After a meticulous selection process, 61 young beasts and beast eggs were laid out in front of Gu Tian. Using the Eyes of Appraisal, he could see their potential. Gu Tian had set a condition for his Eyes of Appraisal: the beasts he selected must possess the potential to evolve into Emperor-level beasts, either through innate traits or evolutionary paths leading to such heights.
If a beast didn't meet these criteria, its information wouldn't even appear to him. This method allowed Gu Tian to filter through all the beasts before him. After the initial screening, 61 beasts remained.
Even though these beasts had the potential to reach the Emperor level, Gu Tian knew some would stop developing at lower tiers—either low, mid, or high Emperor levels. They wouldn't reach the pinnacle of their potential. To address this, he adjusted his search criteria further, narrowing it to show only beasts with the potential to reach the highest Emperor level.
After this refined screening, the 61 beasts were reduced to just three.
Gu Tian spoke. "Take beasts number 1, number 15,487, and number 100,000. Remove the rest."
The staff promptly carried out Gu Tian's orders, clearing away the remaining beasts. Only one beast and two eggs remained before him. These were the beasts with the highest potential to ascend to the peak of the Emperor level.
Standing before the selected beasts, Gu Tian's eyes glowed with the power of the Eyes of Appraisal. The detailed information of each beast began to appear in his vision.
[Name: Flame Fox]
[Potential: Mid Gold]
[Special Abilities: Flame (C), Flame Breath (C)]
[Power Level: Low Black Iron]
[Evolution Paths: 8,794 paths]
[Evolution Path 1 (Potential: High Bronze): Flame Fox → Three-Eyed Flame Fox]
…
[Evolution Path 241 (Potential: Low Platinum): Flame Fox → Demon Flame Fox → Three-Tailed Demon Fox]
…
[Evolution Path 1,458 (Potential: High Gold): Flame Fox → Water Fox → Earth Fox → Three-Element Demon Fox]
…
The information presented required Gu Tian's careful consideration. He saw numerous evolutionary paths that could elevate the Flame Fox to greater power, and the paths continued to unfold in his vision. However, Gu Tian struggled to identify the best path. Using the Eyes of Appraisal, he added a new filter, commanding it to display only the paths that could lead to the highest Emperor level.
Instantly, the number of evolutionary paths dwindled to just one.
[Evolution Path 7,451 (Potential: Supreme Emperor): Flame Fox → Immortal Fox → Three-Tailed Immortal Fox → Five-Tailed Immortal Fox → Seven-Tailed Immortal Fox → Nine-Tailed Immortal Fox → Celestial Nine-Tailed Fox]
Gu Tian stared at the path that could elevate the Flame Fox to its ultimate form with interest. However, when he attempted to view the materials required for its evolution, some items remained unidentified. Undeterred, Gu Tian decided not to rush. He opted to inspect the remaining beasts first.
At that moment, his gaze fell upon a seemingly ordinary material—a small bottle containing some kind of liquid. As soon as his eyes landed on it, its information appeared.
[Water of the Divine Well (???): Enhances the special abilities of beasts significantly beyond ordinary limits.]
When Gu Tian saw the value of the Water of the Divine Well, stored inconspicuously on a shelf corner, he became intrigued. Materials in this world were ranked across eight tiers—SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, and F—but Gu Tian's Eyes of Appraisal couldn't determine the tier of this mysterious water. His eyes gleamed with interest, and a faint smile appeared on his face, unnoticed by anyone around him.
Gu Tian walked silently to pick up the bottle. The others in the room paid no attention, assuming he was merely selecting materials for his beasts.
After securing the Water of the Divine Well, Gu Tian returned to examine the two eggs he had previously chosen. The first was a red egg radiating a glow reminiscent of sunlight. Using his Eyes of Appraisal, Gu Tian sought to uncover its true potential. The moment his eyes pierced the shell, the egg's information appeared before him.
[Name: Black Phoenix]
[Potential: Supreme King]
[Special Abilities: -]
[Power Level: -]
[Evolution Paths: 12 paths]
[Evolution Path 1 (Supreme Emperor Potential): Black Phoenix → Black Flame Phoenix → Void Phoenix → Eternal Phoenix → Crimson Heaven Phoenix → Solar Emperor Phoenix]
[Evolution Path 5 (Supreme Emperor Potential): Black Phoenix → Flame Phoenix → Water Phoenix → Earth Phoenix → Wind Phoenix → Wood Phoenix → Five-Element Sacred Phoenix]
Gu Tian examined both Evolution Path 1 and 5. Each had the potential to elevate the Black Phoenix to an unmatched level of power, with its unique strengths and abilities. Deciding between the two was no simple task.
He shifted his focus from the phoenix egg to the second egg, which appeared far more ordinary. As he activated the Eyes of Appraisal again, the egg's information began to materialize.
[Name: White Dragon]
[Potential: Low Diamond]
[Special Abilities: -]
[Power Level: -]
[Evolution Paths: 92 paths]
[Evolution Path 5 (Supreme Emperor Potential): White Dragon → Red Emperor Dragon → Sacred Flame Dragon]
[Evolution Path 24 (Supreme Emperor Potential): White Dragon → Ice King Dragon → Eternal Ice Dragon]
[Evolution Path 92 (Supreme Emperor Potential): White Dragon → Red Dragon → Blue Dragon → Golden Dragon → Green Dragon → Black Dragon → Calamity Dragon]
The White Dragon's evolutionary paths offered incredible diversity, but Gu Tian's attention was drawn to Evolution Path 92, which led to the Calamity Dragon. It was the most intriguing option. After some deliberation, combined with his prior research, Gu Tian made his decision.
He turned to the staff. "I'll take the white egg."
The staff quickly acknowledged his order and began the necessary preparations. Gu Tian stood quietly, gazing at the pure white egg with a contemplative expression. Just then, Wu Shuang's voice broke the silence.
"Hey, you over there, the handsome guy. Can you help me pick a beast too?"
The system's voice chimed in. [Host, just pick any egg. With your talent, it won't matter which one you choose.]
Wu Shuang retorted silently. Shut up, you leech.
Gu Tian smirked faintly. "Helping handsome guys comes at a premium. Got money, kid?"
Wu Shuang sighed dramatically. "Nope. My allowance ran out this month. Consider it charity."
Gu Tian chuckled and pointed to a red egg. "That's a phoenix egg with Supreme King potential. Take good care of it."
Wu Shuang grinned. "Of course! Hey, staff, add this red egg too. Charge it to Gu Tian's tab."
The staff nodded and moved quickly to process the request. As they calculated the costs, Gu Tian leaned over to whisper something to a staff member, requesting a significant purchase of SSS-tier materials in vast quantities. Meanwhile, Wu Shuang continued his silent debate with the system.
"See? I told you Gu Tian's reliable."
[Uh, I never said your friend couldn't be trusted.]