29: Chapter 29 ranks first, displaying extraordinary abilities.

Afterward, Bai Xuan took a bath and returned to his room.

Lying on the bed, he found his phone fully charged. After turning it on and checking his WeChat messages, he began to familiarize himself with the current situation.

His Eagle Claw could not swipe the screen, but it worked fine once he covered it with spiritual energy.

After scrolling through his phone for a while, Bai Xuan gained a general understanding of the situation.

The nation had begun popularizing knowledge about spiritual energy and methods for absorbing it. Anyone who broke through the first sub-stage was required to report to the military in their area to register, after which they would be issued resources for cultivation to train as martial artists.

At the same time, they provided warnings to avoid accidents.

Just like that, martial artists were emerging all over the country, from all walks of life—men, women, young, and old.

Bai Xuan also saw a few familiar faces; they were the very martial artists who had hunted Huzi and Xiao Hei in the mountains last time. They were top talents of the Dragon Kingdom.

Upon learning of their deaths, the Dragon Kingdom had practically scoured the entire mountain range, vowing to catch the culprit responsible.

Bai Xuan's name was quite famous, ranking at the very top of the list of mutant creatures.

[Race]: Mutant Goshawk.

Experts estimated this mutant creature's level to be around the eighth stage of the first tier.

Located in the heart of the Xiaoxing Mountains, it possessed intelligence comparable to a human, was cautious, and was a master of hiding in the forest, making it difficult to capture.

Its danger level was extremely high; rockets could not kill it, and its destructive power was enough to pierce a five-centimeter steel plate.

If spotted, please report it to the state immediately, and the state would provide a generous reward.

Bai Xuan looked at his information; it was indeed accurate. However, he had changed significantly now, and his strength had even stepped into the second-tier level, making it even harder to capture him.

"Based on the current information, I am the fastest to evolve. I don't know about the situation in the ocean yet, but it shouldn't pose a threat to me."

Below him on the rankings were other mutant creatures, including Huzi and others from different mountain ranges: a fifteen-meter-long king cobra, a twenty-meter-plus python, a black bear the size of a small hill, a giant wolf with dorsal spines, a vicious leopard, a mountain eagle with a wingspan of over ten meters, and so on.

Bai Xuan was able to top the rankings not because of his size, but because of his terrifying battle record—he had clashed with humans several times, wiping out their entire squads twice.

This made humans wary, wanting to nip him in the bud, lest he cause endless trouble.

Meanwhile, Bai Ya knocked on the bedroom door. "Big Brother."

"The door is unlocked."

Bai Ya opened the door and entered, carrying two cans of cola.

Driven by curiosity, there were many things she wanted to ask Bai Xuan to clear up.

With a fawning smile on her face, Bai Ya sat on the edge of the bed with the cola and opened it for Bai Xuan. "Big Brother, can you drink this yourself? Do you need me to feed you?"

"No need." Bai Xuan picked up the other can of cola on the bed, pried it open with his Eagle Claw, held it with wings covered in spiritual energy, sat on the bed, and took a big gulp.

Bai Ya gave Bai Xuan a thumbs-up. "Awesome."

The corners of Bai Xuan's mouth curled up slightly as he began to show off. "This cola isn't cold."

Then, his wings emitted waves of cold air, cooling the cola down. He took a big gulp and let out a satisfied "Ah." "Delicious."

"How did you do that?"

This display left Bai Ya stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief. This was just too unscientific.

"I'm not telling you."

Looking at Bai Xuan's insufferable expression, Bai Ya squeezed out a fawning smile. "Good brother, please tell me, will you?"

"Fine. Seeing as you're so eager to know, I'll reluctantly and mercifully tell you. This is spiritual energy, and it's also cold energy. Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I explained more."

"Then how can I absorb spiritual energy? I've looked at the official tutorials, but I just can't learn it. I can't feel the spiritual energy. Is it because I lack talent?"

"Even Da Huang can absorb spiritual energy, and you can't? How embarrassing."

"Humans and animals are different, okay? Animals have bodies that are compatible with spiritual energy; they can absorb it into their bodies without even trying."

Bai Ya gritted her teeth, infuriated by Bai Xuan's insufferable attitude. If she didn't need his help, she would have retorted immediately.

"Wear this on your person, or swallow it. Don't worry, you won't pass the whole thing out. Whatever you absorb will turn into powder and be expelled from your body."

Bai Xuan took out an egg-sized medium-grade spirit stone and a palm-sized Low-Grade Spirit Stone. The medium-grade spirit stone was a scrap he had kept from before.

It would be enough for Bai Ya to absorb for a long time.

"What is this?"

"A spirit stone. Remember, don't let anyone know you have spirit stones. It's best to keep them locked in a cabinet and take them out when you sleep, keeping them on you while you rest. Or, follow the official cultivation methods to absorb the spirit stone. Absorb it little by little, not too much at once. Your body cannot handle too much energy at once. You have to eat a meal one bite at a time; haste makes waste."

Bai Xuan chattered on, telling Bai Ya all the necessary precautions.

Animals absorb it differently from humans. When Da Huang swallows it, its digestive system absorbs it automatically; it doesn't need to worry about anything. It just needs to eat, and the rest is left to its bloodline and talent.

"Got it."

Bai Ya looked at the two spirit stones, wanting to reach out and take them, but stopped halfway.

Bai Xuan naturally saw what Bai Ya was thinking. "Are you disgusted by me?"

"Well... not really. It's just that coming out of your mouth is a bit... you know."

"Fine, fine. Since you're so disgusted, I'll take them back." Bai Xuan pretended to take the spirit stones back.

"No, no, no! I'm not disgusted. You're overthinking it, Big Brother."

"Actually, there's no saliva at all. I isolated... them."

Bai Ya took the spirit stones and indeed found no saliva on them. "Big Brother, you really have extraordinary powers."

"I don't want people to know of my existence for the time being. It's enough that you and Da Huang know. We'll tell Mom later. It's no good for you if too many people know."

It was true; if too many people knew of his existence, it would be a devastating blow to both him and his family.

"I understand. So, what are your plans next?" Bai Ya nodded gently.

"It's not convenient to say much. Things aren't peaceful right now. Take care of your own safety, don't run around, and don't go into the mountains."

"I know, we're not three-year-old children."

Bai Ya noticed that Bai Xuan had become much more nagging than before.

And Bai Xuan just wanted to ensure his and his family's safety as much as possible.

In his current situation, if he were discovered by the military, he would definitely implicate his family, and he would be taken back for research or simply blown to smithereens.

Having a weakness meant they would definitely use it to threaten him and make him comply, and Bai Xuan couldn't just stand by and watch them die.

"That's good." Bai Xuan gave a bitter smile. He didn't want to be this nagging either, but he cared too much. He wouldn't even bother reminding anyone else.

"Big Brother, I will protect myself and Mom. You can go ahead and do what you need to do with peace of mind."

Bai Ya belatedly realized why Bai Xuan was being so nagging and hurriedly promised him.