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Chapter 131: Natural Selection, Deep Sea Monster

As he quickly changed the subject, Chen Hu, who had recently gotten hooked on fishing, brightened up with excitement. "I caught another big fish today, 1.3 meters long and weighing 38 kilograms."

"That\'s impressive." Chen Chu was somewhat surprised. "How much did you sell it for?"

"I didn\'t sell this one. I\'m keeping it for us to eat on your birthday in a couple days." Chen Hu chuckled.

"Well, let\'s eat it in a couple of days then." Chen Chu suddenly paused for a moment before asking, "Ah Hu, do you want to try mutated beast meat?"

The fish from Chen Hu’s catches were slightly mutated, but they couldn’t be counted as mutated beasts. The meat quality was only slightly better than normal fish.

"Of course!" Chen Hu\'s eyes lit up, but then he hesitated. "But Bro, mutant beast meat is expensive, and they say ordinary people shouldn\'t take eating it lightly."

"It\'s okay. After the new year, the school’s organizing a big sweep to clear out the mutant beasts in the nearby mountains. I’ll be participating, so I can bring back some mutated beasts with milder flesh."

With Chen Chu\'s current strength, ordinary mutated beasts were almost nothing before him. That purge mission was a prime opportunity for him to harvest contribution points.

The next two days passed by in a flash, without any major events happening. As the New Year approached, holiday decorations went up everywhere, and the festive atmosphere became stronger. Various television stations also began to broadcast highlights of the upcoming New Year\'s Eve programs.

Soon, it was January 13th, Chen Chu\'s birthday. Zhang Xiaolan had taken the day off for the occasion, and went to the market early in the morning to get a lot of vegetables as sides for the big fish Chen Hu had caught. The whole family was busy, including Chen Chu, who was responsible for the vegetables.

Chen Chu\'s family wasn’t very large. His father had had only one cousin, and most of their elders had died in the chaotic beginning of the New Era.

After the Federation was established, Chen Chu\'s father and his cousin had been raised by their only surviving grandmother, who had passed away many years ago.

As for Zhang Xiaolan, she had only an uncle left in the countryside from her side’s older generations. Her parents had passed away several years ago, both dying of illness.

Since the start of the New Era, the incidence of illness had increased significantly worldwide. Sometimes, even a severe cold could lead to the deterioration of organ functions and death.

This situation had caused great panic in society during the first two years of the New Era, but eventually, scientists had gradually discovered some patterns.

These complications were more likely to occur in people with weak physiques, or who were already seriously ill. There were usually symptoms before the onset of the illness, and once these symptoms appeared, it was crucial to go to the hospital promptly for immunity boosts.

The root cause was related to transcendent energy. Although ordinary people couldn\'t cultivate, their bodies still absorbed and expelled trace amounts of the energy as if it was oxygen. Under certain conditions, the influence of the transcendent energy could trigger slight mutations in the human body, such as improved physique and enhanced immune systems.

However, there were also times where the mutations went in the opposite direction, leading to death.

The medical community had no way to solve this situation completely, so they could only try to detect and prevent it as early as possible. Just like with the mutated beasts, it was the process of natural selection. Life unable to adapt to the New Era would eventually go extinct.

Thankfully, the number of deaths from these mutations was low enough that they weren’t causing an unbearable strain on the human population. It was simply one of the factors contributing to slow population growth.

The kitchen table was filled with over a dozen dishes. After excitedly pouring a cup of rice wine for Chen Chu and Zhang Xiaolan, Chen Hu stood up cheerfully and said, "Brother, I wish you a happy birthday, and may you become the strongest martial arts cultivator soon."

Zhang Xiaolan also held up her wine glass, her gaze tender. "Ah Chu, Mom also wishes you smooth sailing on your future path, success in your studies, and safety."

Receiving the blessings of the only two family members he had in this world, Chen Chu also stood up, smiling as he raised his glass. "Thank you, Ah Hu, Mom. I\'m very happy today. Don\'t worry, I will study and cultivate diligently to make our Chen family better and better."

With that, he emptied his cup of rice wine in one gulp. Originally, Chen Hu had wanted to buy white wine, but Zhang Xiaolan had sternly refused, as underage people weren’t allowed to drink alcohol.

"Alright, let\'s eat. Everyone has been busy all morning making this."

"Yeah, let\'s eat."

"Hehe, I\'ll take care of this big fish head. I\'ve been craving it for days."

Although there were only three people, the atmosphere at lunch today was very lively, with Chen Chu and Chen Hu finishing most of the food between them.

With his enhanced physique, Chen Chu\'s appetite had also become scarier and scarier, particularly his daily consumption. Thankfully, cultivators could manage their consumption through practice and converting transcendent energy, which meant no risk of starving to death even if they ate less.

As for Chen Hu, both Chen Chu and Zhang Xiaolan were already accustomed to his appetite. At thirteen years old, he was in a major stage of development and needed more nutrition.

Such a large amount of food, however, still made Chen Chu wonder if he was going to awaken some kind of ability, similar to Li Hao\'s innate strength.

After all, this guy was barely a teenager and was already nearly 1.8 meters tall, with a robust physique. He could easily reach two meters in another two to three years.

After lunch, the next door neighbor called on Zhang Xiaolan to play mahjong, while Chen Hu enthusiastically took his fishing rod and went out to catch something for the dinner’s supplementary dish.

