3: Chapter 3 Mutant Eagle, Second Tier 1

The crow gestured several more times.

Bai Xuan finally understood; the crow was asking if he was troubled because of the Goshawk couple.

To this, Bai Xuan gently shook his head, indicating it was not the case.

In truth, Bai Xuan didn't harbor much affection for the Goshawk couple, and even if he wanted to, there was none to be had.

...

The next day.

Bai Xuan had been hunting prey all along. His body length reached seventy centimeters, with a wingspan of one point eight meters.

He grew rapidly. Each time he woke, his body showed obvious improvement, and his strength naturally followed suit.

[Race]: Mutant Goshawk.

[Level]: Lower Tier Stage One.

[Skills]: Eagle Peck [Advanced], Sharp Talons [Advanced], Vision [Advanced], Flight [Advanced].

[Evolution]: {18/20}

Just two evolution points short to evolve again.

At this moment, Bai Xuan was chasing a small antelope. His Flight was agile, weaving through the densely wooded forest. His round eyes, yellow on the outer layer and black in the middle, locked onto the target. His sharp Sharp Talons were poised and ready.

With a 'whoosh' sound, the Sharp Talons pierced into flesh, gripping the small antelope's neck firmly. The antelope struggled desperately but to no avail.

Finally, its neck was twisted, its breath ceased completely, and it perished there.

Relying on his own strength, Bai Xuan carried the small antelope to a tree branch and began to enjoy his meal, tearing off the fur and eating the flesh in large mouthfuls:

[Devoured small antelope flesh, gained 0.05 evolution points.]

...

And so, Bai Xuan finished eating the small antelope, gaining 0.8 evolution points.

A single creature provided limited evolution points. Upon reaching a certain value, no more evolution points could be obtained from it.

Only the entrails and head of the small antelope remained. Bai Xuan tossed them off the branch. He now needed 1.2 more evolution points and aimed to finish collecting them today.

Meanwhile, a bamboo pit viper appeared within Bai Xuan's field of vision.

Its body was about three meters long. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a mutant bamboo pit viper.

[Race]: Mutant Bamboo Pit Viper.

[Level]: Lower Tier Stage One {Venomous}

This was the second creature with a level that Bai Xuan had encountered.

Bai Xuan hid within dense foliage, watching the bamboo pit viper intently.

Its entire body was green with a triangular head. It crawled onto another large tree, onto a branch. The dense leaves made the viper hard to spot; its green scales served as natural camouflage.

The system's prompt indicated 'venomous,' so Bai Xuan dared not act rashly. He observed the viper's movements, checking if it had noticed him, waiting for the right moment to strike, ensuring he could kill it without injury.

The bamboo pit viper flicked its tongue, slithered into a bird's nest on the tree, opened its gaping maw, and began swallowing eggs. It seemed unaware of Bai Xuan's presence.

Bai Xuan's position was several meters higher than the viper's, allowing for a diving attack to kill it in one strike.

Bai Xuan held his breath, focused his mind, and seized the moment just as the viper began swallowing eggs. He flapped his wings, dove down, and attacked the bamboo pit viper.

His speed was extreme, like an arrow piercing through the air, heading straight for the viper.

The bamboo pit viper sensed the approaching danger, turned its head, and saw a black shadow flash by. Sharp Talons pierced its neck and its vital point.

Bai Xuan pressed it firmly under his talons. The viper struggled desperately, its long body thrashing, trying to break free.

The bamboo pit viper's vitality was tenacious. Even if its head were severed, it could still attack. The viper tried to twist its head to bite Bai Xuan's foot.

Bai Xuan gave it no chance. He pecked at the top of the viper's head while his Sharp Talons tore at its neck, aiming to separate the snake's head from its body.

Before long, Bai Xuan tore off the viper's entire head and threw it down the tree.

The viper did not die immediately. Its head lay under the tree, mouth agape, revealing sharp fangs, raging helplessly as if it would bite any creature that came near.

Bai Xuan watched the snake head below, unmoved, and began to enjoy his meal, eating the snake flesh. The headless body remained vigorous, trying to coil around Bai Xuan's foot.

But it was futile; Bai Xuan deflected and suppressed it each time.

[Devoured Mutant Bamboo Pit Viper flesh, gained 0.1 evolution points.]

...

Finally, after eating half of the viper's body, the system stopped prompting. He gained a total of 2 evolution points.

The snake head on the ground had also ceased moving.

Seeing this, Bai Xuan stopped devouring the flesh, grabbed the remaining snake meat, and flew into the distance.

Bai Xuan planned to give the remaining flesh to the crow. After all, it was from a mutant bamboo pit viper, which might be somewhat helpful to the crow.

After some time, Bai Xuan arrived at a cliff face where there was a bird's nest—the crow's dwelling.

It was quite peculiar that the crow could build its home here.

Perhaps it was for the high vantage point. Bai Xuan had also found a new dwelling for himself, located in a hidden cave.

He built a bird's nest there, lined with animal fur, making it very soft and comfortable.

Upon seeing Bai Xuan's arrival, the crow noticed his size seemed to have increased again. How much time had passed? Truly a racial talent, incomparable, utterly incomparable.

By now, the crow had grown accustomed to it and was no longer as shocked as at the beginning.

Bai Xuan landed on the nest, placed the bamboo pit viper's corpse before the crow, and called out, "Coo coo."

The sound was friendly.

An eagle's cry, in contrast, was high-pitched and sharp, awe-inspiring.

Now, Bai Xuan could engage in simple communication with the crow. From the pitch of sounds and body language, he could discern what the other intended to express.

Looking at the remaining half of the bamboo pit viper's body, the crow was surprised. It could tell this viper was unusual. Could it be, like itself and the Goshawk, a mutant creature?

The crow nodded at Bai Xuan and called out twice, "Caw caw," expressing thanks.

Then it began to eat the bamboo pit viper. Mutant creatures were very beneficial to oneself.

They were highly nutritious; consuming them could accelerate growth speed.

The crow's size hadn't changed from three days ago, with a body length of 55 centimeters.

After a brief exchange with the crow, Bai Xuan left.

He flew towards his own lair.

...

Night fell, the bright moon hanging in the sky.

"System, begin evolution." Bai Xuan crouched in his bird's nest.

[Consumed 20 evolution points. Evolution commencing.]

As soon as the words fell, Bai Xuan's body grew hot, his blood circulation accelerated, and his body slowly enlarged.

Half an hour later, the evolution succeeded.

Bai Xuan slowly opened his eyes. The system panel appeared before him:

[Race]: Mutant Goshawk.

[Level]: Lower Tier Stage Two.

[Skills]: Eagle Peck [Max Level], Sharp Talons [Max Level], Vision [Max Level], Flight [Max Level].

[Evolution]: {0.8/30}

[System Skills]: Insightful Eye, Animal Communication [Can communicate with animals.]

Bai Xuan's body length reached one meter, with a wingspan of two point five meters. His feather structure became harder and smoother, capable of significantly reducing air resistance. His beak and Sharp Talons turned red, sharp and hard, with an obvious increase in attack power.

His vision improved more than tenfold. He could clearly see a small ant over a hundred meters away, in perfect detail, even discerning how many hairs were on its body.

It had long surpassed the limits of an ordinary Goshawk.

...