Chapter 8: Mutation Essence

It was only noon.

The weather in Xichuan Province during April was still quite cold.

Xi Yu had no idea what Xichuan was like before the catastrophe, but Zhang Qingyuan mentioned that it used to be very hot by April back then; at the very least, Xi Yu couldn’t feel any warmth now.

The sun overhead was hazy, its rays unable to shine directly onto the earth, leaving everything feeling chilly and damp.

After putting on the shoes, he felt a bit warmer.

He hadn’t expected dragon lust to be so unreasonable that it could even influence how he felt about footwear.

Fortunately, it wasn’t severe, and he could still endure it.

However, he was forced to distance himself from Ding Ren again, as the double bonus of natural charisma and draconic distortion was a bit too powerful.

After finishing the last of their rations, the group continued their journey.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others were in high spirits.

Xi Yu had just praised them as well, proving that he didn’t reserve his compliments solely for Ding Ren.

Xi Yu’s tongue was far too silver-lined.

They now felt filled with motivation, walking with their chests out and heads held high.

Ding Ren’s face showed no expression, but he radiated a low-pressure aura.

He had initially thought Xi Yu only praised him, but it turned out the dragon praised everyone. After all that, he wasn’t special.

Perhaps because the lingering influence of the dragon’s majesty was still present, they hadn’t encountered any trouble along the way so far.

However, after walking for about twenty minutes, they were suddenly blocked by a dozen ferocious beasts.

[Sequence 8: Fierce Ghost Class]

[Sequence 9: Yin Gloom Class]

[As ingredients, they are substandard, but there might be a small surprise inside.]

“Three E-class Tusk Donkeys, eleven F-class Tusk Donkeys. Prepare for combat!” Zhang Qingyuan barked.

The battle ended very quickly.

Xi Yu had intended to join in; although he was used to the pain in his mind, he still had to actively combat the draconic instinct, otherwise he would eventually lose control.

Therefore, he needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible to reduce the influence of the dragon’s nature.

Combat was the simplest and most direct method.

Only by pushing his limits could he enhance his potential.

However, just as he was about to move, Zhang Qingyuan grabbed him by the back of his collar and tossed him behind them, right next to Ding Ren.

It seemed they had been guarding against him doing exactly that.

Ding Ren looked solemn, his face expressionless as usual.

But Xi Yu could have sworn the man was smiling on the inside.

Xi Yu felt helpless; Zhang Qingyuan and the others were overprotecting him.

Still, he felt quite happy in his heart; he truly enjoyed the feeling of being cared for.

Xi Yu didn’t push the matter further.

While combat was helpful, one or two small skirmishes didn’t mean much.

Besides, he already had a new goal for increasing his combat power. Watching Zhang Qingyuan and the others fight, he cheered for them.

“Go for it!”

In an instant, the battle—which was already trivial for Qin Wei and the others—ended even faster.

“There’s a beast essence!”

Gao Jie began cleaning the battlefield again, and soon his excited voice drew everyone over. In his hand, he held a yellow orb the size of a longan, radiating a faint glow.

“Xi Yu, for you.”

After cleaning the orb with some fresh water, Gao Jie presented it to Xi Yu like a precious treasure.

“Thank you. This happens to be a big help to me right now.” Xi Yu truly needed this Mutation Essence, so he didn’t stand on ceremony. He thanked him sincerely and took it.

“No need to be polite,” Gao Jie said happily, glad to be of help to Xi Yu.

In truth, Xi Yu had wanted to remind Gao Jie that Tusk Donkeys might carry essences, but it turned out Gao Jie was very professional and didn’t need his input in that regard.

Xi Yu examined the essence in his hand; it was the most common F-class Mutation Essence, looking like a yellow gemstone. The higher the level, the more extraordinary the quality of the Mutation Essence would appear.

There were several types of essences; the one in his hand was the most common type that only enhanced physical strength. Even so, one of these essences could be traded for a year’s worth of food without issue.

With this essence, Xi Yu’s strength could increase slightly. This would mean he wouldn’t have to worry about the dragon’s instinct affecting him for at least a week, which was a significant help.

Without hesitation, Xi Yu swallowed the essence in one gulp.

The essence was very easy to absorb, and in just a moment, Xi Yu felt a warm current spread through his body.

The benefits were instantaneous.

His body immediately had a chain reaction, and all his statuses were slightly enhanced. The influence of the dragon’s nature also weakened a bit, making his head hurt much less.

Even the dragon lust subsided slightly.

Obtaining a Mutation Essence was an unexpected delight for Xi Yu.

However, he wouldn’t take this essence for nothing.

He definitely wouldn’t let Gao Jie down later.

