Chapter 126: Puffer Whale

After Ye Bai took away the giant black lizard, the stall owner felt a sense of loss, as if some immense opportunity was about to slip through his fingers.

Before he could even regret it, Ye Bai had already submerged into the crowd and vanished.

The stall owner's heart felt empty; he did not know what he had lost.

Ye Bai returned to the Research Institute, caught up on some sleep, and only then began to look at the new day's intelligence.

【1. Explosion Rock has a new form; after adding uranium, it evolves into Burst Rock, which is more powerful and has a wider explosion radius.】

【2. The provincial and Yan Country-level Phoenix Chick Cup have cancelled the team competition and adopted an individual competition format.】

【3. Influenced by the Phoenix Chick Cup, all provinces have cancelled the city-level Young Qilin Cup; the provincial Young Qilin Cup will be held in Yangcheng, with the competition topics being Pet Beast healing, quiz competitions, and Pet Beast cultivation.】

【4. Possessing seven Dragon-Slaying Swords allows one to form the Yin-Yang Five Elements Array and the Big Dipper array, with the array diagrams shown below; it is necessary to perform Awakening Spirit on the Dragon-Slaying Swords and have them drink the holder's fresh blood daily to maintain the spiritual nature of the Dragon-Slaying Swords.】

【5. The shadow of the Gospel Society can travel through shadows at will, but it has a fatal weakness: it is very afraid of the light-type skill Holy Light. Once the shadow on the ground becomes smaller, the shadows it can travel through will also become smaller.】

"Adding uranium to Explosion Rock? Good heavens, isn't this just a nuclear bomb rock?"

Ye Bai was speechless.

As for the Dragon-Slaying Swords, Ye Bai planned to first use fresh blood to awaken their spiritual nature every day.

The Dragon-Slaying Swords must be exposed to wind, sun, and rain to better preserve their spiritual nature, and treating them as collectibles would only deplete it.

Like the one gold and five silver Dragon-Slaying Swords that Sophia sent over, their spiritual nature was almost completely exhausted.

It is necessary to use the method of dripping blood to maintain the spiritual nature of the Dragon-Slaying Swords so that they can form a sword array to jointly fight the Poison Flood Dragon.

Ye Bai planned to join forces with Zhang Lingxue to take down the Poison Flood Dragon just like that.

As for the fifth piece of intelligence revealed, it explained the shadow's weakness.

Regarding the parting words the shadow left behind—"I will not let this go"—Ye Bai still felt he needed to make preparations early.

After reading the intelligence, Ye Bai came to the Research Institute.

He needed to use the tools at the Research Institute to dissect the giant black lizard.

Only the sixth section of the giant black lizard's tail was edible; the other parts tasted like ammonia and were astringent and fibrous.

Even the Sunflower King was unwilling to process the flesh and blood of the giant black lizard, feeling it would stain its own refined taste, so Ye Bai only took the red bead from the giant black lizard's body and put the rest into the Blood Pool.

The Blood Pool could grow or shrink; once the giant black lizard was thrown in, it was quickly broken down into countless flesh and blood essences, which provided Ye Bai with an idea.

He remembered that there were many scraps at the Exotic Beast Tuzai Chang, including many high-level Exotic Beasts, and he would see if he should find an opportunity to convert them into flesh and blood essence.

Before the Blood Pool was claimed, it was quite mechanical.

Ye Bai looked at the red bead in his hand; with patterns like flames, he easily identified the bead as a Flame Bead.

Insight Eye was activated, and the gray mist on the bead dissipated completely.

The surface of the Flame Bead was covered in fiery red flames, and these flames seemed to have come alive.

【Flame Bead: One of the Five Elements Beads; the remaining four beads are the Golden Light Bead, Holy Wood Bead, Earth-Splitting Bead, and Heavy Water Bead. A single bead is a Tier 4 treasure, but combined, they become a Tier 6 treasure.】

"Little Charcoal Dog, this Flame Bead will be cheap for you."

