Beast Taming: I can evolve indefinitely

Chapter 173 Rune Second Stage Evolution

A secret realm.

research room.

"Here, connect a 3-centimeter straight line, then make a 67-degree rounded turn..."

As Bai Qi compared the runes, he directed Alpha to restore the runes on the general's terracotta warrior little by little, his eyes filled with solemnity.

He originally intended to do the restoration work of the general's terracotta figure himself, but he underestimated the hardness of the bronze body of the general's terracotta figure.

Even though his physical abilities far surpass those of a normal adult, and with the help of the rune pen in the Tower of Gratitude, he still couldn't leave any marks on the general's terracotta warrior. In the end, he had to ask Alpha to do it for him.

Moreover, Bai Qi had to admit that Alpha's skill in carving runes was indeed more proficient than his. At least, after repairing it for more than two hours, Alpha did not make any mistakes, and there was not even the slightest tremor.

I feel like I'm becoming less and less useful.

Alpha quickly finished repairing the last rune on the terracotta warrior, and the computer next to it promptly displayed the complete rune structure on the terracotta warrior.

"I see. Using slave contracts as a framework and filling it with various manipulation runes to form a complete system, this is practically a primitive version of a mechanical manipulation system."

Bai Qi examined it carefully for a while and immediately understood.

Machinery, puppets, and terracotta warriors may seem unrelated, but they are all products created by humans to fight against ferocious beasts.

These three items represent different levels of technology in three different eras of humankind.

As for who is better or worse, Bai Qi is not in a position to make an evaluation at the moment.

After all, these creations served different functions in different historical contexts.

"However, to be able to make the terracotta warriors move with just some runes, without even an energy system, the ancestors of the First Emperor's era were truly remarkable. Or is there something I haven't discovered?"

Bai Qi looked thoughtfully at the terracotta warrior in front of him, which remained motionless even after the runes had been repaired.

He had just tested it with instruments and found that there was no energy inside the terracotta warrior. It was cast entirely from a metal similar to bronze. If it weren't for the runes on the surface, it wouldn't be much different from the statues in the museum.

"No wonder the terracotta warriors were so powerful but did not survive. The unknown energy system and the rune system that required a high degree of integrity were indeed not as convenient as the modularly constructed rune puppets of the French Emperor's era."

Bai Qi shook his head with some regret, but after seeing Alpha beside him, he suddenly thought of something.

"Alpha, go and summon all the Ice Bones, no, all the skeletons in the secret realm."

Alpha nodded, and an invisible mental fluctuation immediately emanated. Before long, six skeletons with different auras appeared in the laboratory.

Ice Bone, Steel Skull, Fire Claw, Hidden Spikes, Poison Breath, Rock Armor.

These are all products of Bai Qi's research on the formation of rune evolution. They were previously left in the secret realm to build a base, but now that the base is completed, they have been left idle here.

Bai Qi examined the six skeletons for a while, then had Steel Skull step forward and lay down next to the general terracotta warrior.

Looking at the steel skull, which was similar in shape to the terracotta warrior, Bai Qi's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He immediately operated the instrument to construct a holographic projection of the steel skull.

Then, Bai Qi dragged the rune projection extracted from the general's terracotta warrior and transferred it little by little to the steel bone. After a series of modifications, a brand new rune structure with a similar overall structure but whose interior had been almost completely replaced by Bai Qi appeared in front of him.

"Alpha, carve this pattern onto the steel skull, and remember to try not to stop."

Crackling.

(OK.)

Alpha nodded, and after carefully observing the rune structure that Bai Qixin had constructed, he immediately began to operate it on the steel skull.

Having already personally repaired it once, Alpha's sketching was very smooth this time, and he quickly completed the carving of the complete rune structure.

After carefully inspecting the device and confirming that there were no discrepancies, Bai Qi said to Alpha, "Let it circulate its energy and try it out."

Alpha nodded and conveyed Bai Qi's meaning to Steel Skull. A dark light immediately flashed across Steel Skull's surface, covering its entire body.

"this one?"

Seeing that the steel skull had not changed at all, Bai Qi couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

I thought something would change, but it seems he was overthinking it.

"Well, at least it proves that it's feasible to expand simple runes into a larger system architecture."

Bai Qi shrugged, intending to let the steel skull leave, but upon seeing the pattern on its forehead, he suddenly remembered something.

"Alpha, try channeling your mental energy into this area."

Alpha nodded, placed his palm on the steel skull's forehead, and carefully injected a wisp of mental energy into it.

Instantly, the runes on the steel skull's forehead lit up and quickly spread throughout its body. When these lights finally converged on the "hardened" runes on the steel skull's spine, the steel skull was immediately enveloped in a dazzling light.

The Light of Evolution?!

Upon seeing the light emanating from the steel skull, Bai Qi was overjoyed.

