Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Great Turtle that Nurtures Trees

The last aspect to consider is “timing.”

Different times of the day have different effects, and some evolutions have strict requirements for the timing, but others don’t, so “timing” is the last consideration.

Senior Wen’s Beast Taming Evolution, I heard, requires burying it in nutrient-rich soil alive.

When Chen Xing heard this, his expression turned somewhat odd, how it sounded a little strange.

Bury a Dryland Turtle in spring and harvest a whole tree of Dryland Turtles in autumn?

The thought of it was unexpectedly beautiful, too daring to imagine.

Chen Xing and the others helped to dig a five-meter-deep pit in the vacant lot behind the school team’s yard.

Then, in front of them, they buried the Dryland Turtle.

The Dryland Turtle’s body was covered in a layer of dense “runes,” said to be written using a precious liquid treasure material mixed with another earth-type treasure material, inscribed by one of the school’s teachers.

Chen Xing squatted beside it, sneaking glances for half the day, and extinguished the thought of learning surreptitiously, because he truly couldn’t understand the runes.

Turning his head, he saw Wang Bing and Zhou Hao, who had been squatting beside him trying to peek, also stand up, their faces full of confusion.

Kuang Shiyi said, “These are primordial characters, the ace up the sleeve of Beast Taming Evolution masters. If you want to learn, you can do so in university, high school doesn’t teach these subjects.”

Seems it’s not high school knowledge after all.

I heard that the Dryland Turtle needs to be buried alive for seven days; whether it succeeds or not depends on the situation after seven days.

As layers of soil were poured on, the Dryland Turtle, eyes closed, was engulfed by the earth.

Zhou Hao asked worriedly, “It won’t be buried alive, will it?”

“No, Dryland Turtles can naturally hibernate in the soil for two weeks,” Kuang Shiyi shook his head.

…

At home, Liu Yuzhen sat in front of the living room sofa, pinching the tips of vegetables, and said to herself, “Hey Old Chen, living in this police residence community feels pretty good, much better than our previous house. The house is bigger, the environment is nicer, and it’s convenient for shopping and going to school.”

“It’s okay, but it’s not our house; we’re just staying here temporarily,” Chen Guohai said.

Liu Yuzhen paused in her motions, looking towards Chen Guohai, “This morning, when I returned from grocery shopping, the community property management approached me.”

Chen Guohai looked at Liu Yuzhen.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Yuzhen continued, “They gave us a property deed, for the house we’re living in now, with both our names written on it.”

Chen Guohai coughed violently; the houses in this police residence community were not cheap. Their apartment was sizeable, worth at least three to four million.

Who was so generous to put their names on this apartment?

The couple’s first reaction was not joy but shock.

Worrying whether it was a mistake by someone else, their family couldn’t afford such a turmoil.

“Please accept it; it’s a gift from our principal,” Chen Lingya emerged from the bedroom, surprised herself at the principal’s quick action.

Liu Yuzhen hesitated, wondering why someone would give them such a valuable gift for no reason.

Although she couldn’t help but think of certain things, she quickly discarded the thought because she believed in her daughter!

“Our principal is a very important person. He took me as a disciple, and this is the gift he gave to our family,” Chen Lingya spoke calmly, “You don’t need to overthink it. My teacher has never taken back a gift he’s given, and to him, this is trivial.”

For an Advanced Beast Tamer, a few million is indeed a mere trifle.

Liu Yuzhen was conflicted, on the verge of speaking. After a moment of silence, Chen Guohai said to his daughter, “Principal Wan is a very important person, and he must have taken you on as a student because you’re outstanding, and I’m very gratified.”

“Your mother and I have never tamed a beast in our lives. We say we understand a little, but it’s all hearsay, and our experience is of no use to you.”

“Dad just wants to tell you that we have never wished to be your burden, and you shouldn’t bear any pressure.”

People are born free, and so are you. The same goes for your younger brother. You should both have your own dreams, your own paths.

Your mother and I are merely passersby in the journey of your life; we cannot accompany you to the end.

You and your brother are still young. I’ve heard that those skilled Beast Tamers live longer than ordinary people. In the future, when we are no longer around, you siblings will be the only family for each other in this world. I just hope you can support each other.”

Chen Lingya froze for a moment, her nose suddenly tingling. Why the sudden sentimentality?

Turning her head away, Chen Lingya gave a soft “hmm” through her nostrils, “If my brother doesn’t listen to me in the future, I’ll beat him up.”

Click.

The living room door was unlocked with a key, and through the crack of the door, a confused and bewildered head peeked out.

What happened? Why do I hear Chen Lingya saying she’s going to beat me up as soon as I come in?

Chen Lingya didn’t expect that her words would be caught perfectly by her brother who just got home, and in her embarrassment, her delicate earlobes instantly turned red.

Feigning calm, she announced, “I’m going back to my bedroom,” and quickly retreated to her room.

Sitting down, Chen Xing listened to their mother recount what had just happened.

The brother, chagrined but amused, raised a finger in front of their parents and assured, “Don’t worry, as the younger brother, I’ll keep my sister in line. If Chen Lingya doesn’t behave in the future, I’ll warn her three times. If she still doesn’t listen, then I’ll discipline her!”

The sound of a table being smacked vaguely came from Chen Lingya’s room behind the closed door.

…

In the following two days, the other two senior students also finally gathered all the materials and prepared to start their Beast Taming Evolution.

Their beasts’ evolution methods did not require as much time as the Earth-Turtle.

But the outcomes were far from good: on the first day, Senior Wu’s Shadowcat failed its evolution.

Under the moonlight, the Dark Night Gemstone placed on the Shadowcat’s forehead shattered into five fragments, and the Shadowcat, stricken by backlash, fainted on the spot.

The school doctor examined the Shadowcat and told everyone that it needed half a month’s rest; another attempt within that time could lead to permanent damage.

The next day, Senior Tong Xuhua’s Wildflame Monkey suffered a setback at the last moment of evolution, unable to endure the scorching heat, and fainted. The evolution process required the beast to remain conscious throughout, and the unconscious Wildflame Monkey couldn’t control the boiling flames within its body. It was scorched severely as flame backlashed against it on the spot.

It was only after being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment that the monkey narrowly escaped death.

The doctor said the monkey needed at least a week-long hospital stay, and it should not attempt evolution again for a month after being discharged.

Two consecutive failures cast a heavy pall over everyone’s head.

Even the usually confident Wen Jin started to feel uneasy.

I won’t fail too, will I?

Five days later, on the seventh day since the Earth-Turtle was buried, a sprout suddenly grew on the mound that looked like a grave.

“It’s successful,” Kuang Shiyi suppressed the worry in his eyes, feeling a great sense of relief. If all three students had failed… He really didn’t know how to explain it to the principal.

It’s said that the success rate of the first evolution for Beast Taming isn’t a hundred percent. According to statistics, the average success rate is 37.5%.

But as everyone knows, averages can be deceiving, much like average annual incomes.

For students like Wen Jin and Wu Ju, whom the school has carefully cultivated for the team, the success rate for their beasts’ first evolution is around sixty percent.

The sprout on the mound of earth swayed from side to side, and following that, the ground around it cracked rapidly, the soil rising swiftly as if a huge creature was about to emerge from the ground.

Standing not far away, Zhou Hao asked, “Chen Xing, what was the name of the evolution route for Senior Wen’s beast they talked about last time?”

Narrowing his eyes and feeling the vibrations under his feet, Chen Xing couldn’t help but take two steps back and uttered four words.

“Tree Guardian Tortoise.”