Chapter 218: Ancient Breed Companion Beasts! Su An Yong's Collapse!

Chapter 218: Ancient Breed Companion Beasts! Su An Yong’s Collapse!

"Do you think degeneration is what?"

Back at the academy, Su Ping didn’t rush back to Sang Sheng’s dormitory. It was still an hour before dinner, so he followed Ye Zhou to the campus cafe. Unfortunately, Su Ping really wasn’t fond of this stuff, and he wasn’t here for the coffee anyway.

In response to Ye Zhou’s question, Su Ping thought for a moment:

"In this world, with death comes new life. The opposition between birth and death represents the positive and negative poles of all things. Therefore, there is both evolution and degeneration. Degeneration is the reduction of an organism’s form and level.

Of course, it might also be due to changes in the living environment. In the course of ecological development, certain aspects can lead to the extinction of a species, and these aspects will gradually disappear in the development of the population.

In the Companion Beast era, degeneration involves a reduction in energy and level. If we must use another term, it could be ‘reversion to ancestral traits.’”

Ye Zhou nodded:

"Companion Beast historians generally believe that all Companion Beasts in the world are constantly evolving. Under the rules of evolution, this process can be very slow or very fast.

With the help of modern humans, Companion Beasts can evolve many times within decades or a century. Most evolutions, due to the accumulation of energy resources, result in significant power increases!

However, in ancient times, when human Beastmasters had not yet fully dominated the land, or even before they appeared, this evolution was the result of the accumulation and stacking of time!"

Su Ping’s brows furrowed slightly:

"But in this case, there are still some unexplained aspects!"

Ye Zhou was taken aback for a moment but quickly smiled in approval and nodded:

"Indeed, you are the top of the Breeding Master Competition. There are still some unexplained aspects. The most obvious one is that if all modern Companion Beasts are the result of evolution, why do we often see records of even more powerful Companion Beasts in ancient times?

For example, the ancient breed 'Qunpeng' mentioned in the breeding results of the Skysoaring Eagle in Minyue Province. No one has truly seen a mythic-level creature, but the 'Qunpeng' of ancient times was likely at least a legendary-level being.

However, such creatures did not survive. Apart from the difficulty in reproduction, the main reason might be that even their subspecies, over time, underwent a form of ‘unnecessary energy’ evolution!

Or, in other words, true degeneration. True degeneration!"

"True degeneration..."

Su Ping’s eyes narrowed slightly.

At this moment, Su Ping suddenly realized what Ye Zhou was trying to convey.

The degeneration he had previously imagined was fundamentally different from what Ye Zhou was now proposing.

Su Ping’s previous concept of degeneration referred to the form before evolution.

However, the ‘evolution’ he was talking about might not be true evolution.

At this moment, Ye Zhou’s eyes gleamed:

"Exactly! Archaeological evidence directly shows that some powerful Companion Beasts existed in ancient times and later disappeared. Perhaps they ‘evolved’ in a way that made them less powerful but more adaptable to the world.

For example, the Qunpeng might have seen a reduction in its power form, leading its offspring and subspecies to no longer be able to maintain their energy state, so they evolved.

After evolving, they became more adapted to the world, but their displayed power decreased. However, their reproduction rate was faster, their size more concealed, and their survival strategies more suitable."

Su Ping’s brows furrowed deeply.

Ye Zhou’s words were completely opposite to what he had previously thought.

His thoughts were much simpler, similar to the relationship between the Forest Wolf and the Wood Wolf.

He had only wanted to develop more evolutionary forms based on the ‘Wood Wolf’ form.

But he hadn’t expected that Ye Zhou’s perspective was much broader.

It might even be a completely new and special evolutionary path.

"The reversion evolution of ancient breed Companion Beasts?"

He subconsciously uttered these words.

Ye Zhou’s eyes lit up even more:

"Exactly! That’s the meaning!"

"Have you found a method?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhou’s expression froze slightly.

Su Ping rolled his eyes, clearly realizing that this guy was still in a purely speculative phase.

He had only proposed an idea.

"I am not yet a true Breeder. In this area, it’s just that time manipulation Companion Beasts have a deeper perception of the passage of time and the traces of ancient times, so it’s just an idea."

