Chapter 079

Chapter 079

Bai Xiaoyu reached in to poke the little guy. The fur was incredibly soft and smooth.

The little white tiger let him pet it this time, even rubbing against his palm and eventually jumping onto his hand.

A tiny bundle, it squatted in his palm, lifting its fluffy head to look at him. The eyes of the newborn cub were watery, wet, black, and irresistibly cute. The little white tiger opened its mouth but then seemed to think of something and let out a silent "ao."

Looking at the palm-sized silver-white bundle, Bai Xiaoyu's hand outside the alchemy furnace couldn't help but twitch. But with so many people watching, he restrained himself.

The little white tiger tilted its head and looked at him, its ears twitching slightly, somewhat puzzled.

Why didn't Big Brother touch him when he clearly wanted to?

The little white tiger extended its fluffy front paw, waving it gently, revealing pink paw pads. It was as if it was saying, "Come on, pinch me."

Bai Xiaoyu used his mental power to form a transparent hand and gently pinched it. "Alright, it's about time."

The little white tiger blinked its eyes and lay down to one side, its limbs gradually transforming back into human hands. Its head tilted, body curled up, and hands limp, it quickly reverted to its previous appearance.

When Bai Xiaoyu opened the alchemy furnace, it even winked at him.

Bai Xiaoyu found it amusing. You're such a troublemaker.

He hadn't expected the little one to be so frail yet capable of directly reverting to a white tiger. Its bloodline purity was better than Bai Kan's, who only had half of the white tiger evolutionary bloodline.

Even though the little one's current physique was weak due to congenital issues, its talent was exceptional. It could transform between human and beast forms just days after hatching, unlike other cubs that needed to wait until after birth.

Picking up the little one, it was already morning.

Currently, all 99 eggs had hatched, resulting in 105 cubs.

The ratio of Beastman cubs: Half-Beastman cubs: Pure Human cubs was 43:26:36.

Other trainers usually tested each newborn cub individually for their potential, given that they didn't have as many cubs hatching at once like Bai Xiaoyu did.

With cubs hatching one after another, there was hardly any time to test their physical and mental strength values.

Now that all the cubs had hatched, they began collective testing.

The impressive fighting skills displayed by the cubs earlier had everyone in the live stream eagerly anticipating the results.

The first to be tested were the regional cubs. As expected, the lowest mental strength or physical strength was A-, while the highest was S+. Most fell into the A- category, with only one or two reaching S+. This was higher than the B+ from the previous batch, as these eggs hadn't undergone the same hardships.

Next came the blood eggs. Their physical strength was all above S level, with the highest being S+, which was almost 2S. Unlike the highest-ranked cub from the regional group, this one was much closer to 2S. However, their mental strength was slightly lower than the regional cubs, with some still at S+ and a few at the half-step 2S level, with one reaching 2S.

This was because the Mad Beast Grass tended to impair mental clarity, which took longer to recover, making their mental strength progress slower than the others.

The twenty cubs that Bai Xiaoyu had nurtured included the one with 2S mental strength, the only one with five small mental power antennae on its head.

Next were the cubs from the two legions. Apart from the little lion and the Tibetan Mastiff, which were close to 2S, the rest exceeded S. Surprisingly, the originally matched opponents quickly re-matched after hatching, with two pairs swapping places, making each pair equally matched.

More interestingly, the multi-yolk eggs. All seven had S-level potential, but once they changed color, their potential skyrocketed, each approaching 2S.

These two sets of results left everyone stunned.

After testing them, the unprecedented good data caused a stir in the live stream. In recent years, not only had the birth rate of cubs decreased, but their potential had also declined. Many live streams showed fewer Beastman cubs and high-potential cubs. It seemed the entire star system's cubs were declining, generation after generation.

Now, Bai Xiaoyu had completely broken this trend, not only in the birth rate of Beastman cubs but also in their potential.

However, with so many eggs across the star system, Bai Xiaoyu's limited number of hatched eggs meant many began considering moving to D36 Ninth District. Some interns watched the numerous cubs with excitement.

The interns clenched their fists, secretly pleased with their newly developed tentacle, but now realized it wasn't enough.

Finally, the little one was tested last. Everyone watching the pitiful-looking newborn didn't expect much.

To their surprise, despite the little one's soft, weak hands, its physical strength turned out to be C. Yes, it was even higher than Bai Xiaoyu's. Physical strength was easily detected with a single scan.

Everyone was shocked. How could a C-level physical strength be so weak?

Soon, they discovered the reason. When testing mental strength, the instrument barely detected the little one's mental power. After several attempts, it finally managed to capture the fluctuation, revealing it to be the second below F- in the star system.

The first was his brother. The little one's mental strength was even weaker than his brother's. After all, there was no limit below F-.