In the meantime, Chen Chu sat cross-legged on the backyard veranda and began to cultivate. Although he had attribute points that could save him time in breaking through arts, as he continued to advance, Chen Chu\'s understanding of cultivation also deepened.

Cultivation was not only about pursuing strength, but also about realms and the spirit. This was a path that could lead ordinary people to transcendence, surpassing even the gods. As a result, it was inherently long and arduous, and one shouldn’t be blinded by the ease of the early stages.

The sea surface was turbulent, and the massive black-red mutated beast, almost fourteen meters long, floated lazily on the surface, basking in the sun. Today was also its birthday, and it was in a good mood, coming up to catch a breather.

However, life was full of surprises. Just when the Sword Armor Fiery Beast was trying to take a break from hunting, a fierce mutated beast decided to target it.

In the depths of the sea, two hundred meters deep, a slow-moving mutated beast, covered with a thick exoskeleton and bearing a head like a crocodile’s, swam toward it.

Underneath its strange body were a pair of huge claws, while its hindquarters split into six tentacles, like that of an octopus; rather than suction cups, however, they possessed multiple mouths.

This was an extremely ferocious deep-sea monster. When it approached within two hundred meters, the Fiery Beast reacted.

Bang!

The sea surface churned, and the equally ferocious Fiery Beast suddenly dived down, its eyes coldly watching the approaching monster below.

Seeing that the black beast wasn’t trying to flee, the monstrous tentacle-creature continued to approach slowly, its huge body exuding an astonishing pressure as its equally cold eyes revealed ferocity and greed.

In this ocean, where strength was generally measured by size and energy aura, larger mutated fish were usually the ones targeting the Fiery Beast, deceived by its size.

They could never imagine that prey so much smaller than them would have a body density dozens of times greater than theirs and possess terrifying power far beyond its size. With the Fiery Beast cultivating the Hidden Divinity secret art, it had also been able to subdue its aura to an extent, strengthening the illusion of weakness

When the monster approached within a hundred meters of the Fiery Beast, the tentacles behind it spread out like a flower, as the mouths on them opened...

Buzz!

Instead of roaring, there were only invisible ultrasonic waves spreading under the sea. In an instant, the Fiery Beast felt a terrifying low-frequency vibration booming in its ears.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Within an area dozens of meters around the Fiery Beast, the bodies of numerous marine creatures suddenly exploded.

Whether it was a sturdy shellfish or an ordinary fish that had undergone slight mutations and grown scales, none of them could withstand the vibration for even a second.

Even the formidable Fiery Beast felt the shockwaves penetrate its sturdy exoskeleton, shaking the flesh and blood beneath. Thanks to the scales significantly dampening the power of the shockwaves, however, the attack only made it feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Roar!

The Fiery Beast let out a ferocious roar, as its vitality started to boil, and a terrifying aura erupted to engulf its body. Its tail suddenly swung, and the sea exploded.

Boom!

The Fiery Beast tore through the seawater like a black arrow, arriving in front of the monster almost double its size in a blink.

Just then, the mouths on the tentacles emitted infant-like cries.

Ah... Boom!

The invisible low-frequency vibrations turned into tangible sound waves, their power skyrocketing as the water ahead of it shattered and exploded.

The intense shock was enough to stagger even the Fiery Beast. Then, with a bang, its body burst through the water and shot out to the side.

In the instant the Fiery Beast had moved, the monster’s two sharp claws swept past where it had just been. They emitted a black light, leaving eight pitch-black cracks that lingered in the water where the claws passed.

Hundreds of meters away, the Fiery Beast watched this scene with a rare serious expression in its eyes.

This monster was powerful, bizarre, and extremely cunning. First, it had provoked the Fiery Beast with invisible vibrations to lure it into a counterattack, then surged its power to transform the vibrations into a concentrated shockwave the moment the beast came into proximity.

Most opponents would have been severely injured or even killed by such a tactic. Even if they survived it, there were still the sharp and bizarre claws to contend with.

But you’re not the only one with such capabilities.

The beast’s cold pupils contracted slightly, and the fiery energy within its body circulated. In an instant, its muscles swelled, especially its hind legs and tail...

Boom!

The water behind the Fiery Beast exploded as it lunged forward, forming a vacuum wave that burst out dozens of meters.

With its extraordinary speed, the Fiery Beast almost teleported across a distance of two hundred meters, turning into a black beam of light and flashing through the deep sea.

Under its terrifying speed, even the monster, which had just had the upper hand, showed a look of surprise. The giant claws instinctively crossed to block in front of its head.

Behind it, the tentacles that opened like a flower emitted even more screams.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Under the terrifying sonic shock, the Fiery Beast’s entire exoskeleton vibrated, and the surrounding water shattered and exploded.

Roar!

Ignoring the terrifying shockwaves, the Fiery Beast let out a ferocious roar as it came directly in front of the monster. Its claws raised high, and the boundless power within it converged.

Boom!

With its hundredfold strength, the Fiery Beast unleashed a move akin to the Raging Elephant Stomp. The condensed power erupted like it had materialized, causing the water ahead to explode to the point of leaving behind a pitch-black vacuum.

Under such terrifying power, the monster\'s claws were instantly shattered. While it had tilted far enough to avoid its head getting struck, the same couldn’t be said for its body.

Boom!

Large pieces of the monster\'s heavy scales shattered, its chest collapsed, and its huge body was pushed back dozens of meters by the impact, causing the surrounding water to run wild. In one blow, it was mortally injured.