I am the Clone of a Death Row Inmate-Chapter 96: Extract from the Wind Tiger

This was the first time Su Ze had heard of such a thing. Apparently, to complete the fourth evolution, one had to absorb three high-grade extracts during the Butterfly Stage, or failure was guaranteed.

Liou Wenxin confirmed this. "The fourth evolution is a major hurdle, a leap to a higher life form. Without the foundation laid by three Tier 4 high-grade extracts, your constitution will likely be insufficient to withstand the power of the transformation, leading to failure."

Mrs. Yun said, "The Dongli Kingdom currently has no Tier 4 Grade-A extracts in storage, and I can’t possibly ask our nation’s Saint-level experts to risk hunting Tier 4 Grade-A aberrant beasts outside the Lin Hua Continent for my sake.

"Besides, the Dongli Kingdom only has four Saint-level overlords, yet there are hundreds of people like me at the Butterfly Stage. Everyone is eagerly awaiting Tier 4 high-grade extracts. This is also why the Dongli National Treasury has plenty of Tier 4 low-grade extracts, but not a single high-grade one."

Su Ze fell silent for a moment before saying, "What if I provide the extract? Mrs. Yun, would you be willing to give it a try?"

"You?" Mrs. Yun was stunned.

Su Ze took a tube that glowed with a green evolutionary light from the case and placed it on the table. "This is the extract I drew from that tiger-type aberrant beast, though I don’t know its specific breed. But since it’s a tiger-type, its grade won’t be low. It should be at least Tier 4 Grade-B, maybe even Grade-A. I’ll have my sister get it analyzed in a bit.

"If it isn’t Grade-A, I still have one million Evolutionary Technology Points. Even if the total isn’t enough to buy a Tier 4 Grade-A extract, it won’t be too far off. We’ll figure something out then. In short, you don’t need to worry about the extract."

Now even Liou Wenxin looked shocked. She never expected Su Ze to be so wealthy. One million Evolutionary Technology Points was already worth as much as a Tier 4 Grade-B extract. For someone at the Pupa Stage, Su Ze effectively possessed two tubes of Tier 4 high-grade extracts!

It took a long moment for Mrs. Yun to recover, but she still shook her head. "You should keep these resources for your own use. With this extract, one million Evolutionary Technology Points, and the foundation you’ve already built, you’re already halfway to becoming a Saint-level expert. There’s no need to waste these things on an old woman like me."

These items were too valuable for her to accept. It would be one thing if she succeeded, but if she failed to break through to Saint-level, she wouldn’t know how she could ever repay him.

Su Ze smiled. "Don’t you know me by now? I wouldn’t even look twice at an extract that isn’t Grade-S. If you don’t become a Saint-level expert, who’s going to take me to hunt Tier 4 Grade-S aberrant beasts in the future?"

It would be a lie to say Mrs. Yun wasn’t tempted. She stared into Su Ze’s eyes and said seriously, "If I fail the evolution, all these resources, worth tens of billions, will go down the drain. Won’t you feel the sting?"

"I’d be heartbroken, of course. But not over the resources. I’d be heartbroken because my Mrs. Yun would be gone."

He seemed to be joking, but Mrs. Yun could see the seriousness and determination in his eyes. There wasn’t a single trace of hesitation or reluctance.

"Fine!" Mrs. Yun straightened her back. "This old lady will take this gamble with you! If I win, I’ll risk life and limb to kill Tier 4 Grade-S aberrant beasts for you. If I lose, don’t you come crying to me."

Mrs. Yun seemed to have cast aside her reservations, deciding to go all in.

Su Ze smiled. "Then I’ll be counting on you to watch my back, Mrs. Yun."

When Liou Wenxin saw that Mrs. Yun had agreed, she smiled as well. She picked up the Tier 4 extract Su Ze had provided and said, "I’m going to the lab to analyze this extract with our instruments."

...

Before long, the analysis results for the Tier 4 extract came back.

[Extract from Wind Tiger]

Grade: Tier 4 Grade-A

Acquirable Skills: Wind Overlord, King’s Roar, Beast King Seal

Su Ze and Mrs. Yun were pleasantly surprised when they got the news. It was a Tier 4 Grade-A extract!

This meant Mrs. Yun could absorb it directly.

Soon, Liou Wenxin returned to the villa and handed the Wind Tiger extract to Mrs. Yun.

Without another word, Mrs. Yun immediately hurried back to her room and began to absorb the extract.

In truth, absorbing high-grade extracts was very risky. Many who chanced it with high-quality extracts ended up failing and suffering severe injuries; some even lost their lives. However, this mostly happened when absorbing the first extract immediately after an evolution.

Mrs. Yun had already absorbed two Tier 4 extracts during her Butterfly Stage. With the foundation from those two, the odds of failure when absorbing another Grade-A extract were slim.

Su Ze and Liou Wenxin waited in the living room. Su Ze took the opportunity to ask Liou Wenxin some questions that were on his mind.

"Sister, I saw a Storage Ring on Feng Bqing. It was incredible. What kind of artifact is that?"

Su Ze had been coveting Feng Bqing’s Storage Ring for a long time and desperately wanted one for himself.

Liou Wenxin said, "That’s likely made from the fruit of the Tier 5 Spiritual Plant, the Qiankun Wood. The Qiankun Wood has a skill called ’Spatial Compression,’ which can compress a relatively large space into its fruit. When people get their hands on the fruit, they can craft it into various accessories that have an inner space."

"So it’s not a unique artifact... Then what’s the approximate price for that kind of spatial accessory?"

"It’s about the same price as a Tier 4 Grade-B extract. The Qiankun Wood is quite rare, and it takes a long time to bear fruit."

"I see... You know, carrying a bag or a case around isn’t really that much of a hassle."

Su Ze gave up on the idea of buying a Space Ring. He’d reconsider when he struck it rich someday.

He’d thought he was pretty well-off, but it turned out that wasn’t the case. The main issue was that everything he wanted was outrageously expensive.

Su Ze then asked, "Sister, do you have any insights into why my Regeneration Skill upgraded?"

Liou Wenxin nodded. "That kind of situation is extremely rare, but not impossible. It falls under the category of an external influence causing a skill to upgrade. All I can say is that the Tree Marrow must be exceptionally compatible with your Regeneration Skill.

"In fact, skills can be upgraded, but that’s something only Saint-level life forms can do, and even then, there are many restrictions and conditions. The fact that you managed to upgrade a skill during the Pupa Stage is an incredibly rare opportunity."

"Saint-level experts can upgrade their skills?" Su Ze asked in surprise. "Doesn’t that mean the S-Grade skills I worked so hard to get will just be matched by everyone else once they reach Saint-level, and I’ll lose my advantage?"

Liou Wenxin shook her head. "An inherently weak skill will always have a low ceiling, no matter how much it’s upgraded. Only skills that are powerful from the start have significant room for growth. That’s why you must never underestimate the importance of any skill you acquire before reaching Saint-level. They determine the upper limit of your strength at the Saint-level stage."

Su Ze nodded. He basically understood. ’It’s like the Burrowing Mouse’s digging skill. No matter how much you upgrade it, how strong can it really become? A human excavator?’

"Then what’s the deal with Feng Bqing mutating after absorbing the Spirit Root Tree extract? I thought humans couldn’t absorb Spirit Plant Extracts."