Chapter 821: Conducting the Atavistic Evolution Experiment!

After completing the exchange with the vendor, Locke immediately examined the Double-Chirp Cicada Spiritual Resonance in his hand.

Observing another person's drawn Spiritual Resonance rubbing copy and learning from it has one disadvantage, which is that what you see is not the original form of the Spiritual Resonance but rather that person's own understanding of it.

But most potion-makers would not be so extravagant as to learn from an original Spiritual Resonance for every instance. Rubbing copies are generally what everyone uses.

Locke studied the thin-as-cicada-wings Double-Chirp Cicada Spiritual Resonance rubbing copy in his hand. This was a two-headed magical cicada insect whose Spiritual Resonance was very distinctive. As he studied it, the Spiritual Resonance of the Scarlet Bloodstone came involuntarily to mind.

Second Circle potion studies had an interesting point, which was that the higher the grade of a potion, the more Spiritual Resonance was required to be incorporated.

Locke assessed whether the Double-Chirp Cicada Spiritual Resonance could be combined with the Scarlet Bloodstone's Spiritual Resonance, but at his current level in Spiritual Resonance studies, deep thinking in this area seemed beyond him for the moment.

Locke looked at the vendor and asked, "By the way, do you know whether there are any Second Circle potion studies-related magical books for purchase in this second-hand market? I have been wanting to make a deeper study of potion studies lately."

The vendor immediately realized Locke was probably not yet a Second Circle potion-maker.

"I am sorry. I do not know either. I am also a wizard who is studying potion studies."

Locke realized the vendor was not a Second Circle potion-maker either.

The vendor hesitated for a moment, then said, "I am Stran Rhodes, a formal mentor at the Eternal Glory Hall."

Wizard Stran said, "If you need materials related to potion studies in the future, or have any needs at all, you are welcome to come find me. I am usually in this spot when I come to the second-hand market. Though, if you want to learn potion studies, does your Golden Crown Mountain library not have a great deal of material?"

"From what I hear, it even has the Spiritual Resonance Centennial Commentary. Much more complete than our resources at the Eternal Glory Hall."

"You can read books, do experiments, and self-study alongside each other. If there is anything you do not understand, you can also ask the potion-makers at your Golden Crown Mountain."

Locke said, "True enough. Though Golden Crown Mountain's potion studies and your Eternal Glory Hall's should be at a roughly similar level."

Wizard Stran seemed rather proud and laughed a few times, saying, "When it comes to depth of foundation, it still cannot compare to Golden Crown Mountain."

Locke scanned the other items on the vendor's stall, then used the last Spiritual Resonance rubbing copy he had on hand to trade for a set of split-body potion refinement materials displayed on the stall.

Then Locke left this stall and continued to wander through the second-hand market.

In truth his main purpose was to see if he could find the important archaeological magical tome known as the Black and White Magical Text in this market. While he held no great expectations, he strolled around casually anyway.

Locke had not walked many steps before a wizard wearing an extremely white wizard robe, with an angel wing as a decoration on the left shoulder, came walking toward him.

This wizard wore a pleasant smile and passed Locke at a stall, then suddenly seemed to notice something.

"Wait. Are you Locke Augustine?"

Locke turned to look at him and recalled the information on the seven wizards in the list of special-grade grant rivals his senior had sent him. One of them was Wizard Gakula.

Who had already been dispatched to the Forbidden Forest to deal with the necrotic contamination and earn him faerie blessings.

And the person before him...

Locke guessed, "Are you Brandy?"

Brandy smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes. That you could recognize me at a glance, you really are Wizard Locke Augustine. I am a wizard in the third group. Our previous team leader was that... ahem, traitor. Of course, after she left, the third group was taken over by another team leader. I am currently helping to maintain order in the third group."

This Brandy wizard seemed very amiable.

"Locke, I have long heard of your great name. You seem to be well-regarded by our teacher, and many of our seniors have been paying attention to you. By the way, are you entering the special-grade grant competition next year?"

Locke said, "Yes, I am."

The warm, sunny smile on Brandy's face vanished for just an instant. For a brief moment his pupils seemed to lose all emotional color, looking blankly at Locke.

As though that was his true face.

No emotion.

All the smiling, as though enchanted onto his true face like an enchantment spell.

The next moment, the smile returned to Brandy's face. A wizard with weaker perception would probably find it very difficult to detect the momentary shift in his expression.

Wizard Brandy smiled and said, "That is wonderful. I love competition."

"Otherwise, with the same few old rivals every year, things get rather disappointing."

Wizard Brandy said with a pleasant smile, "I have always believed competition brings out better results from all of us. Without competition, would we not all become complacent? This is probably like how food tastes better when you are racing to eat."

