Chapter 137: Level 4 Crystal, Here Come The Contribution Points

These pearls turned out to be a resource for enhancing transcendent abilities. The Sword Armored Fiery Beast didn't even hesitate, and with a wide-open mouth, it swallowed another one of the remaining two blue pearls.

Just like before, as it entered the stomach, the blue energy instantly exploded. Everywhere it passed, it merged with the scorching energy throughout the Fiery Beast’s body, causing its power to skyrocket.

This time, however, the effect was much weaker. The searing energy circulating within its flesh and blood rose from three hundred to only four hundred degrees Celsius.

Even so, it made the heat the Fiery Beast emitted even more scorching. Red flames danced between the scales all over its body, giving it a majestic and ferocious appearance, like a colossal beast of flames.

These weren't ordinary burning plasma; they were instead made of the transcendent energy contained within the Fiery Beast's body, making them inextinguishable even completely underwater. The searing heat they emitted caused the surrounding water to boil continuously, even cooking some of the microorganisms within.

Isn't it strange for a colossal beast of flames to appear deep underwater...?

Before the Fiery Beast could speculate further on what was amiss about its current appearance, its throat suddenly felt itchy, and it couldn't help but cough...

Cough cough roar!

With a dry cough and a low growl, a burst of flame spewed out from the Fiery Beast's mouth. The scorching heat caused the seawater to boil, but it only reached a meter before extinguishing.

I can breathe fire!

Fiery Beast was suddenly excited.

My fire breath can’t do much right now, but it's still a natural ability. Who knows, my fourth evolution might cause its power to skyrocket. And by then, if I can absorb another natural ability, my combat power will become even more terrifying.

Squeak! Squeak!

Calls from the Single-horned Orca echoed from outside the cave.

Roar! Roar!! Don't rush me, brother. I will leave you half of the good stuff.

The Fiery Beast growled, then turned its head and let out two low roars, before looking at the remaining blue pearl.

Mhmm, it’s half indeed.

The intense heat emanating from the Fiery Beast subsided, and it extended its right claw to gently grasp the remaining blue pearl, then turned around and swam outward.

As the Fiery Beast reached the entrance of the cave, it saw the Orca swimming anxiously outside, appearing restless and impatient. The Orca's eyes lit up as soon as it saw the Fiery Beast emerge, and it eagerly swam closer.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Brother, where's the good stuff?

Roar! Roar! Here, it's this thing. There were two inside. I ate one and left one for you.

In case the Orca wouldn’t understand, the Fiery Beast emitted its spiritual fluctuations in segments. While growling softly, it spread out its right claw to reveal the blue pearl. To convey the numerical meaning, it also raised two fingers on its left claw to make a V sign.

Squeak! Squeak! Brother, you're thoughtful.

The Orca opened its mouth happily, and with a slight suction, it swallowed the blue pearl. This time, it didn't seem to have any intention of saving it for its offspring.

Swoosh!

A tremendous and awe-inspiring aura erupted from the Orca's body, shaking the seabed. Black and white lights flickered across its skin, emitting an extremely heavy atmosphere.

Peak level 6, approaching level 7, huh?

The Fiery Beast briefly contemplated as it watched the Orca grow to nearly thirty meters in length, then turned to look at the nearby corpses.

These two double-headed sea snakes had possessed formidable strength thanks to their innate abilities. Under the influence of the slowing halo, mutated beasts of the same level couldn’t evade their attacks. Combined with their venom, which could outright dissolve living tissue, once they had caught a beast in their grip, they would have already won.

Unfortunately, they had encountered the Orca, which possessed an ability for explosive speed and whose thick skin and strong flesh was resistant to toxins. Combined with the Fiery Beast’s combat power, they could have defeated the snakes even more quickly if they had taken the initiative. The only reason they had remained cautious was due to not knowing what they were going up against.

Compared to other mutated beasts, snakes of the same level tended to have much longer bodies. With that in mind, based on the Fiery Beast’s estimations, the one at nineteen meters had probably been at the peak of level 4, while the twenty-seven meter one had likely been in the beginning stage of level 6.

At this thought, the Fiery Beast swam toward the corpse of the level 4 snake. Thanks to the Orca’s intimidating presence and the corrosive effects of the snakes’ toxins, the water it swam through was completely clear of any and all marine life.

Squelch!

The sharp claws sliced through the snake’s scales and flesh, revealing a translucent and sparkling Life Crystal just beneath one of its heads.

A level 4 Life Crystal. The FieryFiery Beast carefully picked it up with its fingertips and then moved to place it into the snakeskin pouch hanging from its neck...

Only to realize that the level 3 snakeskin hadn’t been able to withstand the heat of its ability’s enhancement and was now deformed.

The Fiery Beast tore off the now useless pouch and swam over to the corpse of the level 6 snake. Its sharp claws sliced through the scales, skillfully peeling off large chunks of snake skin.

