I am the Clone of a Death Row Inmate-Chapter 97: A Dagger Hidden in Filial Piety

The question left Liou Wenxin deep in thought.

Feng Bqing’s mutation was extremely unusual. Even in the entire history of human evolution on Blue Star, it was considered a rather bizarre phenomenon.

Therefore, this question was a bit beyond even Liou Wenxin’s expertise.

Mutation had always been one of the most difficult subjects to tackle in evolutionary science. The Era of Evolution had only begun a thousand years ago, and since mutations were relatively rare, there was a shortage of subjects to study.

Liou Wenxin said, "Actually, Feng Bqing’s mutation doesn’t hold much research value. His transformation was more of a fluke, a result of multiple coincidences. Even if you replicated his exact experience, you might not be able to produce another mutant."

Su Ze agreed. Feng Bqing was a Saint-level Overlord, so in theory, he could only absorb fifth-tier extracts. The Spirit Root Tree at the time had been interrupted mid-evolution into a fifth-tier Spiritual Plant. This caused its extract to possess some fifth-tier characteristics, making it what one might call a quasi-fifth-tier extract.

Had it been a pure fourth-tier extract, Feng Bqing wouldn’t have been able to absorb it.

If it had been a pure fifth-tier Spirit Plant Extract, it probably would have killed Feng Bqing outright.

To humans, Spirit Plant Extracts are tantamount to poison. Absorbing one would leave you either dead or crippled. But as it happened, Feng Bqing had drunk half a bowl of Tree Marrow just before.

Tree Marrow is a Holy Medicine capable of healing both physical and mental injuries. The negative physical side effects the Spirit Root Tree extract had on Feng Bqing were likely nullified by the Tree Marrow.

But why only the physical effects? Because after mutating, Feng Bqing was still insane. The negative mental side effects had not been eliminated.

There was another factor: the Tree Marrow and the Spirit Root Tree extract shared the same origin. It was a bit like the old saying, ’what makes the man sick makes him well.’ Any other healing Holy Medicine might not have had the same effect.

All in all, Feng Bqing’s transformation into a "Twisted Tree Spirit" was truly a fluke born from a series of coincidences, making it nearly impossible to replicate.

Speaking of mutations, Su Ze couldn’t help but think of the two vials of extract he had recently absorbed, both of which came from mutated beasts.

He mentioned this to Liou Wenxin, who showed considerable interest.

"Humans, Spiritual Plants, and beasts alike can all mutate. However, mutation doesn’t necessarily make one stronger; it can also make one weaker. The two vials of extract you absorbed came from extremely powerful mutated individuals—practically kings among beasts of the same tier."

"So, you’re saying that you believe these extremely powerful mutated beasts pay a price for their strength? They lose their other Talent Skills, retaining only their single most powerful one."

Su Ze nodded. "It’s just a guess for now. I’ll need more data to support it."

Liou Wenxin said, "Once I’m through this busy period, I’ll help you gather the relevant data. If we can confirm your theory, it would be a valuable academic achievement. You could write and publish a paper on it, which would look great on your record."

"Oh, right," Liou Wenxin suddenly recalled. "Have you ever thought about enrolling at Dongli University? Mr. Zhou mentioned it to me this morning. He’s very eager to recruit you."

’Go to school?’

Su Ze had never considered the possibility.

Come to think of it, Zhao Lingxiao had never received a higher education. He was seventeen and hadn’t even graduated from high school.

So, Su Ze was rather curious about this world’s universities, especially the most prestigious one in the Dongli Kingdom. He wondered what they would teach in a world of global evolution and how it would differ from the university he’d attended in his past life.

"School... I suppose it’s not out of the question. I’m already living at Dongli University anyway."

Thinking about how Mr. Ya was still fighting to get his diploma in his thirties, Su Ze felt a bit embarrassed to just slack off. Besides, he wasn’t really against the idea.