Ye Bai threw it to Little Charcoal Dog, and it swallowed it in one gulp.

Instantly, the flames on Little Charcoal Dog's body became even more powerful.

Seeing the stronger Little Charcoal Dog, the Myriad-Change Silkworm suddenly felt a competitive spirit; it was the first Pet Beast contracted by Ye Bai and absolutely could not be surpassed by Little Charcoal Dog.

I also want to be a hard worker, but before becoming a hard worker, I should have a full meal first.

The Myriad-Change Silkworm had long been eyeing the things Ye Bai bought at the black market.

Those Seven-Treasure Mushrooms were so fragrant that they made the Myriad-Change Silkworm's drool drip down.

"Right, Puffer Whale."

Ye Bai released the Puffer Whale from the Pet Beast Space.

These Puffer Whales were still in a state of slumber, each looking a bit like a chubby little piglet.

"Sunflower King, come here."

Sunflower King:??? What am I here for? To act cute?

"Sunflower King, your precision operation ability is the strongest."

"So I hope you can help me process this special ingredient."

Ye Bai pointed at the Puffer Whale and said.

The old man had already temporarily severed the Puffer Whale's central nervous system; within twelve hours, the Puffer Whale would not feel any pain.

The Sunflower King obediently turned its leaves into sharp blades; following the direction Ye Bai pointed, it made a cut from the lower left, and the force made the Sunflower King feel as if it were cutting an ancient Lantern Fish.

The meat was extremely tough.

Subsequently, the Sunflower King made another cut upward, but this time it accidentally hit the poison sac.

The color of the Puffer Whale's exterior turned purple at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This meant the Puffer Whale could no longer be eaten; eating it would mean certain death.

Ye Bai then placed the spoiled Puffer Whale into a sample box and stuffed the sample box into the depths of the Pet Beast Space; without Ye Bai's fingerprint and blood, the sample box would not open at all, so as to avoid others eating it by mistake.

Ye Bai was mainly guarding against that gluttonous silkworm.

From the second Puffer Whale onwards, the human and the pet were even more cautious.

When the first step went fine, the situation arose again after the second step exposed the poison sac.

When the Sunflower King was holding the poison sac, it was careless, and the poison sac broke again.

The third one also got stuck at the poison sac step; just as the Sunflower King was about to remove the poison sac, it broke.

By the fourth one, the Sunflower King had learned from the previous lessons and became even more cautious, but as a result, even after the poison sac had been moved away from the Puffer Whale's body, the poison sac split open.

These Puffer Whales contaminated by the broken poison sacs were things even the fearless Sunflower King was unwilling to absorb.

This kind of toxin, it is estimated that even high-level Exotic Beasts could not resist it.

The last two Puffer Whales were only successfully separated from their poison sacs after learning from the lessons of the first four times.

The poison sac of the Puffer Whale is a type of cardiotoxic poison; as long as one consumes even a tiny bit, it will lead to cardiac paralysis.

For the sake of caution, Ye Bai still placed this poison sac into a reagent bottle to preserve it; Puffer Whales are extremely rare, and this poison might be useful as a weapon in the future.

After being processed, the Puffer Whale emitted a crystal-clear glow.

"Haha, since I happen to have Seven-Treasure Mushrooms and Eight-Treasure Chicken, let's have Puffer Whale hotpot tonight."

Ye Bai took out the Beast Card of the Eight-Treasure Chicken and silently recited the release command in his heart.

As soon as the Eight-Treasure Chicken emerged from the Beast Card, its neck was severed by a single slash from the Sunflower King.

The chicken blood was collected, and after adding sea salt, it turned into chicken blood curds.

The feathers of the Eight-Treasure Chicken were plucked by the Sunflower King in one second.

The Seven-Treasure Mushrooms were soaked in rootless water, and before long, they looked as if they had been freshly picked.