Sure enough, the rune structure on the general's terracotta warrior was based on a slave contract, and this contract obviously involved the soul, so it was perfectly reasonable to use spiritual power to activate it.

However, it's quite surprising that the steel skull could evolve again.

Under Bai Qi's expectant gaze, the light of evolution on the steel skull finally disappeared, revealing an even taller metallic figure.

Compared to its previous skeletal appearance, Steel Skull's body is now almost entirely covered in metal, with even its limbs covered in a layer of metal muscles. If it weren't for the fact that it still retains a skull, it would be difficult to connect it with the previous skull.

Upon seeing this, Bai Qi immediately placed his hand on Steel Skull and instantly received information about Steel Skull's new evolution.

【name】:???

[Attribute]: Steel, Undead

[Bloodline Level]: Low-level Elite

Without a race name, is this yet another new evolutionary form?

Bai Qi laughed when he saw this. He never expected to discover a completely new evolved form, and it even jumped directly from a mid-level servant to an elite. This was an unexpected surprise.

But most importantly, it seems he has found a two-stage evolution method for rune evolution?

Crackling.

(Boss, something feels off.)

Just as Bai Qi was about to thoroughly study the new evolution of the Steel Skull, Alpha suddenly sent a message.

"That's weird?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Qi's expression changed immediately. Luo Xiang had previously mentioned that such slave contracts could easily backfire, and ordinary humans couldn't withstand them, which was why Bai Qi had sent Alpha.

Is Alpha now suffering a backlash?

Even third-tier creatures can't handle it, just what kind of monsters are those ancient beast tamers!

"Tell me what happened. Was your soul damaged?"

The soul is the core of the necromancy system. As long as the soul fire is not extinguished, other injuries are insignificant. If the soul is damaged while conducting an experiment, it would be a huge loss.

Crackling.

(No, on the contrary, my soul seems to have become a little stronger; I just feel like I can directly control the steel skull now.)

"It's good that you're not injured, but what do you mean by controlling the steel skull? You were originally..."

Bai Qi breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly realized something halfway through his sentence. He immediately searched Alpha's body and quickly found a pattern resembling a contract rune in Alpha's palm.

Has Alpha made a contract with Steel Skull?

Have you formed a pet contract with a pet?

Bai Qi stared dumbfounded at the runes on Alpha's palm, then looked at the steel skull standing obediently beside Alpha. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

After a long while, Bai Qi slowly digested what he had just discovered and had Alpha issue a series of instructions to Steel Skull, which Steel Skull did as instructed.

Of course, Alpha could do these things before, since lords have an unconditional suppressive effect on their servants, but it is clear that it is now more at ease.

However, what Bai Qi was more concerned about was whether the relationship between Steel Skull and Alpha could have the same impact on his growth as the relationship between Alpha and himself.

"Alpha, you just said your soul has become a little stronger, are you sure?"

Alpha tilted its head, pondered for a moment, and nodded.

(I'm sure, it seems like some extra soul energy just appeared out of nowhere, and I can seem to actively absorb energy from the steel skull.)

Actively absorbing energy—doesn't that sound a bit like the effect of ferocious beasts on Beast Soul Masters?

That's right. The First Emperor learned this slave contract from ferocious beasts, so it's normal that it had this effect.

"So, I've essentially given Alpha a target to exploit?"

Thinking that he had actually done something like a ferocious beast, Bai Qi couldn't help but chuckle, and then turned his gaze to the remaining skeletons.

"Since we're already squeezing them dry, let's bring a few more."

……

dong dong dong...

Feng Ye knocked on Bai Qi's door for a long time but received no response. Seeing Chun Yushui walking by, he couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Chun, have you seen Bai Qi?"

Chun Yushui shrugged and said, "I saw him go into his room this morning and he hasn't come out since. He's probably doing some research."

For people like them who spend years exploring secret realms, it's normal to get so engrossed in their research that they don't sleep for days and nights, so Chun Yushui didn't care at all.

"That's true, he did mention that he wanted to study ancient runes."

Feng Ye nodded and was about to leave when Bai Qi's door suddenly opened.

"Hey, Bai Qi, what's wrong with you?"

Looking at Bai Qi, who was in a sorry state and covered in all sorts of marks from being burned and frozen, Feng Ye was a little dumbfounded.

Bai Qi's room has been invaded by a ferocious beast. How could it be like this?

Bai Qi scratched his head somewhat awkwardly and said, "Ahem, it's nothing, it's just that there was a slight accident during the experiment."

"An experiment? What kind of experiment could turn out like this? Did you fight with your pet beast?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Ye couldn't help but chuckle, only to see that Bai Qi actually nodded.

"Strictly speaking, I guess so..."

I was nearly killed while testing whether the skeletons I had contracted with Alpha had any protective instincts towards their masters, so I guess that counts as fighting with my pet...

(End of this chapter)