"Oh, right. Junior, we previously set up a group on the water hyacinth system to discuss special-grade grant project applications. All the Second Circle wizards in the Origin Academy were added, though it seems you were accidentally left out."

"Would you like to join?"

Locke declined without hesitation.

"No need, senior."

Wizard Brandy continued to smile. "I wonder whether you have any thoughts on the special-grade grant project, junior. Looking at how composed you are, you seem already quite confident."

Locke nodded.

"For the moment, no. Things will work out in time."

"By next year, new ideas will probably come along."

Wizard Brandy smiled and said, "In that case, why not join me as a team. I have recently been researching a special energy-locking structure in a Second Circle magical plant."

Wizard Brandy produced a fern with antler-like growths. On the undersides of the staghorn fern's leaves there was a special structure resembling human blood vessels.

"The special leaf veins of the Second Circle magical plant Giant Staghorn Fern are very interesting. If you cut it open with a grafting knife, you can see a special liquid that flows out of the staghorn fern like blood. As if a person were bleeding."

"What do you think, is this not fascinating? I believe this may be some kind of structure similar to a blood vessel system. So I am currently researching it. Would you like to join me?"

Wizard Brandy smiled.

"I am quite willing to help others. I believe this is a project with potential for many new discoveries. If you join in, we would have many things to do together."

"If you make any discoveries, you can take them with you."

Locke waved his hand. "Many thanks, Senior Brandy. Only you are about to conclude your station, are you not? If you do not extend next year, then next year will be your last application chance. I should not impose on you."

Locke said, "Besides, even though I have no ideas right now, I imagine that one day some idea will suddenly pop into my head. And then perhaps I could apply for the special-grade grant project in a single go."

"I am only joking. Who knows how these things will go."

Wizard Brandy's smile remained unchanged, still pleasant, though a faint trace of regret showed on his face.

"It does not matter. I was only looking to work on this project of mine together with you, junior."

"No pressure."

Wizard Brandy said, "However, Wizard Augustine, you should be careful."

"There are people in the Origin Academy who will stop at nothing to obtain a project."

"Do you know of Wizard Zhuoma?"

A look of understanding flashed in Locke's eyes.

"That was the incident that caused quite an uproar last year. A colleague of Wizard Zhuoma's experimental results were inexplicably destroyed, preventing him from participating in the academy's internal review for the special-grade grant."

"Later that wizard left Golden Crown Mountain that same year, departing in low spirits."

Wizard Brandy said with a pleasant smile, "Wizard Augustine, you do know about it. That makes things simpler. That incident caused quite a stir. At the time the academy investigated for a long time and actually traced some clues, but because concrete evidence was lacking, they could not do anything to certain people."

"Wizard Zhuoma was supposed to conclude his station this year, but applied for and received an extension. So next year will be his last chance. It is said he had already negotiated with the Root Crown Royal Court of the Raze Lowlands, but forcibly extended by a year for the sake of the special-grade grant."

"Of course, this may be related to the contract between him and the Root Crown Royal Court. As things currently stand, the Root Crown Court appears to require that he obtain the special-grade grant."

The next moment, the pupils of Wizard Brandy's eyes again became devoid of all expression, staring at Locke without a trace of emotion.

He quickly covered his face.

"Apologies. Because of a certain bloodline modification experiment, I am unable to precisely control my own facial expressions. This is a side effect left over from that bloodline modification."

"I have consulted many potion-makers, but none have been able to fully treat this condition. Unless the genetic element of the Seven-Color Deer bloodline is removed from my body, it cannot be fully eradicated."

Wizard Brandy took out his spiritual mushroom and said, "Since you do not want to join the other group chat, let me add you to a more practical one. This is the second-hand scrap recycling group."

Wizard Brandy smiled and explained, "You know as well as I do that all of us are actually quite short on money, with expenses in every direction. Research requires money above all else."

"So we save wherever we can."

"This second-hand scrap recycling group is a small group for Golden Crown Mountain wizards. Many wizards post there directly to list consumables and other items they need or want to sell. Small items that cannot go to the second-hand market, especially consumables, can be sold through this group."

"And sometimes wizards will sell consumables they have no use for at low prices in the group."

"What do you think, would you like to join?"

Locke thought about it and felt that joining this second-hand scrap recycling group was not a bad idea either, as a way of cutting costs.

"All right."

Locke took the opportunity to add Wizard Brandy as a friend, and was also invited by him to join the Second-Hand Scrap Recycling Group.

Wizard Brandy waved at Locke and left.

"Well, I need to keep browsing this second-hand market and see if I can find useful low-cost laboratory equipment. I will head off first. Locke."

