadn’t known what this seal was for. His Level was too low; he was merely a lower-to-middle-tier Evolver.
But judging by the existence of a classification system for these Levels, the high-tier Evolvers of this world must have been aware of its purpose.
Looking at this runic seal,
he recalled the scenes he’d witnessed when his main body pursued Xi Zhongsi, attacked this world, and forcefully broke through its barrier.
Coupled with this thing now found inside an Evolver’s body...
Although the Rune patterns were different,
they all shared a similar design.
Clearly, the Evolvers of this world were inextricably linked to these Runes.
’Interesting! Is the Rune inside every Evolver the same, or are there differences?
But, barring any surprises, it’s probably the latter.
And the Wild Beasts of this world might also have similar Runes inside them.
Iron Bear did mention before that the direction of Abilities a Postnatal Evolver develops after awakening is related to the Wild Beast they choose for the ritual...’
A glint appeared in Hu Qi’s eyes.
In that moment, his mind raced with possibilities.
In his opinion, this Rune was, to put it bluntly, an alternative type of organ that set Evolvers apart from normal people.
It was also the source of their power.
This was different from Dream Masters, who command a Dream Eye, or Secret Martial Artists, who must systematically temper their physiques, condense their Qi and Blood, and open a Divine Treasure.
The Rune that Evolvers condensed after awakening granted them power far beyond that of ordinary people,
causing their bodies to evolve.
Take Iron Bear, for example.
In terms of combat power alone, he was comparable to a Martial Arts Family.
If not for his incomplete physique, its inherent flaws, and his ignorance of Power techniques,
he could have been a Secret Martial Artist who had properly broken through to the Martial Arts Family level.
Against such an opponent, even with his current strength, Hu Qi would not have had such an easy victory.
’If this thing were transplanted into an ordinary person’s body, what would happen? Would there be a rejection reaction, or would they inherit Iron Bear’s Ability...’
The thought surfaced in Hu Qi’s mind.
If this hypothesis was correct, then even if he failed the awakening ritual, he could still become an Evolver through this method.
His next step was to test this hypothesis.
He also needed to send people to find a Wild Beast and perform the awakening ritual.
Wild Beasts were also classified from Tier One to Tier Five, corresponding to the five Levels of Evolvers.
For the awakening ritual, a stronger Wild Beast wasn’t necessarily better.
While it might grant the Evolver a massive boost in strength upon awakening,
it also increased the chance of failure.
During the awakening process, the body might be unable to withstand the energy in the Wild Beast’s blood, causing it to explode and kill them.
Typically, one would choose an early- or Middle Stage Tier One Wild Beast.
Only a select few—the unawakened scions of Evolvers living in large settlements, who were backed by powerful elders, had tempered their bodies to the absolute limit, and had the aid of certain drugs—
would choose a Tier Two Wild Beast for their awakening.
The benefits of this approach were self-evident.
If they succeeded, their strength could rapidly reach the Tier One Late Stage shortly after awakening.
But for Hu Qi, this was not an issue at all.
He now had Qi Blood Perfection and had long since broken the limits of the human body.
Based on his current physical condition alone, he could absolutely choose a Tier Two Wild Beast, or even a Tier Three Wild Beast, for his awakening.
Furthermore, with his Spirit Devouring Talent, he had no need to worry about being overwhelmed and killed by the energy in the Wild Beast’s blood.
Therefore, the higher the Level of the Wild Beast chosen for the awakening ritual, the more advantageous it would be for him.
With this in mind,
he put away the piece of bone.
He went outside and had the two new guards at the door come in to clean the room.
Upon seeing the gory scene inside,
even these elites of the Rotten Leaf Gathering Place—men who had lived for years in this wasteland and were accustomed to the sight of death—turned pale, nearly vomiting up the previous day’s meal.
At the same time,
their awe and fear of Hu Qi reached a new Peak.
Hu Qi paid no mind to their thoughts.
He turned, went upstairs, entered the bathroom, and began to wash the stains from his body.
Though he had tried his best to avoid it, he had inevitably been spattered with some blood during the dissection. That, combined with being soaked by yesterday’s rain, already made him feel uncomfortable.
If it weren’t for the need to dissect Iron Bear, he wouldn’t have waited this long.
PSSSH!
He twisted the knob, and hot water sprayed down from the showerhead above,
striking his hair and shoulders.
His hair, soaked by the stream, hung limp.
Hu Qi let out a soft sigh.
It felt as if the last traces of fatigue were being washed away.
A hot shower was an almost unattainable luxury for the ordinary survivors of the Rotten Leaf Gathering Place.
Their most convenient way to bathe was to rinse off during a downpour.
However, this did not include their leader, Iron Bear.
There was a tributary of an underground river in a fissure beneath this manor.
He had also traded for a complete solar-powered submersible pump from another settlement, which could draw water from deep within the river and pump it to the surface.