He stepped forward and collected all the beast carcasses into his glove space.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others watched with envy; the Middle Continent didn’t possess a single magical item capable of storage.

Not just the Middle Continent—they had never even heard of such legendary items in other nations on Kun Star, yet they were seeing one now on Xi Yu.

Ding Ren’s eyelids twitched.

He wanted one of those, too.

“Xi Yu, why are you collecting these beast carcasses?” Zhang Qingyuan asked, somewhat confused.

Beast meat possessed mutation characteristics; not only was it inedible, but the texture was also terrible. To humans, beast meat was essentially poison.

After the catastrophe, almost all meat had become inedible.

This was because all life forms had undergone mutation, and the mutation traits in every individual were different; consuming them would inevitably lead to a conflict with one’s own mutation traits.

Therefore, beast carcasses were a major nuisance for humans; not only were most of them useless, but they also had to be disposed of. Otherwise, the mutation traits within them would produce mutation radiation and cause harm.

Could it be that Xi Yu didn’t know?

Or was a dragon’s appetite so formidable that mutated meat had absolutely no effect on him?

“These are good things. You’ll find out in a couple of days.”

Xi Yu kept them in suspense; he was sure he could give everyone a surprise when the time came.

‘Good things?’

Zhang Qingyuan and the others looked at each other, but remembering Xi Yu’s status as a divine dragon, they gradually began to understand.

Could it be that Xi Yu could turn this beast meat into treasure? At the thought, they were all filled with excitement and anticipation.

What if Xi Yu really could give them a surprise?

****

Since they were traveling on foot and the surroundings were filled with mountainous and hilly terrain, they hadn’t covered much ground after a day of walking.

The further they moved from the site where the white dragon had landed, the more ghosts and beasts they encountered.

Most were below C-class; aside from a few that took one look at them and detoured away, most lunged directly at them, eventually becoming Xi Yu’s spoils of war.

Xi Yu accepted them all.

By now, the number of carcasses and remains of various beasts and ghosts in his space had exceeded fifty.

This made Zhang Qingyuan and the others even more curious about what Xi Yu intended to do with them. It was one thing to collect beasts, but Xi Yu didn’t even spare the ghosts.

By nightfall, the communicators on Ding Ren and the others still had no signal.

As a result, they were forced to camp in the mountains for the night.

Naturally, they couldn’t light a fire for warmth in the wilderness, so they could only find some large trees to shelter themselves from the cold wind.

“Captain Ding.”

Xi Yu had something to discuss with Ding Ren.

The temperature during the day was already low, and it grew even colder at night.

Everyone’s clothing was thin; originally, only Ding Ren had extra layers, but he had already given them to Xi Yu.

Currently, Xi Yu only had a thin trench coat over him.

He was naturally cold, but with the white dragon protecting him, nothing would actually happen. Still, he instinctively wrapped the coat tightly around himself, looking a bit pitiable.

Ding Ren’s mutation had occurred in his eyes; the dark of night was essentially the same as daylight to him. He could clearly see Xi Yu shivering slightly.

Inexplicably, he remembered the feeling of holding Xi Yu during the day. After all, it was the first time in his life he had been so intimate with another person.

Ding Ren knew he wasn’t a cold-blooded person; he just didn’t like being too close to others. But seeing Xi Yu like this, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore it.

“Do you want to sit over here? We can share the warmth by huddling together.” Ding Ren intended to channel the power within his body to keep Xi Yu warm, though he didn’t plan on saying it out loud.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m okay.”

Xi Yu, who had intended to move closer for their discussion, immediately stopped in his tracks. He hesitated for a moment and then took three steps back before sitting down on some dry fallen leaves.

“It’s mainly because the light radiating from you is a bit too dazzling; I can’t handle it.” The dragon lust hadn’t completely dissipated yet, so he decided it was safer to stay far away.

Ding Ren couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

Although he felt like Xi Yu was praising him, why did he suddenly feel like giving the dragon a beating?

****

The wilderness night was lively.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, and a light breeze played across the land. Grass and trees danced in the mountains, and far-off, unknown beasts joined the festive gathering with their calls.

“Captain Ding, how do you plan to arrange things for me once we get back?” Xi Yu got straight to the point.

“I will notify the First Realm Guard and let you speak with him yourself when the time comes,” Ding Ren said directly; he had already considered this point.

Xi Yu’s existence was of great importance, so the fewer people who knew, the better. Naturally, the arrangements for him were not something Ding Ren could decide.

However, he didn’t plan on bringing Xi Yu to the capital of the Middle Continent.

The capital was a complex web of intersecting forces, featuring not only various domestic departments but also diplomatic agencies from other nations. Even a few Ogaso people were stationed there; bringing Xi Yu would be too risky.