Locke nodded. "All right, Wizard Brandy."

After Wizard Brandy left, Locke frowned.

"I cannot determine what kind of person this is. He seems very warm, but excessively so. Unable to precisely control his expressions?"

"My super-intuition cannot react to him. He must be wearing a soul-type magical artifact of some level that shields my prophetic ability. Well, there is no need to dwell on whether he is good or bad."

There was also that Wizard Zhuoma, who seemed to have some connection to destroying others' experimental results.

It seemed some people in the Origin Academy had nearly gone mad in their desperation to obtain the special-grade grant.

When Locke walked out of the second-hand market, he ran into Alexander, who wore a joyful smile.

Locke asked Wizard Alexander, "Alexander, how did it go with that faerie gentleman?"

Alexander smiled. "Very well. The Faerie Clan Bank was more generous than I expected. An interest-free loan. I signed a betting agreement with the Faerie Clan Bank."

"By the way, Locke, you signed too, right?"

Locke fell silent.

He glanced at the faerie wizards who had just walked out of the Witch's Kitchen, then gave a vague nod.

Mainly because with others present, it was not appropriate to say too much.

And the key point was that Alexander had already signed a contract with the Faerie Clan Bank.

That contract had already taken legal effect, and saying anything more now would only offend both parties simultaneously.

Wizard Alexander said, "I needed a lot of money for a project recently and was worried about it. Who would have thought the Faerie Clan Bank could directly lend me thirty-five million magic stones interest-free."

"What a tremendous help."

Wizard Alexander seemed very confident.

"With this money, my store alliance can finally be properly set up."

Locke pressed his lips together.

"Wizard Alexander, what does your store alliance do?"

Wizard Alexander said, "Oh, I am something of a sub-specialty in beast-taming magic. My store alliance primarily sells a local specialty from wizard territories along the Tianjiang River, a type of Shark-Commanding Flute."

"Though I have made some improvements to it, which gives it a better effect."

"The Tianjiang River area does not have many resources. Its main resource is the water of rivers and streams. So the beast-taming magic, oceanography school, and water magic of the energy-shaping school tend to be strong in that area."

Locke gave a slight nod.

Clearly, Wizard Alexander had absolute confidence in his own abilities, which was why he dared to sign a betting agreement with the faerie wizard bank.

So there was nothing for Locke to say.

Who knows, maybe the man really did have that kind of capability.

Wizard Roluler the faerie walked over with a merchant's sly smile, saying, "That is right. In fact, most wizards have always misunderstood us of the Faerie Clan Bank. For us, being able to lend to clients with potential and helping their businesses grow larger and larger is something mutually beneficial."

"Many Second Circle wizards, in their early starting phase, need someone to give them a sum of money. They are just troubled by not having collateral of sufficient value to obtain that money."

"And our bank fills this gap."

The two faerie wizards beside him seemed moved.

"Lord Roluler, we are truly so kind. We are benevolent bankers."

Wizard Roluler the faerie basked in self-admiration, saying, "Of course. We are all very benevolent banker wizards."

Locke frowned and coughed once. These were foxes of a thousand years. There was no need to perform a fairy tale in front of him.

Wizard Roluler the faerie immediately recovered to his normal self and said with a sly smile, "Both of you, doing business with you today has been a pleasure. I obtained two wonderfully different flavors. Until next time then."

Wizard Roluler the faerie left with his two faerie subordinates.

They seemed extremely frugal. Despite being three people, they had only hired a single magical carriage.

So when the wizard driver watched the three faeries trying to cram themselves into a single carriage, cramming for quite some time and still not all fitting in, even his face went dark.

The wizard driver tentatively said, "Three great lords, perhaps you should hire another magical carriage?"

The three faerie wizards collectively yelped as though someone had stepped on their feet.

"No need. This is perfectly fine. We can have one of us ride your magical beast mount instead. That Flame Spirit Horse is only being used to pull the carriage anyway. We can have one person ride on the horse's back."

The wizard driver's nose was nearly crooked with irritation.

But for the sake of that Second Circle faerie wizard, he said nothing and silently drove the magical carriage.

Wizard Alexander raised an eyebrow.

"These faeries really are far too frugal. Do they need to save this little bit of money?"

Locke said, "That is probably just the nature of those faeries."

After saying farewell to Wizard Alexander, Locke went to Little Peach Mountain, entered the Dune Plane, and returned to the Group Two underground laboratory.

At this point, the contamination in the Dune Plane had been brought largely under control.

The ecological damage originally caused by overzealousness had been mostly restored.

Though there was no knowing how much Team Leader Cis had spent on this.

