"Roar!!"
The Shield Armor Turtle roars like a lion or a tiger, its sharp nails scratching against the Chain Vine. Not only did it make a sound like metal striking stone, you can even see sparks flying everywhere.
Such ferocity, especially on a Mud-cast fetus's minor achievement, and still a defense-oriented turtle-like Fond Spirit, was indeed rare.
But who is Ye Hanjun? What has he not seen before?
He pulled up his trolley and drag the upturned Shield Armor Turtle towards the kitchen.
Ignoring the Shield Armor Turtle's repeated attempts to violently kill him, he found a handy brush, scrubbed the gigantic metal back with a big brush, then used a gigantic water gun to wash it down. Sludge, moss, dirt... rapidly peeled off, no longer adhering to the shell.
At that moment, the metal cooking table was already filled with clean water. Ye Hanjun opened up the cold storage cabinet and found a bunch of scallions, cinnamon, star anise, scale mushrooms, black pepper...
Of utmost importance were the Fennel Pig's bones.
Although there was only one, it was a frozen piece and had lost its best date for tasting.
But after grinding it into powder with a tool, the room was still full of an aroma that made you salivate even if you were not careful.
"Hmm...really fragrant."
Honestly, fond spirits with violent tempers aren't totally useless despite what breeders say.
But Ye Hanjun doesn't want to cultivate, nor does he want to do something where the input and return are disproportionate.
What he needs now, is nutrition.
Being born in the Abyss, he never thought that killing and being killed, eating and being eaten was something cruel.
It was all for survival.
It's just a matter of perspective.
Swallowing his saliva, Ye Hanjun takes a light breath, and then pushes with all his might.
"Plop!"
The turtle fell into the water in response. Because its limbs were bound by the vine, it couldn't float.
It seemed to still be cursing, bubbles continuously bubbling out of its mouth, in a fast and hurried rhythm.
"After a night, it should be cooked, right?"
"Just to be safe, one more layer should be added to the lid. I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and see a big turtle squatting at the door wanting to bite me..."
Ye Hanjun studied the cooking table embedded with runes, a portable tool that even a three-year-old child could use.
He adjusted the built-in flame temperature again, set the water temperature at around 200 degrees, started the cycle heating mode, and set the stop time to 8 hours later.
"Done, task completed."
...
The night passed without a word.
The next day, the sun rose as usual, the morning light shining through the curtains, gradually filling the room.
Ye Hanjun woke up leisurely. He has rarely slept through the night before, but this time in a new environment, his quality of sleep actually improved.
"Gurgle gurgle..."
He didn't know if it was due to his weak body or not, but the dried meat of the Fond Spirit that he had eaten last night was digested thoroughly overnight.
Ye Hanjun stretched, suddenly smelling the faint scent of meat, deeply seeping into his lungs.
His somewhat dazed gaze instantly cleared, and with a few flashes, he rushed to the kitchen.
"It's definitely cooked! It's so good! Really good!"
The pot cover was lifted and a few torn and ragged Chain Vines were the first thing he saw.
The Chain Vine, having absorbed water and boiled at high temperature, had already lost its metallic hardness in advance and returned to normal plant vines.
And what Ye Hanjun had been longing for was quickly fished out of the pot.
The Shield Armour Turtle, which had been roaring and howling with aggression the night before, had now turned a tender pink.
Upon close sniff, a buttery aroma wafted out from the gaps in the turtle shell, instantly making one's appetite surge.
"It looks delicious..."
Ye Hanjun swallowed and suppressed the urge to gobble it up.
He spread out a tablecloth, tied a bib, got a metal knife and fork, and then gracefully took his seat.
Then, his knife skills were the real test.
Since it was already cooked, Ye Hanjun just had to insert a small knife along the gap between the turtle's back and belly to crack open the whole shell.
Upon letting the luscious turtle meat, shining with a white halo, soak in a little bit of secret soy sauce, then taking a small sip of the salty and fragrant soup... Ye Hanjun let out a content and satisfying hum, his eyes narrowed in enjoyment.
"Delicious, tender, and nutritious..."
"If it was served with a baby dragon egg, and ancient rice field rice... Out of 10 points, I would give it a 12..."
Ye Hanjun couldn't stop complimenting it as he wolfed down the food.
A good portion of the half-meter large Shield Armor Turtle had disappeared into his mouth in a twinkling of an eye.
When the feeling of heat rose from his belly to his limbs, Ye Hanjun burped, pausing his meal.
"With nutrients in my stomach, my body feels significantly warmer."
"Although it seems like I will still be coughing blood, as long as I can maintain a balance, I can further adjust my condition…"
Ye Hanjun cleaned up the table, packed the remaining turtle meat, and stored it all in the frozen storage room.
Based on a diet plan of one nutritious meal a day, this should be enough for two days.
What he will eat as nourishment the day after tomorrow remains to be seen.
He can't go to the Chicks House to catch ferocious Fond Spirits again, right? If the breeders find out, they might gang up against him, not to mention that there are no more free adoption slots…
Ye Hanjun pondered as he picked up the turtle shell from the ground.
