Free Web NovelChapter 414: Chapter 401: Qi Refining?
To understand this, we must first look at the mainstream methods of Pet Beast Evolution.
When a Pet Beast evolves from Zero-star to One-star, it must undergo a physical transformation by condensing a Pet Beast Inner Core. This elevates its life form to a whole new level, a process known as "Solidifying Pill."
And when a Pet Beast evolves from One-star to Two-star, the method is no longer about laying a foundation. Instead, the original Inner Core is split into two, creating a Two-star Pet Beast.
By the same logic, evolving to Three-star is the same. Based on the two existing Inner Cores, another is split off, forming three Inner Cores and thus creating a Three-star Pet Beast.
Subsequent evolutions to Four-star, Five-star, and even Six-star all follow this same principle.
The key is how to split the Inner Core while minimizing the Pet Beast’s loss of power in the process. This allows for a greater investment of resources during the post-evolution period of weakness to accelerate the new Inner Core’s growth. At the same time, the old Inner Core, damaged by the split, can be nurtured until all Inner Cores reach their peak state.
In this way, the Pet Beast’s life potential can be comprehensively enhanced, and its Mana, Physical Strength, and Blood Qi will all see tremendous growth.
However, these are all rather traditional Evolution Methods.
Ever since the "Foundation Establishment Evolution Method" took the stage, this status quo has been completely shattered—it has fundamentally rewritten the landscape of contemporary Pet Beast Evolution.
The Foundation Establishment Evolution Method that Gu Ming obtained, having been judged as Nine-Colored by the Hall of the Great Dao, was naturally extraordinary.
This system directly forged a brand-new path that profoundly impacts all Pet Beasts, which is the fundamental reason it received the Nine-Colored Certification.
Now, having discussed Foundation Establishment, let’s talk about its inverse: "Qi Refining."
According to the conventional Cultivation sequence in Cultivation Immortality novels, the order should be Qi Refining → Foundation Establishment → Solidifying Pill → Golden Core.
But for Gu Ming, or rather, from the perspective of thirty-two years in the future shown by the system, the world’s research path was to reverse-engineer from "Solidifying Pill" back to "Foundation Establishment," and then from Pet Beasts that had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, they traced back and deduced "Qi Refining."
Of course, the number of successful cases to date can be counted on one hand, and it remains a topic of super-advanced, cutting-edge research.
If Gu Ming were to embark on this "path of Qi Refining," which no one in the current world has yet successfully traversed, he could, without a doubt, pioneer a brand-new evolutionary path.
Now that his direction was set, Gu Ming naturally resolved to choose this newest evolutionary path.
Regardless of the reason, applying the methods of Cultivation Immortality in reverse to Pet Beast Evolution was worth studying in depth, especially since there were already successful precedents.
Gu Ming had no intention of just following behind others, eating their dust.
"Today we’re going to an Evolution Class. Cyan Treasure, Ah Kun, Ah Ji, when we go on stage later, you’ll need to display your Foundation Establishment Platforms. Don’t hide their auras," Gu Ming said.
Leveraging the future perspective provided by the system, Gu Ming planned to forcefully introduce the topic of Foundation Establishment during the Evolution Class, thereby sparking a discussion about evolving from Two-star to Three-star.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to steer the discussion toward the "Qi Refining" knowledge he was after.
The three Pet Beasts nodded upon hearing this. Since their master had decided to show off, they would cooperate with all their might.
At the thought, they even began to secretly compare whose Foundation Establishment aura was more potent.
Lu You, who was nearby, overheard Gu Ming’s little plan. Although she wasn’t clear on the specifics, she didn’t ask any questions.
Her extroverted Mouse Treasure, on the other hand, immediately sidled up to Cyan Treasure to ask about the plan whenever it didn’t understand something.
After the four Pet Beasts chattered among themselves for a moment, Mouse Treasure’s eyes darted around. It returned to its master’s side and then pulled Mianmian into this "Dao discussion" among the pets.
