13: The Path of Qingyan
“The trial segment… first is 'Asking the Dao'?”
“Shouldn’t this be something only cultivators do?”
“Oh, it’s just to test relevant cultivation knowledge. Then it’s fine.”
Li Wen thought it was some kind of 'Asking the Dao', but it turned out to be just clickbait.
He initially thought it was a meaningless gimmick, until he saw the rewards.
The top three could receive a cultivation plan custom-designed by a researcher, and the first place winner could receive personal guidance from a researcher or an evolution material.
The word “or” was used very skillfully; if it was the former, Li Wen might not be very interested, but if it was the latter, it would be especially important for Li Wen now.
Bud Treasure wouldn't be used in the short term, but Little Banquet had not yet undergone a single evolution ceremony, so it could be arranged as soon as possible.
The later segments were nothing new, just sparring and teaching experiences. Such arrangements were understandable, but for Li Wen, they were a bit boring.
Without substantial rewards, it was impossible to move a pauper.
If there were no special problems, under the analysis of the All-Knowing Eye, Li Wen taking the top spot wouldn't be a big issue.
So Li Wen prepared to pop the champagne at halftime and choose the evolution materials he needed in advance.
“Contracted Pet Beast: Azure Banquet”
“attribute: Insect”
“trait: Gluttony”
Possesses an astonishing appetite and can perfectly absorb its Energy Value (gathering all bloodlines of the Little Green Worm will restore the power hidden deep within its bloodline).
“Species: Enlightenment-grade”
“Energy Value: 30”
“Skill ①: Insect Silk”: An energy entity existing in the form of Insect Silk. If mastered to a certain proficiency, unexpected changes may occur.
(+)
Only this one Skill was displayed solitarily before Li Wen, and compared to Bud Treasure, it couldn't be called luxurious; it could only be described as somewhat pitiful.
Even the only Skill was an unranked Skill. Like pet beasts, Skills also have a hierarchy: unranked, low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and even higher grades.
“Teachable Skill: Energy Ball”
Unlike self-healing's requirement for original recovery power, Energy Ball is relatively fair among various species; any species can potentially learn it.
However, Li Wen was also aware of its basic requirements, so he didn't check it too much.
The real purpose of checking the panel ultimately came back to the evolution path. This was a pet beast he had carefully selected, and he couldn't let it be wasted due to his negligence.
“Evolution Path ①” Little Green Worm — Colorful Butterfly — Hundred Flowers Butterfly
“Evolution Path ②” Little Green Worm — Strong Worm — Steel Worm
“Evolution Path ③” Little Green Worm — Rain Butterfly — Narcissus Butterfly
“Evolution Path ④ 5 knowledge points” Little Green Worm — Fire Fluff Worm — Volcarona
“Evolution Path ⑤ 5 knowledge points” Little Green Worm — Thunder Cocoon — Thunder Blade Mantis
“Evolution Path ⑥ 10 knowledge points” Little Green Worm — ??? — ??? (2 knowledge points to unlock second stage)
“Evolution Path ⑦ 10 knowledge points” Little Green Worm — ??? — ??? (2 knowledge points to unlock second stage)
“Evolution Path ⑧ 15 knowledge points” Little Green Worm — ??? — ??? (5 knowledge points to unlock second stage)
The appearance of so many paths was completely within Li Wen's expectations, but what surprised him was that no exclusive path appeared.
It seemed the All-Knowing Eye was not omnipotent; without any changes to the pet beast itself, it wouldn't design corresponding evolution plans on its own.
Or rather, it needed him to subjectively provide a path direction before it would formulate a continuous plan.
From this perspective, detoxification was actually theprototype of the Dual Blade Dancer path. Overall, it was still user-friendly.
If an inspiration was needed to trigger an exclusive path, then starting with the evolution plan was undoubtedly the best choice.
The original intention of choosing Azure Banquet was its rich genes, allowing for many evolution paths.
And now, only by unlocking all of them could he know the most suitable evolution direction for it.