Locke had already planted a large number of Yellow-Robe Mushrooms in the underground laboratory of the Group Two research institute through his clone.

Because of the Small Breath Mountain sponsorship, he could afford to be a little generous, buying a large quantity of high-quality Yellow-Robe Mushroom strains and purchasing a large amount of nutrient soil and magical resources to nourish the hundred-acre magical field.

This hundred-acre magical field was entirely filled with Yellow-Robe Mushrooms.

Locke cut a Yellow-Robe Mushroom down with a grafting knife. As he pressed on the cap, a large burst of yellow spore mist erupted outward.

The special spore powder secreted by Yellow-Robe Mushrooms, once inhaled, caused a person to become extremely fond of wearing yellow clothing while also producing corresponding bodily mutations.

But according to Witch Sophia's research, the Yellow-Robe Mushroom induced atavistic evolution.

Due to the permanent defensive force field shell, this dangerous mushroom had no effect on him.

Locke took out a crucible, placed the Primordial Fire beneath it, and began extracting the Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract.

Inside the crucible, the extract was gradually drawn out and became a pot of thick liquid.

Locke looked at this pot of liquid. This batch of Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract was worth five hundred thousand magic stones.

He harvested the aloe vera magical plants from a neighboring acre of magical field, used the grafting knife to press and extract the juice, and then mixed the Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract into the aloe vera juice at a ratio of one to five.

This aloe vera was White Jade Aloe, an apprentice-level magical plant. Its advantage was its neutral attributes, which would not interfere with the spirituality in the mixture.

It had been carefully selected by the Rose Council as a neutral magical plant liquid for diluting various substances.

"The right ratio is difficult to control. The Rose Council is vague about this, and this is my first time diluting Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract. Let me try it first and adjust based on the results."

Locke placed a Blue Foxtail purchased for the experiment into the diluted Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract.

Very quickly, the diluted extract began to produce many bubbles, and then the Blue Foxtail sank into it.

One after another, magical luminescences circulated across the surface of the Blue Foxtail.

Locke removed the Blue Foxtail from the solution and transplanted it into a neighboring acre of magical field. At the same time he applied the spell model Enhanced Accelerated Growth to the Blue Foxtail, which externally appeared no different than before.

In an instant, the Blue Foxtail's tail-like head, like a thrashing blue dog's tail, grew agitated. Because of the sparse Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract, golden markings gradually appeared on the surface of this magical plant, and it writhed furiously, continuously lashing out in all directions.

Locke was not surprised. This was the frenzied state that often appeared in magical plants when their plant essence cores were being altered.

It indicated tremendous internal change within this First Circle magical plant.

Locke tossed a piece of moss wood pith near the roots of the Blue Foxtail and continued applying accelerated growth. Twenty minutes later, the Blue Foxtail's leaves began to curl, and alternating blue and gold striped markings appeared on its surface.

At the same time, the Blue Foxtail's stem, with its distinctive resilience, suddenly collapsed.

Locke frowned. The Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract had apparently caused a mutation in some factor of the Blue Foxtail, resulting in the loss of lodging resistance.

Locke took out the plant essence core sequencing results for Blue Foxtail that he had borrowed from the library.

"The overall plant essence core of Blue Foxtail has long been thoroughly researched. I can use this plant essence core chart to locate the key plant factors, then use the magical force magnetic field to cut them out and remove the mutated key plant factor."

One hour later, Locke identified three plant factors that might have been responsible for the Blue Foxtail losing its lodging resistance, and then removed them from the Blue Foxtail's plant essence core one by one.

The entire process was like a precise surgical operation. Any slight inattention would damage the normal plant essence core sequence of the entire magical plant.

An hour and a half later, under Locke's accelerated growth and magical resource irrigation, the Blue Foxtail returned to a vertical state.

"I do not know which plant factor was responsible for the mutation that just occurred, but that does not matter."

Locke said, "Just cut them all out. After all, this is only a test specimen."

"This approach is faster. Complete the process once first."

Using Golden Foxtail Grass, a Second Circle magical plant, for the experiment would be far too extravagant.

But Blue Foxtail was only a First Circle magical plant, and he could freely test his ideas on it, allowing it to go through a complete atavistic evolution process.

"Then it is simply a matter of continuing to soak it in the diluted Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract."

Locke said, "The mutation cannot possibly complete itself in a single instance. Otherwise there would have been no point in deliberately diluting the Yellow-Robe Mushroom extract. The overall idea is to slow down the speed of atavistic evolution, so that during the process I can first remove key conflict factors or important pathogenic plant factors that would cause the magical plant to degenerate."

"In order to achieve a controlled atavistic evolution."