Chapter 1034: Another Monarch-Grade Lifeform

Zhang Lie made use of the rare combination of his disaster-grade mistmeld clam soulshard and Zhu's special racial abilities to prevent the genetic lifeforms from breaking free. This was how he had been able to build such a massive farm, allowing the kingdom of Limit to produce strong warriors without end, strong hunters that would start out in the third realm as disaster-grade lifeforms.

Sun Xiaowu continued, "Our captain's genetic lifeform farm has clearly been very successful. The fact that it's been able to produce a monarch-grade lifeform means that we can generate them en masse."

Zhang Lie shook his head. "Mass production of monarch-grade lifeforms is too much."

Sun Xiaowu asked, "Can't it be done?"

Zhang Lie shrugged. "Disaster-grade lifeforms that want to advance need some sort of catalyst."

"What catalyst?"

"The energy of a superior world."

Everyone in Team Zenith gasped. "That's ridiculous!"

The members of Team Zenith had invaded quite a few worlds and interacted with a number of kings of the realm, so they had some familiarity with the world's energy.

Although they were yet unfamiliar with superior worlds, they knew that a superior world's energy was a rare treasure indeed. Currently, there were only nine superior worlds, six from antiquity, and three that had recently evolved. It felt as though there were an unwritten rule in the third realm that mandated that there be no more than ten superior worlds at once, as though the realm could only sustain that many superior worlds at once before older ones were destroyed and newer ones formed.

The appearance of a new superior world necessitated the disappearance of an older one. This was the law of the third realm, which Blood Heaven and the draconian world had experienced for themselves.

And yet the evolution of a disaster-grade lifeform into a monarch-grade one required a superior world's energy?

Sun Mengmeng sighed. "As expected, trying to cultivate a monarch-grade lifeform is no easy feat."

Sun Xiaowu nodded. "I suppose so... it would be rather ridiculous to be able to mass-produce monarch-grade lifeforms, wouldn't it?"

Yang Ze commented, "It's impressive enough that our captain succeeded once."

"Or rather," Fang Yi added, "No one else would even have known where to begin."

Li Feng shrugged. "Our captain is exceptionally talented. If he hadn't revealed the existence of disaster-grade lifeforms to the world, no one would even know about them at this point! We had no clue ourselves."

Zhou Ying nodded. "That's right. Many people still aren't aware that there are lifeforms beyond disaster-grade, either."

"Haha, my brother's the best!" Zhang Hanxiang latched on to Zhang Lie's arm.

Zhang Lie sighed. "Alright, alright, that's enough. If you keep praising me like that, I'll get big-headed. Zhu's the one who did most of the work with the farm, at any rate."

Zhang Hanxiang replied, "But if you didn't identify how to cultivate monarch-grade lifeforms, Brother, you wouldn't have succeeded!"

Zhang Lie didn't deny that.

Sun Mengmeng continued, "If we need a superior world's energy as a catalyst, just how many superior worlds do we have to destroy to obtain a hundred monarch gene fragments...?"

Zhang Lie replied, "A regular world's energy would work as well, but it'd take quite a bit longer."

When the scaleman world had been invaded by black spirits, Zhang Lie had exterminated them all and claimed the world's energy that they had collected, roughly ten large worlds' worth. There had been enough world's energy then to cultivate a few monarch-grade lifeforms.

Zhang Lie had identified two possible means of cultivating monarch-grade lifeforms: either by having it kill large numbers of disaster-grade lifeforms, or by having it consume a world's energy, preferably a superior world's energy.

The first method would undoubtedly require a tremendous number of disaster-grade lifeforms, which weren't easy to mass-produce themselves, or a tremendous number of worlds. The first method sacrificed time; the second, resources.

"At any rate, let's return to the farm first."

Zhang Lie and the members of Team Zenith moved quickly, and they returned to the genetic lifeform farm within moments.

Zhang Lie waved. "Zhu, I've come over for the monarch-grade lifeform."

[You successfully killed the monarch-grade mountainous peak dragon. By consuming the flesh of the monarch-grade mountainous peak dragon, you may receive one to ten monarch gene fragments.]

The members of Team Zenith quickly dismembered the monarch-grade lifeform and made a hotpot with it. Zhang Lie beckoned Zhu over. "Come on, Zhu, join us!"

Zhu waved a hand. "No, there's no need. The meat is precious, and I don't gain as much from it as you all do."

Even so, Zhang Lie brought Zhu over. "You're the one who has been taking care of these lifeforms. You deserve to join us, too."

Everyone began to gobble up the food. Zhang Lie took a slice of meat and felt it melt in his mouth.

[For consuming the flesh of a monarch-grade mountainous peak dragon, you received one monarch gene fragment. Current total: 26]

Fang Yi ?cried out, "I wanted that slice of meat!"

Yang Ze laughed at him. "Then you'd better grab it faster next time."

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Sun Xiaowu harrumphed. "Go fight by the side—I'm trying to eat!"

Sun Mengmeng warned, "If you guys don't start eating, there won't be any meat left."

Zhang Lie laughed at their antics. "Don't worry. There's plenty of meat over there."

[For consuming the flesh of a monarch-grade mountainous peak dragon, you received one monarch gene fragment. Current total: 27]

[For consuming the flesh of a monarch-grade mountainous peak dragon, you received one monarch gene fragment. Current total: 28]

[For consuming the flesh of a monarch-grade mountainous peak dragon, you received one monarch gene fragment. Current total: 29]

.

After finishing the meal, Zhang Lie had gained a total of ten monarch gene fragments, and his strength had even increased by almost 20%. Ten monarch gene fragments didn't seem like a lot, but their effect was evident.

He once again reviewed his data.

Zhang Lie: a disaster-grade lifeform

Techniques: Rippling Walk (pinnacle), Three-Wave Crescendo (pinnacle), Calm Waters (pinnacle), Fists of the Silent Sea (pinnacle), The Boundless Blade (pinnacle), Eclipse (pinnacle), Syzygy (pinnacle), Ninesoul Dragonblade (advanced), Blade of the Heavens (pinnacle)

Genes: Basic, 160; Mutated, 150; Superior, 150; Peak, 150; Disaster, 100; Monarch, 35

Soulshards: White Grub (superior), Blood Ant (superior), Potbellied Toad (mutated), Eternalspring Cocoon (superior), Dragonwolf (peak), Moonlight Wyrm (peak), Golden Roc (peak), Dragonwhale (disaster), Mistmeld Clam (disaster)