Li Wen performed a triple unlock, directly unlocking all three paths.
“Evolution Path ⑥ 8 knowledge points” Little Green Worm — Light Shadow Butterfly — ??? (15 knowledge points to unlock third stage)
“Evolution Path ⑦ 8 knowledge points” Little Green Worm — Dark Shadow Butterfly — ??? (15 knowledge points to unlock third stage)
“Evolution Path ⑧ 10 knowledge points” Little Green Worm — Phantom Butterfly — ??? (20 knowledge points to unlock third stage)
“Shadow Butterfly series?”
The latter three undiscovered paths, apart from attribute differences, were all some kind of Shadow Butterfly, making Li Wen unable to help but complain.
The attributes were as Li Wen guessed, corresponding to each gene: light, dark, and illusion?
As far as Li Wen knew, this world's understanding of the illusion attribute was very vague, only knowing of its existence through the panel.
Therefore, there was no specific direction for cultivating the illusion attribute, leading to few pet beasts with the illusion attribute as their main attribute being cultivated.
Would it work if he cultivated Azure Banquet towards the illusion attribute direction?
It might be a bit difficult. Besides, only children make choices; I want them all.
Since one gene corresponds to one evolution path, what about the versatile gene? Can it integrate the attributes of all paths?
Every Little Green Worm possesses the versatile gene, so this gene is probably related to all evolutions.
It seems feasible. As long as he finds the common ground among all other evolution plans, the key lies within.
Li Wen first organized the evolution plans he currently mastered:
Little Green Worm — Colorful Butterfly
Evolution Conditions:
Energy Value 100
Spiritual Power 50
Mental Power 20
Material Requirements: silkworm stone × 1, second-tier insect attribute beast core × 1, spirit condensing grass × 5
Venue Requirements: None
Little Green Worm — Strong Worm
Evolution Conditions:
Energy Value 100
Spiritual Power 50
Mental Power 20
Material Requirements: silkworm stone × 1, second-tier metal attribute beast core × 1, spirit condensing grass × 5
Venue Requirements: None
Little Green Worm — Rain Butterfly
Evolution Conditions:
Energy Value 100
Spiritual Power 50
Mental Power 20
Material Requirements: silkworm stone × 1, second-tier water attribute beast core × 1, spirit condensing grass × 5
Venue Requirements: None
These three most basic evolution paths might not explain the problem, so Li Wen, without any hesitation, used the knowledge points obtained from textbooks to unlock all remaining paths.
Little Green Worm — Fire Fluff Worm
Evolution Conditions:
Energy Value 300
Spiritual Power 80
Mental Power 20
Material Requirements: silkworm stone × 1, second-tier fire attribute beast core × 1, spirit gathering flower × 5
Venue Requirements: Fire element-rich environment
Little Green Worm — Thunder Cocoon
Evolution Conditions:
Energy Value 300
Spiritual Power 80
Mental Power 20
Material Requirements: silkworm stone × 1, second-tier thunder attribute beast core × 1, spirit gathering flower × 5
Venue Requirements: Thunder element-rich environment
Little Green Worm — Light Shadow Butterfly
Evolution Conditions:
Energy Value 300
Spiritual Power 80
Mental Power 70
Material Requirements: silkworm stone × 1, third-tier light attribute beast core × 1, spirit gathering flower × 5
Venue Requirements: Daytime environment
Little Green Worm — Dark Shadow Butterfly
Evolution Conditions:
Energy Value 300
Spiritual Power 80
Mental Power 70
Material Requirements: silkworm stone × 1, third-tier dark attribute beast core × 1, spirit gathering flower × 5
Venue Requirements: Night environment
Little Green Worm — Phantom Butterfly
Evolution Conditions:
Energy Value 1000
Spiritual Power 80
Mental Power 100
Material Requirements: silkworm stone × 1, phantom spirit flower × 1, third-tier beast core × 1, spirit gathering flower × 5
Venue Requirements: None