As the avatar underwent its latest evolution, Chen Chu's physical body also experienced a profound transformation. All four major attributes improved by 3 points each, reaching a level equivalent to that of an ordinary person, with the spiritual attribute even surpassing ordinary standards.
This change came as a delightful surprise.
Conversely, the transformation of the salamander avatar was even more remarkable. It had evolved from a feeble creature to a low-level extraordinary being, acquiring a unique talent called "Strength." While the notes indicated that the current avatar could only unleash ten times its strength, its potential extended to a hundred times, provided its physical strength could keep up.
At present, this talent might not seem overwhelmingly powerful, but what would happen when the clone evolved to lengths of tens or even hundreds of meters? At that point, the ability to amplify its strength a hundredfold could indeed shake the world.
Suppressing the excitement bubbling within him, Chen Chu carefully assessed the avatar.
Before the evolution, the 30-centimeter salamander weighed merely seven taels. Post-evolution, it occupied the same volume yet now exceeded three catties, with its density increasing approximately fivefold.
After assessing its weight, Chen Chu subjected the avatar to various tests, such as crawling. The robust limbs allowed the avatar to move swiftly on the ground, exhibiting greater agility than before, akin to a miniature lizard. Meanwhile, the limb's claws could effortlessly scratch paper, functioning like sharp knives.
Enhanced bone strength even sharpened the teeth, rendering the bite force significantly more potent, capable of easily crushing fish skulls.
Chen Chu found himself exceedingly content with the results of this evolution. His avatar had transformed from a frail entity into a carnivorous beast, albeit still the size of a puppy.
With his consciousness, Chen Chu controlled the avatar, allowing it to explore the house and adapt to the post-evolution changes. He halted the exploration when he felt reasonably acquainted with the avatar's newfound abilities.
"Now, it's time for today's training," Chen Chu proclaimed, opening his eyes.
He couldn't help but wonder how his training regimen would be affected by his overall physical enhancement.
Filled with anticipation, Chen Chu assumed a cross-legged position on the bed, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.
Within the realm of his consciousness, a lotus flower constructed from dotted lines rotated at a leisurely pace. Three petals of the lotus flower stood out, symbolizing Chen Chu's training progress.
In that moment, the lotus flower found itself enveloped by a more robust mental power than ever before.
Amidst this mental meditation, a transparent petal gradually gained solidity from its base, its intricate lines becoming clearly discernible.
"Ah! One more petal," Chen Chu exhaled with a satisfied smile.
This time, training progress advanced by +9, the mental attribute by +0.2, and the training speed doubled compared to previous sessions, with reduced mental exhaustion following each session.
However, a contemplative expression crossed Chen Chu's eyes as he contemplated the top-ranked freshman.
She could manifest a lotus petal during a single meditation session, practicing twice daily. Under normal circumstances, she could achieve the foundational meditation stage in just six days on the lotus platform. Her spiritual talent was truly exceptional.
However, the girl named An Chengqing had accomplished foundational meditation in a mere two days. Even with resources to bolster and nurture her spiritual power, her base spiritual attribute must have been at least 20 points or more.
Likewise, for her physique, the basic attribute had to exceed 20 points. Otherwise, even with blood-replenishing resources, it would be impossible to achieve foundational meditation in two days.
Geniuses like Lin Xue, ranked in the top 100, were expected to attain foundational meditation in four or five days.
With these thoughts in mind, Chen Chu slowly exhaled, suppressing the faint sense of superiority that had crept in due to the property page. He couldn't underestimate others.
After a brief respite, Chen Chu resumed his practice of the Body Casting Art.
To his delight, he observed a noticeable increase in the cultivation speed and an improvement in blood circulation, resulting in enhanced and prolonged training effects.
In just forty minutes, Chen Chu successfully performed three consecutive turns of Qi and blood circulation, with each cycle lasting for 13 minutes.
Upon concluding the training, satisfaction radiated from Chen Chu's fatigued countenance. "Not bad at all. Carrying speed and endurance have both increased by half compared to before."
During this training session, cultivation progress advanced by +3, and physique improved by +0.1.
Basic exercises were progressively delivering diminishing returns for physical enhancement, much like the mental attributes. Chen Chu surmised that, upon reaching the tenth revolution, physical fitness could be bolstered by at most 2 to 3 additional points.
Nonetheless, the day's gains were still significant.
Especially after witnessing the evolution of his clone, Chen Chu began to grasp its potential and its significance in his life.
However, he soon encountered a headache-inducing issue: the evolved hexagonal salamander had an insatiable appetite. Despite being only 30 centimeters long, it now consumed several times more food than before, devouring several catties of fish in a single meal.
"It's starting to feel like my household finances will go bankrupt soon..." In the afternoon, Chen Chu fell into silence as he observed the avatar on the table growing by a centimeter.
The growth rule for the avatar dictated that every time it consumed food of a similar size, it would experience slight growth. It required two consecutive micro-growths to accumulate 1 point of evolution.
To put it simply, the current hexagonal avatar needed three catties of fish per meal and a total of twelve catties for four meals a day. And this was just its present size.
Chen Chu couldn't help but ponder the future: when it reached sixty or seventy centimeters, or even evolved to one or two meters in length, would it devour one or two hundred catties of meat daily?
Contemplating this, Chen Chu sighed, "If it evolves again, I might just release it."
The hexagonal salamander had originally been an amphibious 'fish,' and when it evolved further, Chen Chu planned to release it into the nearby river, where it could fend for itself. Conveniently, there was a small river not far from his house.
This river extended along the city's edge, with its source a few tens of miles to the east. It teemed with fish and other food sources, ample for the clones to continue growing.
As for why he didn't release it immediately, the reason was clear: it was still perilous outside.
In the wake of the new era's dawn, not only had humans gained the ability to cultivate and grow stronger, but many wild animals had also mutated, giving rise to numerous mutant beasts.
Nevertheless, unlike humans, whose evolution could occur rapidly, these mutant beasts experienced slower transformations, with most of them not reaching significant levels of strength. Furthermore, they lacked the advanced weaponry capable of countering human threats.
However, the wilderness remained a hazardous place for ordinary individuals.
The city's surroundings received regular government cleaning and maintenance, and when news of mutant beasts in nearby villages and towns surfaced, official teams were dispatched to address the issues.
Yet, in the remote and less populated deep mountains and ancient forests, the situation was vastly different. Powerful and evolving beasts lay in wait there, making it a deadly place for ordinary people.
The most treacherous of all environments was the sea.
The ocean, covering several times the land's area, boasted depths exceeding 10,000 meters. It teemed with an astonishing array of species, a baseline that naturally gave rise to more mutant creatures.
Particularly, the colossal cetaceans that already inhabited the ocean had, after the new era's advent, become one of the most advanced groups of mutants. When they mutated into massive forms, their strength reached terrifying levels.
Thankfully, these creatures preferred to reside in the ocean's abysses, leaving the shallower waters within human control. Ships could sail safely, and seafood could still be harvested and caught.
However, regions where enormous mutated behemoths roamed in the deep sea had been designated as restricted zones.
This rationale applied to inland rivers as well; one couldn't raise a water buffalo in shallow waters.
Currently, most inland rivers remained safe. Although some fish had grown significantly more ferocious, and occasionally large fish weighing tens or hundreds of catties were sighted, there had been no reports of attacks or cannibalization of humans.
At least this held true within the Commonwealth of Nations where Chen Chu resided; for other member states, he couldn't be certain.