Su Ping nodded and quickly understood the other’s meaning. He then straightforwardly proposed a method to test this line of thinking:

"Your idea is very interesting, but in practice, it is much more challenging than the method of re-finding evolutionary forms from degenerated states that I previously mentioned."

First, one must find a pet beast with an ancient bloodline, ensuring that the ancient species can guarantee its own bloodline's atavism and gradual growth in strength.

Otherwise, if the bloodline is forced to atavism through resources, even if it evolves from the ordinary rank to the elite rank, but the skills not only don't increase, the skill intensity doesn't improve, and instead, the number of skills decreases and their strength diminishes, then it's a complete failure.

Secondly, bloodline genes are an extremely complex subject in pet beast bioengineering. The knowledge involved is not something that can be accomplished by simply brainstorming. One needs to know the ultimate origin of this bloodline atavism and have an extremely deep understanding of that source pet beast to achieve it!"

Ye Zhou listened intently and nodded.

He also felt a bit lost. Obviously, no matter how strong the person in front of him was, and no matter how talented the two of them were, they were both young and had already participated in the Beastmaster Competition. Ye Zhou even surpassed his peers at the Demon Capital Academy, but they were still truly young.

In this regard, he had some fantastic ideas, but how to start was extremely difficult.

However, Su Ping smiled slightly:

"Your idea is interesting, but I probably won't have much free time to research this in the next half a year. However, if you have any troubles, you can ask me.

In my free time, I can help you! So, I suggest you first find a pet beast that clearly exhibits regressive devolution, and then trace its bloodline back through historical archaeology to find its origin, and then focus your efforts on such a specific pet beast."

Ye Zhou blinked and then nodded firmly, restoring his appearance before speaking:

"Okay! As for what you said about pet beasts evolving and then regressing in strength in the modern era, I've also had some ideas, but I haven't tried them out yet."

"Oh?"

Ye Zhou smiled:

"The principle is quite simple. Evolution is not just a change in form due to an increase in personal energy, but also involves a transformation of the soul..."

...

At the dinner table, Sang Sheng and Qin Xiaoxue spoke repeatedly, and although Qin Chuan did not say a word, he kept watching Su Ping.

However, in just a short while, Su Ping's mind had wandered many times.

The others didn't mind and certainly wouldn't blame Su Ping.

After all, no matter what, the events that had transpired throughout the day were indeed too rich for someone of Su Ping's age.

This day would likely be memorable for many people because of Su Ping.

However, they obviously didn't know that Su Ping, at this moment, wasn't concerned about such a trivial matter; he was purely still pondering the words that Ye Zhou had spoken to him earlier.

Su Ping had never looked down on others.

But it must be said that after arriving at the Demon Capital Academy, the Thousandth Paper Man easily broke Ye Zhou's elite-level trial tower record.

This made Su Ping feel proud and self-satisfied, although he didn't show it.

However, after further interaction with Ye Zhou and their conversations about evolution and devolution, Su Ping also understood that truly talented individuals like Ye Zhou were not lacking in the Dragon Kingdom.

These conversations had opened up an entirely new direction for both of them.

However, the soul of a pet beast was a completely unknown domain.

Perhaps, with time, after meeting Lord Leng again, Su Ping could inquire about this domain from the Ghost Saint, who was unmatched in the Dragon Kingdom when it came to souls.

"Su Ping, when are you planning to return to Linzhou?"

Sang Sheng's question brought Su Ping back to his senses. He thought for a moment and then replied:

"In the next few days, preferably tomorrow or the day after. I've been away for over half a month, and there's probably a lot of work waiting for me back home, haha."

Sang Sheng smiled slightly: "There's indeed a lot of work. Although the online news and public opinion have died down, as long as you don't cause any more trouble, the heat will subside.

But in Linzhou, it probably won't be that simple. There will likely be many people coming to the door."

Qin Xiaoxue, standing beside them, nodded: "You're not short of money now. If it were me, I'd say to just close down the breeding base."

If it were Dong Muchun, he would never say such a thing.

However, Su Ping didn't mind Qin Xiaoxue's thoughtless words.

Moreover, the operation of Wood Core wouldn't affect him much now.

But before Su Ping could speak, Qin Chuan spoke up:

"How can a man not have his own favorite career? Whether it's breeding, business..."