Squeak! Squeak!

After completing its enhancement, the Orca approached curiously, unsure of what the Fiery Beast was doing.

Roar! Roar! Don't disturb me.

The Fiery Beast waved its claw, gesturing for it to move aside a bit.

Soon, it had a simple pouch made of authentic, level 6 snakeskin. It placed the level 4 crystal inside, and then the snake’s tendons were pulled out to serve as a rope.

Squeak! Squeak! I want one too.

The Orca's eyes lit up as it looked at the pouch now hanging from the Fiery Beast's neck.

In the past, when it had found (or rather, snatched) something good and wanted to bring it back to the mother whale and the calves, it could only hold them in its mouth. However, many good things had melted as soon as they entered its mouth.

This kind of thing would be much more convenient, wouldn't it?

Roar! It’s useless; your neck is too thick and it would fall off if you tried.

It wasn't interested in wasting time making another snakeskin pouch, and even if it was, the pouch wouldn't be useful. The mutated orca’s body shape was like a streamlined ellipse, with no place to hang the pouch from. Even then, it had no way to actually put in or take things out of the pouch.

Next was the issue of dividing up the carcasses. Since the Fiery Beast had contributed more this time around, it obtained the carcass of the level 6 snake.

After gleefully devouring everything, the Fiery Beast's size increased by over ten centimeters at a visible speed, while its evolution points increased by 30.

Squeak! Squeak! My friend, I'm heading back.

The Orca had already devoured the other sea snake and made a call to leave.

Roar! Hold up.

With a low growl, the Fiery Beast moved to the top of the cave’s mouth and raised its claws high, its muscles swelling with boundless strength.

Boom!

Under the Fiery Beast’s hundredfold explosive strength, half of the mountain wall collapsed, the resulting avalanche completely sealing the cave’s mouth as the earth trembled and sand billowed. The Fiery Beast emerged from the murky water, emitting a low roar.

Roar! Remember this place. When there's good stuff here again in the future, we'll come back to get it.

The Orca’s eyes lit up.

Squeak! Squeak! You're indeed clever, my friend.

Roar! Of course.

The two beasts had come to consume and plunder everything. With the job done and the cave sealed to prevent anything else from getting in, they disappeared into the depths of the pitch-black sea, exchanging low roars and calls.

On the way back, there were no unexpected incidents. Two hours later, the Fiery Beast returned to its familiar territory where it usually lurked.

The four orcas were hunting, targeting a group of mutated sharks. The massive female orca charged through the group, scattering them.

Meanwhile, the three young orcas cooperated in hunting, skillfully killing ordinary mutated sharks measuring between eight to nine meters in length one by one.

Squeak! Squeak! My friend, do you want to eat together?

The Single-horned Orca extended an invitation.

Roar! No, I'm not interested in these low-level mutated beasts. You guys go ahead and eat. Call me next time you find something good.

The larger it got, the more the Fiery Beast realized how wasteful it was to prey on ordinary level 1 or 2 mutated beasts. They generally only possessed enough life energy to sustain its daily activity, leaving negligible amounts to contribute to actual body growth and causing the accumulation of evolution points to stagnate.

To truly grow, it needed to hunt stronger mutated beasts, similar to its own level or higher. It was their flesh and blood that contained the rich and abundant life energy it needed.

That afternoon, on the thirty-third floor of School Building C, Chen Chu was quietly perusing the mutated beast encyclopedia when he felt a heavy aura sweep over him. With the growth driven by the Fiery Beast, his four major attributes increased by 3.

Suddenly, his phone on the desk lit up slightly, indicating that someone had mentioned him in the group chat.

Xia Youhui:

Haha... Ah Chu, we're at the periphery of the mutated beast battlefield. Take a look.

Xia Youhui sent over more than ten pictures showing him, Liu Feng, and Bai Mu standing at the edge of a cracked cliff, the drop reaching over a thousand meters. Below the cliff, an endless forest sprawled to the horizon, with towering peaks rising into the clouds, shrouded in mist at their midsections.

The vast expanse looked as if it wasn’t part of this world at all. In the distance, some massive birds could be seen flying through the clouds, while on the ground below, there were human-built structures, many of which were peculiar in shape and built in a futuristic style.

Merely by glancing at the photos, Chen Chu felt a primal surge of wilderness rushing towards him, leaving him inexplicably awestruck.

Xia Youhui chuckled to himself as he continued to type.

Xia Youhui:

Ah Chu, what do you think? Do you feel that overwhelming sensation?

Xia Youhui:

It’s not just huge, it's also filled with countless mutated beasts and resources. And most of our school's second and third-year students are permanently stationed inside.

Lin Xue:

It's a pity you didn't come along, Chen Chu. With your talent, you’d progress even faster once you adapt to such a challenging environment.