Xi Yu nodded.

The First Realm Guard was the top leader of the Middle Continent, its core figure, and ostensibly its strongest individual. Xi Yu had interacted with him in his previous life and trusted him deeply; otherwise, he wouldn’t have returned to the Middle Continent at all.

He was now impatient to meet the First Realm Guard and work together to rapidly strengthen the nation.

Ding Ren felt a bit puzzled—why did it seem like Xi Yu trusted the First Realm Guard so much?

He felt there were far too many strange things about Xi Yu.

He was able to trust Xi Yu mainly because of his own perception, in addition to the fact that he was a divine dragon. However, Xi Yu had clearly just met them, yet he trusted them implicitly. If Ding Ren didn’t trust his own perception, he would have suspected Xi Yu had ulterior motives.

Did he really not fear what the Middle Continent might do to him?

That was also somewhat unfathomable to him.

Xi Yu seemed to have set his heart on the Middle Continent.

While even he took it for granted that a divine dragon should belong to the Middle Continent, it wasn’t necessarily the same for the dragon itself.

Yet now, Xi Yu truly seemed to consider himself a part of the nation; Ding Ren could even sense how impatient he was.

It was all so logical that it felt eerie.

He constantly felt that Xi Yu was full of secrets, and that he was surely more than just a divine dragon.

However, he also believed that Xi Yu would likely not harm the nation.

He had seen the power of Xi Yu’s true white dragon form; in his perception, he believed not even a B-class expert would be a match for him.

If Xi Yu really wanted to do something detrimental to the Middle Continent, there was no need for such complexity.

Besides, he didn’t think the current Middle Continent had anything that would entice a divine dragon.

Nevertheless, no matter how many doubts he had, Ding Ren wouldn’t ask. This concerned Xi Yu’s privacy, so he naturally couldn’t pry.

But in truth, he hoped that one day Xi Yu would take the initiative to tell him.

****

After consuming the Mutation Essence, Xi Yu’s overall condition had remained quite good.

He had simply slept for a while, though not for very long.

It wasn’t because of the cold; while he was indeed chilly and his body would instinctively shiver, it was just a natural physical reaction that he couldn’t control, and the cold didn’t actually bother him.

Xi Yu simply maintained a habitual alertness from his previous life, which made him afraid to ever truly fall into a deep sleep.

However, he felt this habit was good, as it gave him more time to get things done.

Right now, though, he could only find other things to pass the time.

The night was not peaceful; strange guests often appeared near them, which made it even harder for Xi Yu to sleep.

Nearby, Ding Ren was watching him; it was currently his turn for the night watch. He hadn’t slept much either; regardless of who was on watch, he remained vigilant most of the time to ensure everyone’s safety.

Xi Yu couldn’t see the expression in his eyes, but he knew the man’s gaze was fixed on him.

“Captain Ding, thank you all.”

Xi Yu decided to crawl up and walk closer to express his gratitude. After nearly half the night, the dragon lust had finally begun to mostly dissipate.

The once mythologized Ding Ren was now gradually returning to his original appearance.

“What are you thanking me for? We haven’t done much,” Ding Ren said calmly.

Xi Yu smiled; he was now somewhat familiar with Ding Ren’s personality.

It wasn’t that the man was cold, he just didn’t like to talk.

His thanks were not just because they intended to bring him back to the Middle Continent, but also for what Ding Ren and the others had done for him in his previous life.

It was only after meeting them outside the Jiao’an base after his rebirth that Xi Yu realized they were the reason he had been able to safely escape the facility in his past life.

In his previous life, during his few interactions with Ding Ren, the man had never mentioned it. If not for his rebirth, he might never have known.

This made Xi Yu truly grateful to Ding Ren.

He quite liked Ding Ren’s personality now; if possible, he hoped the two of them could become friends.

In fact, Ding Ren’s impression of Xi Yu was also very good.

Xi Yu didn’t act high and mighty at all due to his status as a divine dragon; on the contrary, he respected each of them.

Whether it was toward him or Zhang Qingyuan and the others, he could sense a sincere and egalitarian spirit from the dragon.

Of course, it would be even better if he could fix his habit of being so flirtatious with his words.

“Captain Ding, do you think I’m not a proper dragon?” As if knowing what Ding Ren was thinking, Xi Yu looked at him with a smile.

Ding Ren truly did think that.

He knew how to lie, but he didn’t want to lie to Xi Yu right now, so he remained silent.

Xi Yu didn’t mind Ding Ren’s attitude at all; he enjoyed talking to people, and talking to Ding Ren was especially interesting.

He looked into Ding Ren’s eyes. “Captain Ding, do you know what the dragon’s greatest characteristic is?”