Before Qin Chuan could finish, he saw his mother's smiling gaze upon him, and he immediately felt like a wolf caught in the headlights. He made a few affirmative noises before continuing:

"Yes... and education..."

Qin Xiaoxue rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to her father's twisted logic.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Qin Chuan decided not to say more and instead focused his attention back on the dull dinner party.

Su Ping didn't mind this persistent fellow. He smiled and said:

"Wood Core is Grandpa's life's work. He has always wanted to promote and develop Wood Core.

Qin Xiaoxue nodded, not wanting to continue the conversation on that topic.

However, Sang Sheng suddenly laughed and said, "Oh, Su Ping, your grandfather also had a military career, didn't he?"

Su Ping was taken aback, then nodded. "I think so, my dad mentioned it once before."

"Hehe, back then, when Ghost Saint was young, he also had an experience guarding the border in Ximo."

Su Ping was surprised, but Sang Sheng didn't continue the topic. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, "You've been out for a while, so it's time to head back. Tomorrow, I'll have Ah Qin send you and Master Zhu Hong to Linzhou."

"Master Zhu Hong's trip to Linzhou is an opportunity for you. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask him. It won't be a bad thing for you."

"Yes, thank you, Dean..."

...

'You have 99+ friend requests:'

[Brother Ping, I'm Zhou. I saw you on TV today! You've become a celebrity at our school!]



[Su, I'm Principal Xie Wenhui from Linzhou's Sixth Basic Beastmaster School. I'm proud that our school has produced such talented individuals like you. Our alma mater is also proud of you.]



[Su Ping, this is Zhang Guowei from Imperial Capital College's Admissions Office...]



[...]



After a busy day, Su Ping returned to the academy and discussed the upcoming plans with Sang Sheng during dinner.

At the same time, Sang Sheng expressed his understanding of Su Ping's decision to not continue building his fame.

Becoming famous at a young age is something many people dream of.

Indeed, for many, it's crucial to seize the opportunity early.

However, for someone like Su Ping, who genuinely possesses exceptional skills, it could be a disadvantage.

If it weren't for Master Zhu Hong openly taking the calls from Sang Sheng and Ghost Saint in front of everyone, and if Su Ping hadn't returned to the academy immediately after the incident, there would likely have been visitors by tonight.

All sorts of temptations would have inevitably followed.

It's unfair to expect young people to resist various temptations with their willpower.

Therefore, the two Saint Spirit-ranked individuals spoke up, minimizing the possibility of such occurrences to the greatest extent.

Even so, from the moment he lay in bed that night, the friend requests he received showed the impact he had made within his circle.

Su Ping casually glanced at the requests.

There were so many that he couldn't count them all.

Some he knew, some he didn't, some he had heard of but didn't know, and some he hadn't heard of and didn't know—they were all there.

All sorts of people, from classmates he hadn't contacted in eight hundred years to teachers, directors, principals, and even vice-principals from various domestic colleges.

There were even requests from major corporations in Dragon Kingdom, like Longxiang Group and Kunlun Group.

These companies weren't just trying to recruit him; in the friend request notes, they clearly stated their primary request—money.

Indeed, it was a straightforward and aggressive approach.

They euphemistically called it a 'breeding research sponsorship fee,' but they didn't mention what Su Ping would have to offer in return.

However, Su Ping wasn't the type to be tempted by small gains.

He didn't need to.

If it was just about money, the Pingyun Group could ensure sufficient funds.

So, whether it was Longxiang Group or Kunlun Group's various offers, Su Ping declined all friend requests, politely refusing them in his replies.

As for the others, Su Ping carefully selected a few.

Among them, he accepted requests from directors of admissions offices at various advanced academies, and even some vice-principals.

However, he politely declined invitations to join their academies, not as students but as guest professors, as mentioned by Sang Sheng earlier, and provided detailed explanations for his decision.

Su Ping wasn't the type to get carried away with success.

People, when it's time to be bold, should be bold,

But one should always remember that the more praise one receives, the more careful they should be about these small details.

If one becomes arrogant before achieving anything, it's human nature to speak ill of them. And if one remains arrogant after success, they will be called a true villain.

They might even be envied and hated.

Although he wasn't afraid, it wasn't worth causing trouble over such a minor issue.

