At this moment, Yin Yi's complete status panel had changed to:
Race Information:
[Race: Silver Lotus Wood
Sex: /
Talent: F
Level: Entry Level IV (/)
Elemental Affinity (Wood): 5.45
Ice: 0.23 (Spiritual Energy enhancement will automatically increase Elemental Affinity.)
Talent: None
Acquired Soul Techniques: Purification IV (/), Silver Thorn IV (/)]
Attributes:
[Body — +
Power: 5 (Cap 5)
Physical Strength: 4 (Cap 4)
Agility: 4 (Cap 4)
Spiritual Energy — +
Spiritual Energy: 10 (Cap 10)]
[This Soul Beast has met the criteria for its first evolution. Silver Lotus Wood has multiple evolutionary paths that must be chosen.]
[Heavy-Armored Tree Spirit: Power and Physical Strength as Primary Attributes, Spiritual Energy as a Support Attribute, Wood Type, E Talent]
[Gale Tree Spirit: Agility as a Primary Attribute, Spiritual Energy as a Support Attribute, Wood Type, E Talent]
[Cuiwei Wood Demon: Wood Type Affinity, Spiritual Energy as a Primary Attribute, Wood Type, E+ Talent]
[Frost Wood Demon: Wood and Ice Type Affinity, Spiritual Energy as a Primary Attribute, Wood and Ice Type, E+ Talent]
"Four different branches for its very first evolution?!"
Han Ning had assumed Yin Yi would automatically evolve into a specific form. He hadn't expected it to be like an Eevee from Pocket Monsters, where you had to choose which form it evolved into.
'A physical or a Spiritual Energy focus... I'll definitely choose Spiritual Energy.'
With almost no hesitation, Han Ning decided on Yin Yi's evolutionary path.
He had been cultivating Yin Yi's Spiritual Energy abilities from the very beginning. There was no way he would abandon his progress and choose a physical evolution instead.
Besides, the Spiritual Energy path offered a higher Talent rating than the physical one.
Thinking of this, Han Ning focused his mind on the "Cuiwei Wood Demon" entry.
Another piece of information appeared before his eyes.
[To choose the "Cuiwei Wood Demon" path, Wood Type Affinity must be raised above 6.]
'I still need to increase its Wood Element Affinity...'
Seeing this, Han Ning found himself in a difficult spot.
There were two ways to increase Wood Element Affinity.
1. Assigning points to increase the Soul Beast's overall Elemental Affinity.
But the system showed that his Spiritual Energy points were already capped, so he couldn't add any more.
2. Killing relatively strong wild Soul Beasts to obtain the Crystal Stones within them, then feeding them to Yin Yi to increase its Elemental Affinity.
So far, he hadn't encountered any Wood Type Soul Beasts other than the Silver Lotus Wood.
Whether it was the Silver Lotus Woods he saw in the wild or those belonging to his classmates, none were strong enough to have developed those miraculous crystals.
'Where am I supposed to find a crystal that can increase Wood Element Affinity...?'
At a loss, Han Ning moved his focus to the next option.
[To choose the "Frost Wood Demon" path, Wood and Ice Element Affinity must be raised above 5 and 1, respectively.]
'I still need to raise its Ice Element...'
His eyes lit up when he saw this message.
He couldn't find any Wood Type Soul Beasts, but Yin Yi had personally killed the white rats that could increase Ice Element Affinity.
Perhaps there were other Monster Rat colonies on campus.
The Cuiwei Wood Demon and the Frost Wood Demon had the same Talent rating. Logically, their manifested strength probably wouldn't differ much. It was hard to say which would be stronger or weaker just based on having more or fewer attributes.
'Over the next two days, I'll look around and see which element's affinity is easier to raise, then I'll choose that path. In any case, according to the system's description, the evolved Talent will be E+ regardless.'
After a moment of thought, Han Ning finalized Yin Yi's evolution plan.
「…」
The next day, not long after Han Ning woke up, he was summoned to Teacher Fang's quarters.
On the desk in the dorm room, various crop seeds scavenged from the academic building the day before were spread out.
"Han Ning, these are carrot, chili pepper, tomato, and lettuce seeds... They are fast-growing crops. After our genetic modification, they should reach maturity in about three weeks."
Teacher Fang led Han Ning to a desk illuminated by a lamp. Pointing to a row of small seeds on the left side of the desk, he said, "Take some of these seeds back with you later. Plant them by the windowsill in your dorm, and you'll be able to eat fresh vegetables in the future."
"Thank you, Teacher Fang."
Han Ning first expressed his thanks, then asked doubtfully, "As these crops grow, they absorb the white mist. Will they accumulate paralyzing toxins in their bodies?"
"They will. Plants breathe too, so they'll accumulate some toxins. But have you considered that since we've been transported here for so many days, our bodies have also changed? The toxins accumulated in the crops don't pose much of a threat to us anymore."
Seeing Teacher Fang's confident expression, Han Ning couldn't help but ask, "T-Teacher Fang, have you already eaten crops contaminated by the white mist?"
Teacher Fang nodded and pointed to a potted tomato plant on the windowsill.
"Yes. Some students already had crops growing in their dorms. Starting from the fifth day after we were transported here, I've been eating half a tomato every day. Up until now, not only have I not been poisoned, my body has actually gotten a bit stronger."
At this point, Teacher Fang gently pushed up the glasses on his nose. "I speculate that this omnipresent white mist has a dual nature. When our bodies inhale too much of it, we are affected by the paralyzing toxins within, which disrupt our organ function and lead to death."
"But at the same time, the mist's composition might also carry some factors that are beneficial to our bodies. As long as we can endure the toxin's corrosion, our physical constitution will see a slight improvement."
"Of course, this is all still in the experimental phase. It's impossible to tell if it's good or bad in the short term. For now, take some seeds back and plant them. After about a month, you can check on me and see if I've mutated in any way—if I've grown a third eye or an extra finger, that sort of thing."
Hearing Teacher Fang's words, Han Ning didn't feel happy at all. Instead, he grew worried about the teacher's well-being.
"O...Okay, Teacher Fang. But why are you experimenting on yourself? What if... and I'm just saying what if... the nature of the white mist isn't what you think it is? What will you do then?"
"What will I do? I'll deal with it... If we don't figure out the nature of this white mist, how are we ever going to get out of this wasteland? Right now, besides us, who else is there in this wasteland to serve as a test subject?"
Teacher Fang, however, had an indifferent expression. "My wife died in an accident during the transportation. To be honest, I don't have much to live for now. I might as well make a greater contribution to everyone."
"Although the Silver Lotus Wood can provide us with fresh air, our food will run out eventually. One day, we will have to eat crops grown in this white mist. It's better to experiment ahead of time."
Han Ning fell silent. A few seconds later, he opened his mouth to speak. "No matter what, I still hope you stay healthy. At the very least... maybe you can wait until our Silver Lotus Woods are a bit stronger before making any plans."
Teacher Fang smiled. "Alright, I understand. I didn't call you over today to talk about such heavy topics. Let me teach you how to cultivate these crops first, so you don't end up killing them."