「In the blink of an eye, the Evolution Class began as scheduled.」
The Seven-star old professor teaching the Evolution Class spoke eloquently from the stage, commenting on the Two-star Evolution potential of the students’ Pet Beasts and helping a few of them strategize around their current training challenges.
The main difficulty for everyone was that their Pet Beasts’ potential had already been cultivated to a high level.
To stimulate it further, the fast way was to use large doses of Elixirs and follow the rapid Evolution path. This would allow the Pet Beasts to reach their peak combat power sooner and secure a good position in the end-of-semester assessment.
Other students believed that administering elixirs too quickly was unwise. They argued for using Natural Spiritual Medicine to stabilize the Pet Beast’s foundation, allowing it to accumulate power for a greater burst of potential later, thus achieving higher evolutionary potential.
In short, the discussion revolved around the various methods for the Two-star to Three-star Evolution stage.
The reason everyone was focusing on Elixirs, Natural Spiritual Medicine, and training plans was that the Evolution Method they were using was still the traditional "Splitting Inner Core Method."
The splitting process from Two-star to Three-star needed to be more precise and relied on cultivating the pet with large quantities of medicinal herbs.
By stacking the nutritional density of its muscles and bones, along with the energy intensity of its Inner Core, to a level beyond what a Two-star Pet Beast could endure, it could break through its limits during Evolution and preserve the integrity of the original Inner Cores as much as possible.
Hearing this, Gu Ming felt the atmosphere was gradually becoming just right.
At least from the system’s perspective, the class discussion was vaguely beginning to touch upon the conflict between the new and old Evolution Methods.
Namely, the difference between the "Foundation Establishment Method" and the traditional "Splitting Inner Core Method."
At that moment, Gu Ming raised his hand.
As the author of a paper in the Peak journal, the moment he raised his hand, the professor on stage flinched involuntarily, his expression suddenly growing tense.
The professor had seen Gu Ming sitting perfectly still and listening attentively, and had assumed he wasn’t planning to "stir up trouble" today. But who could have predicted he would suddenly raise his hand?
The old professor’s voice trembled slightly as he said, "Gu Ming, is there something you’d like to say?"
He had actually wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen him, but ignoring the author of a paper in a top-tier journal was simply too difficult.
The moment Gu Ming raised his hand, all the Beastmaster students in the class, with their sharp Divine Senses, whipped their heads around to look at him.
If the professor didn’t call on him now, he would look like a coward hiding in his shell. There was simply no avoiding it.
Gu Ming stood up and said:
"Professor, my Pet Beasts have all completed their Evolution via the Foundation Establishment Method."
"For the next step, from Two-star to Three-star, I believe that while continuing on the path of Splitting the Inner Core is feasible, it remains too superficial."
"After some thought, I plan to explore the more fundamental essence of Evolution and thereby attempt to feel out a completely new Evolution Method."
The professor swallowed hard. He didn’t quite understand, so he could only say:
"Could you be more specific? What kind of method?"
"For that, I’ll have to ask my Pet Beasts to come on stage for a demonstration."
"Everyone can perceive the aura of their Foundation Establishment Platforms—they are all supported by phantoms of the ancient Great Dao."
"This point alone is enough to allow their Pet Beast Inner Cores to bathe in the aura of the Great Dao daily, thus giving them a higher evolution ceiling."
"By that same logic, Splitting the Inner Core would also split this connection to the Dao in two, which is somewhat uncontrollable... After thinking it over, I came up with the path of ’Qi Refining.’"
"Qi Refining?" the professor asked, completely baffled by what Gu Ming was saying.
The students below were equally baffled but impressed.
In any case, their understanding of the Foundation Establishment Method was definitely no match for Gu Ming’s, so they might as well just watch quietly and see what he would do.
And just as Gu Ming was giving his all in his "performance," the system’s bullet comments quietly began to appear...