When one is proud, they discuss the heavens and the earth; when they are indifferent, they swallow ice and snow, cultivating the lotus within.

Although the meaning of this phrase doesn't entirely fit Su Ping's current situation, some truths remain relevant.

So, Su Ping thought it over and accepted some friend requests from those with connections, like the principal of his former school and his homeroom teacher. He didn't reject these requests.

For those he had never heard of, he replied once and then ignored them.

Then, Su Ping decisively turned off the friend request feature.

In this world of Beastmasters, strength is more useful than knowledge.

However, the messages of congratulations kept pouring in.

Oddly enough, despite the many congratulatory messages, not a single phone call came to offer their well wishes.

Su Ping quickly scanned through the messages and replied to them in bulk before opening his father, Su Anyong's, communication:

[Su Ping: Aren't I awesome, bro?]



[Su Anyong: Awesome! From now on, I won't call you Dad anymore. You're my ancestor, right?]



Su Anyong's response was swift.

It was clear that even though this old man wasn't very reliable, the impact he had on Su Ping was so significant that he couldn't sleep.

[Su Ping: No need. Just give me the Super Shadow you owe me later.]



[Su Anyong: ???]



[Su Anyong: Su Ping, do you even have a sense of shame? Hey, I'm barely holding on to this coffin. You've been eyeing it all this time, haven't you? Now that you're rich, you still want to squeeze something out of me?]



[Su Ping: ??? I'm not stealing, we won't even talk about stealing. I won it from you!]



[Su Anyong: Get lost, stop wasting my time here. So, how many stages has Qing reached?]



[Su Ping: Seven stages. She's currently undergoing resource-based stage-up cultivation and will likely reach the eighth stage soon. Su Anyong, don't change the topic.]



[Su Anyong: Have you decided on the direction of her evolution?]



[Su Ping: Yes, I've already started.]



[Su Anyong: Good.]



After this, Su Ping didn't reply again and fell silent.

The Super Shadow was a lost cause, so he might as well leave the old man alone.

Su Ping knew that Su Anyong had been holding back too.

The father and son often competed in their conversations, seeing who would crack first.

Usually, Su Anyong would win these little competitions.

But now, with the initiative in Su Ping's hands, he remained calm and collected.

Finally, after three minutes, Su Anyong couldn't hold back any longer.

[Su Anyong: Su Ping, what's the deal with Old Sha?]



[Su Ping: What do you mean? By the way, Su Anyong, do you know how Old Sha got his Wolf King Authority skill?]



[Su Anyong: How would I know? Old Sha is several years older than me! He could be your granduncle's pet, and you, you little rascal, keep leading Old Sha around!]



After a pause, Su Anyong finally replied:

[Su Anyong: The main chief back then was a wolf pet owner, and Old Sha was likely brought back from the Western Desert.

The Western Desert is known for three main defenses. One is the desert storm of wind and sand elemental spirit beasts in the southwestern desert of West Capital Province.

Another is the desert's fierce beast tide, which includes various types. Decades ago, they also had to guard against the wolf pack on the vast grassland in the northwest.

Anyway, enough talk. What's the deal with Old Sha's super skill?]



Su Ping didn't know much about the Western Desert and wasn't interested at the moment.

[Su Ping: Oh, you mean?]



Then Su Ping stopped replying.

It was clear that Su Ping just wanted to tease the old man a bit.

He put down his phone, intending to reply later, but after a day of participating in the Breeder Master Competition and witnessing the diverse breeders and their achievements, his brain went through stages of excitement, numbness, and finally fatigue.

Finally, he relaxed and felt a strong urge to sleep. He couldn't resist and fell asleep right there.

It was late at night in North Yuan Province.

In Su Anyong's personal dormitory within the North Yuan Legion, Su Anyong's eyes were bloodshot from staying up, staring at his phone for most of the night.

Finally, he couldn't hold back and sent a message:

[Su Ping, where are you?] (January 2, 225, 1:32 AM)



[Huh? What's the deal with that super skill?]



[What's the deal with the Solar Heart specifically?]



[Huh?]



[????]



[Fine, fine, fine!]



[Su Ping, come on, answer me!]



[Are you itching for a fight, you little rabbit?]



[Alright, alright! I'll be back for you!]



[...]

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end