Chapter 409: 377. Cultivation and Instruction

377. Chapter 377: Cultivation and Instruction

"Finally, we've left this forest."

Li Yi now saw the familiar abandoned highway, catching sight of the shadow of modern civilization—it gave him an indescribable sense of familiarity.

Riding Niu Niu along the abandoned highway, he soon returned to Tianning City.

At that moment, a Thunder Fighter hovering above Tianning City detected Li Yi's presence and immediately flew over; as the cockpit opened, the artificial intelligence Lan Ji reappeared before Li Yi.

"Welcome back, Master," Lan Ji said with a smile, her voice sweet.

Li Yi asked: "How has the fighter been since I left?"

"All is normal, Master. The target, Qingluan Hawk, exhausted itself trying to outpace the Thunder Fighter and was struck by the fighter's energy cannon, successfully eliminated; its genetic data has been successfully recorded," Lan Ji said.

Li Yi nodded: "Good. Help me contact the relatives of Jiang Jiang Mingtian, Hu Fei, and Zhao Zhao Fangji—I have important news to deliver."

"Searching for target personnel information," Lan Ji said, now hacking into Earth's communication systems; she quickly found their relatives' phone numbers.

Li Yi briefly explained that the three men were trapped in the Wildlands, reassured their families not to worry too much—they were still alive, not dead—and that he would do his best to rescue them.

After completing this, he stored Lan Ji and the Thunder Fighter inside his storage magic artifact, then mounted Niu Niu again and departed Tianning City with Shan Yi, heading back to Tianchang City.

He hadn't yet hunted a hundred extraordinary creatures, so he couldn't return to the Golden Academy—he had no choice but to go home.

Niu Niu raced along the highway like a speeding train, traveling from Beihuang City to Shoushan Village, crossing back through the dangerous zone outside Tianning City, and now heading toward Tianchang City—covering over two thousand kilometers without showing any sign of fatigue; the endurance of these Wildlands beasts was terrifying.

Shan Yi in the sky was the same—never once landed during the entire journey.

One could almost suspect they could run a full circle around the Earth without stopping.

"Once I return to Tianchang City, I need time to settle myself, nurture my divine blood, properly train these two beasts, and complete the Golden Academy's hunting mission," Li Yi thought to himself.

Not long passed.

Li Yi, riding his extraordinary beasts, crossed the distance and returned to Tianchang City.

But as soon as the beasts entered the abandoned zone, the Investigation Bureau noticed them; soon, investigators arrived to inquire what was happening—but the investigator who came was Li Yi's acquaintance, Zheng Gong.

Zheng Gong was no longer the same man—he had received Li Yi's help, becoming a Gene Warrior, trained diligently, and after using the Wonder Item Training Room, he had broken through to the Spiritual Perception Realm and now held the position of Team Leader in the Investigation Bureau, with considerable status.

"Li Yi," Zheng Gong said, delighted, then sighed in relief: "It really is you. Good— I thought two extraordinary beasts were about to attack Tianchang City; the entire Investigation Bureau went on high alert, nearly requesting reinforcements."

"It's not that extreme," Li Yi said.

Zheng Gong replied: "The Investigation Bureau has installed new detectors around the city that measure the magnetic field strength of extraordinary beasts to judge their power. The magnetic fields of these two beasts are on par with those of Spiritual Power Realm experts—how could we not take this seriously? Right now, not a single person in Tianchang City can handle them. Even our Battalion Commander Zhang Lei is only at the Soul Realm."

"No need to worry—these two beasts are tamed by me. They won't cause trouble in the city. I'll keep them under control. If they dare kill anyone inside, I'll kill them myself," Li Yi said seriously, offering his guarantee.

"That's good. But bringing extraordinary beasts into the city requires official permission. Don't worry—I'll handle it," Zheng Gong said.

Li Yi said: "Then I'm in your debt. If absolutely necessary, I can have them stay in the abandoned zone."

"No trouble at all. Though dangerous, if these beasts stand with us, they strengthen Tianchang City's defenses—it's good for the people here. We just need to notify people in advance to avoid misunderstandings," Zheng Gong said, then immediately called a subordinate to process the paperwork.

Li Yi watched as the new investigator took photos, scanned, recorded the appearance and physique of Niu Niu and Shan Yi, and logged their biological magnetic fields to ensure unique identification and prevent another beast with the same appearance from sneaking into the city.

"How's Tianchang City been lately? Everything alright?" Li Yi asked casually.

Zheng Gong smiled: "Everything's normal. But the number of extraordinary beasts in the dangerous zone keeps growing. Battalion Commander Zhang Lei says this is a turning point in biological evolution."

"What turning point?" Li Yi asked.

Zheng Gong said: "Ordinary animals, nourished by cosmic energy, become ferocious beasts. Because our environment is contaminated, most of these ferocious beasts are unstable, extremely violent, and highly dangerous. Then, as they absorb more cosmic energy, they evolve further into extraordinary beasts."

"Previously, the evolution period was short, so few ferocious beasts became extraordinary. But now, more and more are evolving—so the pressure on evolutionists hunting them in the dangerous zone has become immense."

Li Yi's gaze darkened: "That's strange. Human cultivation should be faster than ferocious beasts—how could they overtake us?"

"Because most evolutionists lack Wonder Item Training Rooms and can only absorb minimal pure cosmic energy, so their evolution is slow," Zheng Gong said bitterly. "Fortunately, you recovered that White Bone Painting earlier—now the Investigation Bureau has seen a surge in Spiritual Perception Realm experts. Otherwise, the pressure would've been unbearable."

