Chapter 99: Flying Skill

Mrs. Yun had remained silent while the two professors from Dongli University were visiting. Once they left, she finally spoke up. "You’re majoring in evolutionary science? Aren’t you worried you won’t be able to graduate?"

Su Ze retorted indignantly, "What makes you think that?"

"Those who specialize in evolutionary science research are all equipped with support skills. Take Dr. Liou, for example—she has multiple S-rank support skills like the Eye of Evolution, a Super-Capacity Brain, and Rapid Memory," Mrs. Yun explained. "You, on the other hand, are loaded with combat skills. You’ll be at a huge disadvantage doing research."

Su Ze brushed it off. "Have you forgotten who my sister is? With a professor of evolutionary science for a sister, are you really still worried I won’t graduate?"

Mrs. Yun was speechless. She had to admit he had a point.

’Even without Liou Wenxin,’ she thought, ’Dongli University would probably bend the rules for him. It’s unthinkable that they wouldn’t let him graduate.’

...

In the days that followed, winter break began at Dongli University, and the campus grew much quieter.

Only a few students like Mr. Ya remained on campus; everyone else had gone home to prepare for the New Year.

The people of Blue Star didn’t use lunar or solar calendars; they had only the Evolution Calendar, and the transition from one year to the next was their New Year.

With fewer people on campus, Su Ze didn’t have to worry as much about being recognized when he went out. However, he was also incredibly busy and rarely left the house.

He now had a new goal: ’Complete the second evolution in just over twenty days!’

Su Ze wasn’t the only one; Liou Wenxin and Mrs. Yun were also extremely busy.

Mrs. Yun, for her part, was practicing the Swan Dance with Su Ze in the courtyard day and night.

Since Liou Wenxin had just returned to the country, she had a vast amount of accumulated research findings that she needed to hand over to the Dongli Kingdom.

For the past few days, the Dongli Kingdom’s top evolutionary scientists had gathered, holding meetings around the clock to discuss how to best utilize Liou Wenxin’s research to enhance the kingdom’s overall national power.

Chairman Gu Chengguang and Chancellor Zhou Wenshan, two Saint-level powerhouses, participated in all the meetings as the final decision-makers.

Liou Wenxin handed over all of her research findings, with one single exception: the formula for the Skill Suppression Medicine.

The formula itself wasn’t the issue; the real fear was it falling into the hands of the Filth Earth Organization...

Liou Wenxin only privately informed the two Saints, Gu Chengguang and Zhou Wenshan, about the Skill Suppression Medicine. Knowing the gravity of the situation, they didn’t make an immediate decision. After long consideration, they decided to report it to the Sovereign Country.

As it happened, Liou Wenxin needed to patent over ten formulas for evolution-related medicines in the Sovereign Country. Gu Chengguang personally accompanied her on the trip, taking the opportunity to report on the Skill Suppression Medicine.

The Sovereign Country, Lin Hua Country, was located just north of the Dongli Kingdom and shared a border, making the journey convenient.

Liou Wenxin’s trip kept her away until December 30th, the day before the New Year.

"Sis, you’re finally back!"

Su Ze had finished digesting the Mutated Upright Ape Extract yesterday. He hadn’t pushed himself as hard this time, avoiding any all-nighters, so it took him two days longer than it did to digest the Mutated Giant Crocodile Extract.

He hadn’t skimped on medicinal aids, though, using up more than half of the Child Ginseng he had on hand.

After finishing the extract yesterday, Su Ze had been pondering what kind of extract to absorb next, but with Liou Wenxin away, he had no one to consult.

Liou Wenxin could see he had something on his mind. "Come on," she said, "let’s go out and buy some groceries. It’s New Year’s tomorrow, so we’ll cook a meal at home."

Su Ze followed Liou Wenxin out the door, and as they walked, he brought up the question of his next extract.

"Sis, what type of skill do you think I should aim for with my next extract? What weaknesses do I still need to shore up?"

"You haven’t even had your second evolution yet. Why are you in such a hurry to worry about the extract for the Cocoon Stage?" Liou Wenxin asked, puzzled.

She didn’t know Su Ze could absorb four extracts at each evolution stage, so she assumed he was asking about the first one for the Cocoon Stage.