Chen Chu was a bit speechless.

Chen Chu:

Are you guys popping in here just to make me jealous?

Xia Youhui:

Hehe, not at all. We just wanted to share the new environment with you

.

As Xia Youhui sent a cheeky emoji, Chen Chu shook his head.

Chen Chu:

Don't get complacent. Opportunities always come with risks. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many senior students dropping out every year.

Chen Chu:

And besides, I'll only be arriving a month later than you guys. Are you sure your combat abilities will surpass mine by then?

...Chen Chu's words silenced the group for a moment. They might be able to catch up to the late stage of the Third Heavenly Realm, but with Chen Chu’s power to kill enemies a realm above his while still being in the middle stage of the Third Realm...

Lin Xue sent a waving hand emoji.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Lin Xue:

Let's drop it, let's drop it. There's no way to continue this topic.

Xia Youhui:

Ah Chu, this place is separated from the outside world, including internet connection, so I can’t talk any more today. I'll give you updates when I come out to the entrance later.

Chen Chu smiled and put down his phone.

***

On January 22nd, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Xiaolan looked somewhat worried as she stood at the entrance of the courtyard. "It’s just been a few days since the new year, why is the school organizing activities again?"

“Mom, don’t worry.” Chen Chu smiled faintly. "This time, I’m just going to be gone for one or two weeks. We’re helping the local military clear out ordinary mutated beasts, and dealing with those is as easy as cutting through butter for me now. There's really no danger at all.

Consider the income from the mutated beasts we kill. A level 1 beast can be sold for around twenty thousand to thirty thousand yuan, while a level 2 beast can go for over a hundred thousand. As for a level 3, well, you can imagine."

"Money is money, but you still need to be careful." Zhang Xiaolan knew that mutated beasts were quite valuable, thanks to the three hundred thousand windfall Chen Chu had gotten in Kyrola.

“Mhmm, I know.”

"Bro, my mutated beast meat." Chen Hu reminded him from the side.

Chen Chu smiled. "Don't worry, I won't forget. Alright, Mom, Little Hu, I'm leaving."

While most people were still enjoying the Lunar New Year holiday, many martial arts students, dressed in attire similar to training suits and carrying heavy weapons, had arrived at the express train station.

Looking at those large weapons, each measuring two to three meters long and many weighing over a hundred kilograms, the ordinary people around them were immediately stirred up, their eyes filled with astonishment and suspicion.

The students, however, paid no attention to those glances; instead, they seemed excited, proudly displaying their large weapons on their backs.

School regulations meant that they were required to behave like ordinary people in their daily lives. The feeling of having power but not being able to showcase it, even constantly having to suppress it, was actually quite uncomfortable.

Among the students waiting in line were Chen Chu and Luo Fei. However, Chen Chu not only carried his straight saber on his back, but also held a suitcase containing his now repaired battle armor in his hand.

Without its previous attribute enhancement, it was only slightly tougher than ordinary battle armor. Nevertheless, with the comprehensive coverage of his Dragon Elephant True Power, its defense remained formidable.

Luo Fei was carrying a box two meters long, inside of which was her disassembled sniper rifle. At the same time, there were two large suitcases placed beside her; one containing her armor, and the other her ammunition

These items weren’t accessible to ordinary cultivators, and weren’t even on the school's exchange list. They required special permissions, and only she had the authority to carry them.

Chen Chu turned around and whispered, "Are you sure about splitting the items in a 2:1 ratio?"

Luo Fei nodded slightly and said, "Yes, otherwise I'd be taking too much advantage of you."

The two had agreed to team up for this purge mission, but when it came to allocating contribution points, Luo Fei felt that splitting the points fifty-fifty would be somewhat unfair to Chen Chu. While her attack power was such that she could kill a level 4 mutated beast given the opportunity, and level 3 beasts could be taken down with a single shot, the issue was that this mission involved more than just killing.

For this mission, students were required to bring back the bodies of the mutated beasts they had killed themselves. Most students who ventured several kilometers into the mountains would be lucky to complete one task in a day, considering how big mutated beasts could get; especially the level 3 beasts, which could get up to a few tons.

In such circumstances, only fellows like Chen Chu, with his terrifying basic strength, could still sprint like the wind while carrying several tons of mutated beasts, which would allow him to complete several tasks in a day.

So, Luo Fei had proposed a team-up where she would take one-third and Chen Chu would take two-thirds of the share, based on who was going to be putting in more effort.

"The train has arrived at the station. Dear passengers, please take your belongings and board the train in an orderly manner. A special announcement to the martial arts high school students on this train: Please be mindful of the weapons you are carrying and ensure they do not disrupt public facilities or disturb others."

“Let’s go.” Chen Chu's eyes lit up with anticipation as he followed the crowd into the carriage.

With his strength, he could potentially accumulate 300 contribution points in just three days.