The Sunflower King's twin leaves were like blades; it slashed fiercely at the Seven-Treasure Mushrooms, and the mountain-like pile of mushrooms was instantly sliced into thin pieces.

The Eight-Treasure Chicken was directly chopped into several segments.

When the Seven-Treasure Mushrooms and Eight-Treasure Chicken are stewed together with rootless water, one only needs to add a small amount of salt, and the flavor will become exceptionally delicious.

Dahui took the section cut from the tail of the Black Giant Lizard and wrapped it in kitchen paper; it wanted to drain the blood first.

Then, Dahui used boiling water to scald the skin of the Black Giant Lizard's tail, and after a gentle tug, the black skin covering the outer layer was removed just like that.

The giant lizard tail now looked like the highest-grade Wagyu beef, emitting waves of sweet, milky fragrance.

With a fierce slash from the Sunflower King, the meat was sliced into thin pieces.

At this moment, Ye Bai took out a picture of an Ice Dragon sculpture; he wanted the Sunflower King to carve an Ice Dragon.

However, Ye Bai also explained that the Ice Dragon sculpture didn't need to be that big, just large enough to hold the Puffer Whale meat.

The Sunflower King was speechless; it went to the Breeding House, grabbed the Mandrake King—who was wrapped up like Patrick Star—and translated the Sunflower King's words online: "You idiot, just tell Xiao Xue to freeze an ice sculpture."

Ye Bai: ⊙⊙! That makes sense.

Of course, the word "idiot" was definitely added by the Mandrake King himself; one could tell by the fact that the Sunflower King slapped the Mandrake King twice across the face.

After being slapped, this guy even revealed an expression of pure bliss.

The Sunflower King made a cut along the Puffer Whale's flesh, and the meat on both sides came right off.

At this time, Ye Bai went out for a moment; he had Xiao Xue condense an ice knife and an Ice Dragon sculpture.

Then he placed the ice knife into the Sunflower King's hand.

The Sunflower King felt the cold piercing its bones, so it moved the blade rapidly, and slices of fish meat as thin as cicada wings fell onto the Ice Dragon sculpture.

North Star Sky Wolf Slash!

Following that, the Puffer Whale's meat was also sliced into thin pieces.

The fish head was made into a casserole, the fish bones were coated in batter and deep-fried, and the fins and tail could be used as snacks for drinking; the taste was excellent.

After finishing all this, Ye Bai went to call Zhang Lingxue for dinner.

Zhang Lingxue was yawning while wearing her little rabbit pajamas; she had been pulling all-nighters for several days, and since the Positive Electric Rabbit appeared, their advancement wouldn't be like undergoing Heavenly Lightning, so the experimental goal had basically been achieved.

Now, they just needed to research how to make the Positive Electric Rabbit and Negative Electric Rabbit evolve, and the case could be closed.

"Ye Bai, where did you run off to? Why is there so much food?"

Zhang Lingxue, who had been a bit sleepy, became much more energetic after seeing the table full of food.

"The Seven-Treasure Mushrooms and Eight-Treasure Chicken have been stewing for three hours; the Eight-Treasure Chicken has been cooked until the meat is falling off the bone."

"I've already skimmed off the chicken fat on top; we can use it to cook something later."

Ye Bai scooped a bowl of soup and handed it to Zhang Lingxue.

The soup was golden and transparent, looking very clear.

There was also a large chicken leg in the bowl.

The rich fragrance attracted Zhang Lingxue; even though the soup was still very hot, she couldn't wait to blow on it a few times before taking a small sip.

Hot, hot, hot.

Zhang Lingxue seemed to have a cat's tongue and was particularly afraid of heat; she couldn't handle anything even slightly hot.

However, Zhang Lingxue couldn't bear to spit out this mouthful of rich soup, so she drank it down while grimacing from the heat.

In the next second, the deity in charge of the North Wind gently fanned a fan at Zhang Lingxue; she felt the fatigue of many days vanish instantly, and the blood in her body felt as if it had been purified by the God of the North Wind.

