Chen Hu was still at school when Chen Chu made it home. He dropped his backpack onto the sofa and quickly went upstairs.
Having consumed a meal in the morning, the six-horned salamander, which had grown to seventy centimeters, laid on the ground. It quietly stared at Chen Chu with its black-bean-like eyes.
With great anticipation, Chen Chu took the box from the drawer, opened it, and selected one of the three ironclad beetles, placing it in the salamander’s mouth.
As soon as Chen Chu confirmed his choice, a violent surge of heat erupted like a mountain torrent in the salamander’s body, as the evolutionary energy that had been accumulating within was finally released. Every cell that the energy swept over rapidly split and compressed, becoming even more powerful. Once the ironclad beetle was absorbed, the avatar’s gene sequences began changing, becoming more robust and flawless.
On the smooth and resilient surface of the avatar's body, layers of pale black keratin emerged like scales, growing at a visible speed.
Within Chen Chu, a similar surge of heat appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
Compared to the faint sensation during the first time, however, this round of evolutionary energy was increased by more than tenfold. Wherever it went, the strength of his muscles and bones escalated at a formidable pace.
Like the avatar’s, his entire cellular structure continuously divided and compressed. Even his internal organs were growing more powerful, and each individual enhancement was building on the others for an even greater result.
After an hour, Chen Chu opened his eyes with a low exhale. They shone like bright black gemstones, exuding a profound and formidable aura. He smiled as he felt the surging power within; this enhancement had exceeded his expectations.
Excited, he summoned the attribute page.
Level: First Heavenly Realm
Ability: Soul Splitting
Arts: Lotus Platform Meditation Art [Perfected], Dragon Elephant Art [Beginner, First Stage], Insightful Blade Art [Saber Art First Stage, Insightful Eye ?]
Avatar: Six-Horned Armored Beast
Level: Low-level Mutated Beast [A transcendent creature that has undergone two evolutions, with a maximum adult length of three meters]
Ability: Strength [Powerful muscle fibers and bones, capable of creating a force equal to one hundred times its body weight]
Defense: [An external armor with steel-like hardness, can resist force equal to one hundred times its body weight. Note: Defense may decrease in areas with weaker armor.]
Evolution Points: 0/300
"All four attributes have increased by 30 points, which is triple the normal physique. Some of these have already surpassed the limits of the First Heavenly Realm." Chen Chu's gaze swept over the changes in his own attributes, then shifted down to his avatar’s data.
The avatar's name had changed to the Six-Horned Armored Beast, completely separated from the salamander it once was. It was now classified as a low-level mutated beast, with a maximum size limit of three meters.
However, this was not important. What caught Chen Chu's eye was the defense ability listed below.
"Just as I thought, I've gained another ability this time." Chen Chu smiled. With the capacity to both unleash and endure forces equal to one hundred times its body weight, as long as the avatar was cautious, there should be no safety concerns when releasing it.
After reviewing the detailed changes, Chen Chu closed the attribute page and looked down at the armored avatar on the ground.
The avatar's length had remained at seventy centimeters, just like during the first evolution. However, its density and weight had multiplied several times, and it appeared even wider and more robust.
Its entire body was covered in a black armor-like exoskeleton, resembling pieces of interconnected armor plates, especially on the back and abdomen. Even the dorsal fin extending from the head to the tail had become more blunt and thick. The tail, taking up almost half of its length, was also covered by black exoskeletal rings.
The limbs had become stronger and more powerful, encased in smaller scales, with claws as sharp as small daggers. The originally broad head was also covered by the black exoskeleton, with a protruding brow bone over each eye, making it look like it was wearing a helmet. The upper and lower jawbones had changed to protrude further forward and reveal two rows of sharp teeth, including four new canines.
On both sides of the head, extending outward like small wings, the three pairs of feathered horns had completely transformed into sturdy keratin structures. They were now a more vivid crimson, giving a somewhat ferocious appearance.
The avatar certainly looked like a fierce mutated creature. It was hard to imagine that it had started as a salamander no larger than a palm.
The sound of a door opening echoed from downstairs. Seeing the backpack on the sofa, Chen Hu called upstairs, "Hey, you're back, bro!"
Chen Chu shouted back down, "Yeah, had something to take care of and left early today. Go ahead and start cooking. I'll be out for a bit."
Chen Chu casually dismissed Chen Hu and rummaged through the wardrobe, taking out an extra backpack. Then, with a shift of his consciousness, he carefully guided the armored beast to climb inside.
Once the armored beast was fully curled up, Chen Chu finally zipped up the backpack. As he lifted it by the straps, they emitted sounds of strain from the heavy load, the weight of which he could immediately feel in his hands.
Based on the feel, Chen Chu estimated that the armored beast weighed at least eighty kilograms, an astonishing heaviness. Thankfully, this weight was nothing for him, with a physique averaging five times that of an ordinary person.
Carefully cradling the backpack to prevent any damage, Chen Chu headed out. He faced the sun and made his way towards the riverbank several hundred meters away.
According to the usual storyline, releasing mutated beasts should be done at midnight, in a stealthy manner, to create the right atmosphere. And then, when returning in the evening, encountering some unexpected event, like a hero saving someone, would fit the narrative even more.
Lost in his thoughts, Chen Chu arrived at the riverbank in no time, following the embankment down below. He glanced around, finding no one nearby. Excellent.
He carefully placed the backpack on the ground, unzipped it, and with a rustling sound, the black mutated beast slipped through the weeds into the river. Gurgling sounds echoed as it released a few bubbles and swam out along the riverbed. Suddenly, an underwater scene unfolded before Chen Chu's eyes.
Here, the armored beast’s vision was slightly blurry. Sunlight, however, still provided about ten meters of visibility in the two-meter-deep waters. Aquatic plants swayed, and small fish darted around. A several-kilogram large fish appeared, frightening the smaller fish into a frenzy.
The armored beast waited until the moment the fish was swimming in front of it to lunge, swiftly catching it. Its terrifying bite force ripped the fish in half with a crunch.
It chewed on the fish as Chen Chu directed it to follow the small waterway towards the mainstream river, dozens of kilometers away.
Deeper and wider waters meant larger fish and an abundance of resources. Out there, the armored beast could go on a killing spree and feast to its heart's content.
It almost felt like the armored beast was reveling in the freedom of the open sky and vast waters. It had been longing for this moment; not only was the room it had been kept in for too long confined, there was always a shortage of food due to Chen Chu’s limited resources. It could have evolved at least ten days earlier if there had been enough to eat, but now it was out.
There was a faint sense of excitement coming from the armored beast as it swam on.