"It never hurts to be prepared," Su Ze said evasively.

Liou Wenxin didn’t think much of it and asked, "Are you still only aiming for an S-rank?"

"Of course. Money is no object."

"Let me think... a Tier 3 S-rank..." Liou Wenxin mused, already focusing her search within that category.

This worked out, as Su Ze had already been planning to jump a tier and absorb a Tier 3 S-rank for his fourth Pupa Stage extract.

Before they knew it, they had reached the entrance of Dongli University. Su Ze dutifully ran to the "Yididi" milk tea shop by the gate and bought a cup for Liou Wenxin.

It was only when she drank milk tea that Liou Wenxin showed a cute, childlike side that didn’t match her usual persona or age. She took a small, delicate sip, a look of pure satisfaction spreading across her face. "Honestly, you don’t have any obvious weaknesses right now," she said. "If I had to nitpick, it’s that your Spiritual Power isn’t particularly strong, and you lack any means of Spiritual Defense. Your attack range is also too short. You’ll be on the defensive against evolvers with long-range attacks."

Su Ze nodded. Liou Wenxin was right. His Spiritual Power was only average for a Pupa Stage evolver, giving him virtually no resistance against spiritual attacks and making him an easy target.

Against long-range evolvers, his only tool to close the gap was the short-range Charge Skill, Rhino Charge, which made it difficult to get in close quickly. He was easy to kite. Furthermore, his Furious Waves skill only had a range of about ten meters, which was useless against a true long-range specialist.

But then Liou Wenxin’s tone shifted. "However, as I’ve said before, there’s no such thing as an all-powerful evolver. As a melee fighter, you’re bound to have the weaknesses inherent to your class. They aren’t really shortcomings, so you don’t need to go out of your way to compensate for them."

"As for your next extract, I have two suggestions. You can see which one you prefer."

"I’m all ears, Sis," Su Ze said.

"The first option is to go with the mainstream. Almost every Cocoon Stage evolver considers a Flying Skill for their first extract. It’s a choice you can’t go wrong with."

"Flying Skills are a special category; they’re something every evolver has a love-hate relationship with. On one hand, they’re incredibly important. Every evolver wants to be able to fly—humans have always dreamed of soaring through the sky."

"People aren’t birds; we don’t have wings, and you don’t just spontaneously gain the ability to fly by raising your evolution level. That makes a Flying Skill a must-have for every evolver."

Liou Wenxin took a sip of her milk tea and continued, "But acquiring skills from extracts is a matter of luck, and not everyone gets a Flying Skill on their first try. Some of the unluckier ones end up learning several useless skills—and wasting multiple skill slots—in their quest for flight."

"On top of that, Flying Skills don’t even start appearing until Tier 3 extracts. That’s why most people try to acquire one right after entering the Cocoon Stage. The sooner you master it, the sooner you can put your mind at ease."

"After all, a Flying Skill provides a limited boost to one’s combat power. If you wait until the Butterfly Stage or even the Saint level to acquire it, you’d be wasting a much more valuable Advanced Skill Bar. Most people are willing to risk wasting a skill slot or two during the Cocoon Stage, as long as they ultimately get a Flying Skill."

Su Ze already knew a bit about Flying Skills, and Liou Wenxin’s explanation was very thorough.

’In short,’ he thought, ’it’s a skill everyone has to learn. The sooner, the better, and there’s no downside to getting it.’

Additionally, from what Su Ze understood, evolvers didn’t have high standards for the quality of their Flying Skill. As long as they could fly, that was enough. They’d be thrilled with an S-rank, of course, but even the lowest E-rank was acceptable.

Su Ze asked, "So what’s the difference between a high-rank and a low-rank Flying Skill? Is it just speed?"

"There are differences in many aspects—speed, energy consumption, maneuverability, and so on," said Liou Wenxin. "But the gaps aren’t that significant. What truly determines your flight speed is your evolution level."

"A Cocoon Stage evolver with an S-rank Flying Skill will never be as fast as a Butterfly Stage evolver who has an E-rank one."

Su Ze nodded. ’No wonder nobody cared that much about the quality of their Flying Skill.’

’It was a necessity, but the standards were low. Just having one was good enough.’