Li Yi suddenly understood.

He had always possessed the incomplete Wonder Item Coin, and over time, he'd grown numb to his own rapid evolution—but for most evolutionists, they still suffered under cosmic energy contamination.

Li Yi said: "Don't worry—I'll stay in Tianchang City for a while and clear out the extraordinary beasts near the city to ease the pressure."

He also needed to complete his Golden Academy mission.

"That's excellent," Zheng Gong said, delighted. "With you taking action, Tianchang City will likely enjoy peace for a long time."

"I can only manage here. Other cities probably face the same problem—but I'm powerless to help them," Li Yi shook his head. "Now I finally understand why the Golden Academy is so determined to seize World Six."

"What? World Six?" Zheng Gong didn't understand, curious.

Li Yi said: "The gene serum world. If the Golden Academy succeeds in capturing World Six, we'll achieve universal gene evolution—everyone will cultivate both methods simultaneously. The entire world's combat power will leap qualitatively, and our current crisis will be resolved completely."

No other world's impact compares to that of World Six.

Just one injection, and the entire population evolves genetically—how terrifying is that?

If you evolve slowly, it doesn't matter—your genes automatically strengthen you, and you needn't fear energy contamination.

Gene evolution also boosts cultivation metrics, while your own cultivation can break through genetic limitations.

The Golden Academy has true geniuses.

Li Yi thought to himself.

He hadn't understood before why the Golden Academy insisted on chewing on the hard bone of World Six—but now he fully grasped it: from humanity's perspective, only by consuming this bone could Earth's people unlock their potential and open an unprecedented path.

"I see. So when will this goal be achieved?" Zheng Gong mused, asking.

Li Yi said: "I think it'll happen soon. The Golden Academy is determined to obtain the gene serum formula. Once they have it, they'll mass-produce and distribute it to everyone. When I was at the Golden Academy, both sides were still probing each other—once that ends, real military action will begin."

"There's hope, then," Zheng Gong nodded, filled with renewed anticipation.

"Captain, the two beasts' information is registered. Now we need to confirm their names," an investigator said, approaching.

Zheng Gong looked at Li Yi.

Li Yi said: "The one on the ground is Niu Niu. The one in the sky is Shan Yi."

"Understood. Names confirmed. They may now enter Tianchang City," the investigator said, finishing his tablet operations.

"Zheng Gong, by the way, I have a few vials of gene serum left. I've already given them to everyone I know—I don't need them. Take them back to the Investigation Bureau to strengthen your team. Consider it my personal contribution."

Li Yi then pulled twenty vials of gene serum from his storage artifact and handed them to Zheng Gong.

Zheng Gong was startled: "How can I accept this?"

He could tell these twenty vials weren't a gift to the Investigation Bureau—they were meant for him personally, to help him advance.

"Don't be modest. You're now a person of standing in the Investigation Bureau—how can you properly care for those around you without good resources?" Li Yi patted his shoulder.

These words struck Zheng Gong's heart—he didn't refuse, but accepted them. After all, his cousin Zheng Lan had been living at Li Yi's house and refused to return; perhaps they'd become family one day—he couldn't afford to seem distant.

Seeing Zheng Gong accept the serum, Li Yi added: "Do me another favor—find me a building near the abandoned zone. I'll house these two beasts there. It's better not to bring them into the city yet—people might complain I'm not leashing them, as if the beasts are walking me. Besides, I haven't trained them yet—I still need to understand their temperaments, to avoid accidental harm."

"Easy. Follow me, Li Yi," Zheng Gong said immediately.

He drove Li Yi to a school near the abandoned zone—the gate rusted, overgrown with weeds.

"This is a high school. Because it's close to the dangerous zone, it's been completely abandoned—no parent would dare send their child here now. I'll apply to the Investigation Bureau to grant you exclusive use of this school," Zheng Gong said.

Li Yi inspected it, then nodded: "Good. The school has a large playground—even though it's overgrown with weeds, it's perfect for these two beasts to settle in. Thank you, Zheng Gong."

"No thanks needed—it's a trivial matter," Zheng Gong smiled. "Li Yi, if there's nothing else, I'll return to the Investigation Bureau—they're waiting for my report."

"Go ahead. I'll go inside and take a look," Li Yi said.

After Zheng Gong left, Li Yi arrived at the school gate, snapped the rusted chain with a casual tug, then waved his hand—qi surged backward, clearing all surrounding weeds and opening a path.

"Tianchang City No. 7 High School"

The school's name appeared—the brass sign still gleamed.

Li Yi brought Niu Niu and Shan Yi into the abandoned school's playground and instructed them to make it their home: if hungry, hunt extraordinary beasts in the dangerous zone, but never attack humans.

Still uneasy, he released the artificial intelligence Lan Ji.

"Teach them to read and write these next few days."

"Of course, Master," Lan Ji said with a smile.

Extraordinary beasts possess high intelligence—learning to read and write poses no problem. If they could pick up a pen and take an exam, they'd easily qualify for top universities.

"Reading and writing are just the first step. After that, I'll teach you cultivation and evolution," Li Yi said. He wanted to see what these Wildlands beasts would become once they evolved.

But cultivation requires patience—he wasn't in a hurry.

He then pulled out two silver-colored exotic fruits, fed one to each beast, calmed them, and left the abandoned school.