Due to the high-temperature boiling, the hard Shield Armor Turtle shell was slightly deformed.
But when hammered hard, it was still firm. To think of using an ordinary blade to breach its defense seems like a fantastical idea.
"Now I have a free Heart Protector too. Killing three birds with one stone is so me."
Ye Hanjun nodded slightly, protected his chest with the Shield Armor Turtle's shell, and tied two ropes to secure it, completing a simple set of armor.
When he put on loose clothes over it and looked in the mirror, it was hard to tell that there was a hidden trick inside. The efficiency of the item was close to perfect.
"Oh, right, little tadpole…"
Moved by a thought, Ye Hanjun walked into the bathroom.
The Pure Fond Spirits have a completely unique dietary system, unlike normal Fond Spirits.
It seemed as if they didn't care for common food from the outside world. Only offerings from nature of the highest purity might win their favor.
"Yiye~~~"
The lights turned on. The little tadpole hadn't turned into a stone all night, and it remained in its crystal clear form.
Seeing the big tadpole approaching, it showed a bit of excitement.
With a flip of its tail, it shot from the bottom of the tank to the water surface, and with a wide-open mouth, it spit out a tiny water gun, accurately hitting Ye Hanjun's nose.
"Eh?" Ye Hanjun slightly froze.
He touched the water droplet on his nose tip, remembered that feeling and involuntarily activated the Active Ability "Talent Identification".
...
[Chaos Spirit Pattern]: 88 "Immovable Like a Rock", 12 "Spitting Water"
...
"Is this really a Skill?!"
The light in Ye Hanjun's eyes flickered. It seemed as if a divine aura was surging to the sky.
"Yiye?"
"Yiye? Yiye?"
The little tadpole, oblivious to the seriousness of the situation, swam around carefreely.
A spray of tiny water droplets splashed up and down, seemingly inviting the big tadpole to jump into the pool and play with it.
"Although it only has 12 spirit patterns, which is insignificant."
"But this is a real skill. It only took one night for this little guy to impress me. What a surprise..."
Ye Hanjun looked at the little tadpole over and over again, unable to suppress his curiosity.
In this world, there are various factors for gauging the strength of a Fond Spirit.
But the most intuitive are the "Level" and "Skills".
Normal physical movements or collisions cannot be considered skills.
A Fond Spirit's skill must reach a certain power or trigger a special effect to be defined.
Chaos Spirit Pattern is the crucial structure that makes up a skill. It is the core support to evaluate the simplicity or complexity, weakness, or strength of a skill.
For example, 1-9 patterns, these level of spirit patterns cannot construct a skill.
Only when you reach 10 patterns, in the range of 10-99 patterns, can it be called a "ten-pattern skill", aka "basic skill".
When I first met the little tadpole last night, it had only one skill "Immovable Like a Rock".
This effect should be its camouflage as a pebble to prevent predators from hunting it and achieve passive self-protection.
Honestly, 88 patterns...this is extremely powerful!
Clay Body Fetus can contain a limited number of skills, set between 10-99 patterns.
Only extraordinary creatures or demons can break through the life barrier and master the "Hundred-Centered Technique" of the Rainbow Light Fetus.
Ye Hanjun hadn't expected that the little tadpole would have acquired another skill after just one night's sleep.
Spitting Water may sound silly and cute, and the Chaos Spirit Pattern has just barely passed.
The actual experience of the skill's power is probably enough to make one's nose itch and want to sneeze.
But no matter what, this is a real skill!
This tadpole comprehended it on its own... The patron is indeed worry-free, but also somewhat embarrassed, right?!
"The ancient book says that Pure Fond Spirits are innately pure."
"Even if they live for hundreds or thousands of years, they still retain child-like innocence."
"These inherent qualities will help them to have an understanding that ordinary creatures can hardly reach in their lifetime. Whether it is the collapse of Divine Mountain in front of them or just tedious daily chores, as long as their spirits are stimulated, they may comprehend a skill…"
After observing for a while, Ye Hanjun further confirmed that the little fellow with simple thoughts didn't realize that it had acquired a new ability.
Through spitting water, the little guy would actively attract his attention, which was very useful for greeting.
"Could it be that it spontaneously comprehended this skill just to interact and play with me?"
Ye Hanjun played along and couldn't help but mutter in his heart.
This idea is absurd, and he feels the same.
But upon deep thinking, it seems logical... Could it really be a little monster?
"Yiye~~~~"
The little tadpole swam back and forth, proficient at swimming both ways.
Ye Hanjun glanced at the time and found that the hand had moved past 8 o'clock, a little later than the expected time to go out.
"Little guy, play on your own during the day and help me watch the house."
"I have to go to work. The day of a corporate slave has officially begun."
"Yiye~~~ Yiye~~~"
The little tadpole seemed to understand but not understand. Its little tail swayed lightly, but who knows what the little creature was thinking.
Ye Hanjun finally patted its head, checked his outfit, assured the personal badge was in his pocket, and walked towards the main door.