The chicken leg fell off the bone in a second, emitting a rich fragrance.

With a gentle bite, the succulent juices rippled in her mouth.

It felt as if a man like a rooster was dancing in circles with her under the moon.

She was immersed in the wonderful waltz, unable to extricate herself.

Before long, Zhang Lingxue had finished the chicken leg, not even sparing the bones of the Eight-Treasure Chicken.

"Teacher, this is the Puffer Whale meat."

"Try some."

The Puffer Whale meat was seen resting on the Ice Dragon sculpture, forming the dragon's scales.

Zhang Lingxue picked up a piece with her chopsticks; the fish meat was as thin as a cicada's wing and translucent.

She closed her eyes and took a firm bite of the fish meat.

The bouncy texture and the unparalleled delicious taste made Zhang Lingxue feel the ultimate delicacy.

She felt every cell in her body cheering and leaping with joy.

"Delicious!"

After Zhang Lingxue blurted this out, she covered her mouth with her hand, feeling that it was truly a bit impolite.

"Haha, if you like it, eat more, Teacher; there is still plenty."

Ye Bai said with a smile.

"Of course, this can be eaten as sashimi, or it can be used for hot pot; the meat of the Puffer Whale only needs to be swished for five seconds."

Zhang Lingxue picked up another piece of fish meat, and she swished it in the hot pot for five seconds.

The originally crystal-clear fish meat turned milky white.

When she put it in her mouth and chewed, a crisp texture came through; the crunchiness of the fish meat combined with the fresh sweetness of the chicken broth.

She couldn't take it anymore, she really couldn't take it; Zhang Lingxue felt as if the Puffer Whale was leaping on her tongue.

Just from the hot pot alone, she had tasted the ever-changing flavors of the Puffer Whale.

At this moment, Zhang Lingxue's gaze fell upon the Giant Lizard meat to the side.

"Ye Bai, what breed of Wagyu is this?"

Zhang Lingxue had already taken the lead by picking up a slice and placing it into the hot pot to swish.

Once the meat turned a tender pink, Zhang Lingxue quickly fished it out.

Don't look at this meat as just a thin slice; it was very chewy, and the more one chewed, the more fragrant it became.

"By the way, Ye Bai, I just received some news; because of the accident at the previous Phoenix Chick Cup, it has drawn high attention from the Yan Country, and after discussions, the city-level competitions have all been canceled, moving directly to the provincial level."

"The safety factor for participating in the provincial level will be higher."

"In the time to come, you should learn more about how to treat Pet Beasts, as well as the area of Pet Beast cultivation."

Zhang Lingxue suddenly reminded Ye Bai.

"I understand." Ye Bai nodded.

"Once you pass the Phoenix Chick Cup and the Young Qilin Cup, you can be admitted to Imperial Capital University without an exam; there is no need to take the Imperial Capital University Entrance Exam at all."

But after hearing Zhang Lingxue's words, Ye Bai shook his head.

"Teacher, I still want to take this Imperial Capital University Entrance Exam."

"Shenshan Middle School has cultivated me for so long, isn't it waiting for this very moment?"

"I will strive to bring back the national top scholar title and let Shenshan Middle School's reputation be spread far and wide."

After hearing Ye Bai's determination, Zhang Lingxue gave a thumbs up.

"By the way, how is the training of your Pet Beasts going? Do you want me to help you train them?"

"I am quite satisfied with this meal, so I would like to personally guide you."

"Oh right, my Vine Cat has already evolved into a Vine Lion; do you want to have a battle?"

Ye Bai nodded: "Sure, no problem."

He also happened to want to test how much the fire-type skill amplification strength of his Little Charcoal Dog, which had obtained the Flame Orb, would reach.

Many thanks to Purple-Clothed Mysterious Official for the reward, thank you.

(End of this chapter)