Liou Wenxin smiled. "I’ll let Mr. Zhou know, then. He can have someone arrange your enrollment paperwork."

"Not so fast, Wenxin," Su Ze said with a grin. "Can you ask if there’s a scholarship or something? Don’t schools like this offer a lot of benefits to attract top talent?"

Liou Wenxin smiled and rolled her eyes at him, but she still nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Wenxin, have you heard of Bloodline Crystals?" Su Ze suddenly remembered and asked.

Liou Wenxin’s expression flickered. She nodded. "I’ve heard of them."

Su Ze immediately pressed, "What are they? What do they do?"

"They’re an extremely high-level type of Evolution Item. I’ve heard they can be used in place of extracts," Liou Wenxin said. "For more specific information, you should ask Mr. Gu or Mr. Zhou when you get the chance. They should know more about it than I do."

"Bloodline Crystals are supposedly tied to some high-level secrets that I haven’t had the opportunity to access."

Su Ze made a mental note of this. It seemed Bloodline Crystals were even more important and mysterious than he had imagined.

’After all, his Evolution Divine Grace Skill had come from a Bloodline Crystal.’

The two of them talked for a long while before Mrs. Yun’s door finally opened.

Mrs. Yun walked out, a smile on her face.

"Looks like the absorption was a success!"

Mrs. Yun nodded. "It went well. Although I didn’t get the strongest Wind Overlord skill, the King’s Roar skill is also very useful."

King’s Roar was an advanced version of the "Beast King’s Roar," a skill unique to tiger-type beasts. It was the ability that could summon nearby beasts to fight for the user.

Not only did King’s Roar retain the ability of Beast King’s Roar to summon nearby beasts for battle, but it also had an offensive and intimidating effect on human evolvers, making it a powerful skill that combined a Sound Wave Attack with Mind Control.

"I plan to work around the clock to fully digest this extract. It’s impossible to completely absorb a tier-four, A-grade extract in just five or six months without the aid of high-grade medicine."

Su Ze said, "I still have some Tomorrow Flower Petals..."

Mrs. Yun waved him off. "No need. I have some savings from over the years. Besides, the Dongli National Treasury has a stock of these natural medicines, and I can use my contribution points to redeem some."

Su Ze didn’t forget to remind her, "Then don’t forget to practice the Swan Dance, too! I’ve tried it myself, and the Swan Dance my sister taught me is way more effective than that so-called Dragon-Slaying Posture!"

Mrs. Yun looked surprised but said she would give it a try.

Su Ze was secretly delighted. ’Now I’ll get to see Mrs. Yun’s dance moves,’ he thought.

’I should secretly record her!’

’Serves the old hag right for spying on me when I was dancing.’

...

After redeeming a good number of high-grade natural medicines from the Dongli National Treasury, Mrs. Yun was about to hide in her room to practice the dance, but Su Ze dragged her out into the courtyard.

"The air is fresh out here, and there’s plenty of space! It’s too stuffy to practice in your room!"

Mrs. Yun watched Su Ze warily, suspecting the boy’s dutiful act was hiding some ulterior motive.

To dispel her suspicions, Su Ze said, "I’ll dance with you. I just absorbed an extract myself and haven’t digested it yet."

Only then did Mrs. Yun agree, and the two of them—one old, one young—began to dance gracefully in the courtyard.

She didn’t notice, however, the lens of a phone camera peeking out from a second-floor window.

Su Ze was careful with his positioning, making sure he stayed out of the camera’s frame so the resulting video would feature Mrs. Yun performing a solo dance.

’He couldn’t steal Mrs. Yun’s spotlight, after all.’

Still, Su Ze himself was dancing in earnest, not forgetting to take a Child Ginseng rootlet to aid the process.

Once he finished digesting the Mutated Upright Ape Extract, it would be time to consider the fourth vial of extract for his Pupa Stage.

Su Ze danced with Mrs. Yun for a full day. The very next day, someone from the Dongli University admissions office showed up at the door to discuss his enrollment.