Thus, the ordinary pure human cub with low potential immediately lost interest from the various forces in Imperial Star, just like Bai Xiaoyu before. They let him roam around Imperial Star, treating him like a sideshow.

Half an hour after the test results came out, Bai Xiaoyu turned off the live stream. The guardianship application for the little one was fully approved.

Holding the little one, he looked down at the now struggling open eyes. "Little one, you'll follow your big brother from now on."

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the little one, born prematurely and still wrinkled, and was about to laugh when he noticed a familiar resemblance in its features.

For a moment, he was dazed. At that instant, he received a call from Bai Qing.

Answering it, the man appeared on the screen.

Bai Qing carefully examined Bai Xiaoyu and the little one in his arms. "Xiaoyu, since you applied to be the guardian of the little one, your mother and I agreed. However, I've already chosen a name: Bai Ji, ranked 192."

After hanging up, Bai Xiaoyu was still a bit dazed. Bai Ji?

It shared the same name as his nephew, with a slight resemblance, but a completely different personality.

Bai Xiaoyu quickly snapped back to reality. His nephew was his nephew, and the little one was the little one. Even with the same name, he couldn't confuse them.

The little one bit its finger, preferring it when his brother called him "little one" rather than Bai Ji.

The hatching continued throughout the night, and most of the cubs were asleep.

Bai Xiaoyu carried the little one back to the room, and the moment he closed the door, it transformed into a little white tiger in his arms, ignoring the black and silver eggs waiting there. It opened its mouth, "ao ao" calling, and kept rubbing its head against Bai Xiaoyu's neck.

Two eggs as tall as a person stared at the palm-sized yet extremely arrogant little white tiger, feeling helpless for the moment.

Bai Xiaoyu held the little white tiger's paw and indulged himself by stroking it from head to toe before placing the tiny creature on a chair.

"Little one, play with Dahai and Bai Kan for a while. I'll go check on the tentacles and the eggs in the alchemy room."

After he left, the little white tiger immediately formed a tripartite standoff with the two black and silver eggs.

At this moment, a voice from the system echoed in Bai Xiaoyu's mind.

System: "Congratulations to the host for completing the task of successfully hatching fifty-two healthy eggs. Basic reward: 120,000 points. For repairing fifty-two eggs and successfully hatching sixteen beast children, each child earns an additional 10,000 points. Each egg has excellent health and quality, earning an extra 10,000 points per egg. Total: 800,000 points."

System: "Congratulations to the host for triggering the hidden task of hatching seven golden eggs. Reward: 300,000 points."

System: "Congratulations to the host for triggering the bonus task of personally raising Little One, who is a white tiger. Reward: 100,000 points."

System: "Congratulations to the host for providing cheap nutrient solutions to over 3,000 cultivation facilities across a thousand planets for three months. Currently, 7,000 eggs have benefited from hatching, earning 100 points per egg. Total: 700,000 points."

System: "Including the other forty-five high-quality eggs you hatched this time, each earning 10,000 points, the total reward is 450,000 points. The grand total is 2,350,000 points. Please check your balance."

Bai Xiaoyu was momentarily stunned by the long list of completed tasks, then finally came to his senses and asked, "Do I get points for eggs that weren't directly hatched by me?"

System: "Yes, but not as many as those you directly nurtured. Additionally, the rewards are based on the effectiveness of the potions you provided for the eggs. Both the cultivator and the potions can increase the points, up to half the points earned from hatching the eggs. Please continue your efforts."

System: "Considering the host previously owed 700,000 points and used the system three times at 10,000 points each, plus the monthly unlimited usage for two months, the total debt is 850,000 points. This amount will be automatically deducted, leaving you with 1,500,000 points."

System: "Congratulations to the host for clearing the debt. With over one million points, you meet the criteria to unlock the Points Exchange Store. Please access it through your personal homepage."

Bai Xiaoyu was surprised and opened the personal homepage generated by the system on his optical brain. The icon that was previously dark had now lit up. It looked like an ordinary egg-shaped icon; if not for the word "Store" above it, he wouldn't have recognized it as such.

He gently tapped it, and in the next second, although his body remained where it was, his consciousness split, partially staying there and partially entering the store. This sensation was similar to the immersive experience of interstellar holographic internet.

Soon, he stood at the entrance of the store. In front of him was a shop with rows of compartments. Only three compartments were currently illuminated.

Bai Xiaoyu clicked on the first illuminated compartment, revealing a familiar instrument—the nutrient solution refining device that Tao Limeng had been researching.

The price tag read one million points, plus additional credits. When Bai Xiaoyu looked at the credit requirement, a long string of numbers made him pause.

Hundreds of millions...

Seeing the starting price of one hundred billion credits for the refining device, Bai Xiaoyu recalled how the credits he received were quickly reinvested into the development of the Herb Base.

"System..."

System: "Host, the prices in the system are fair. They are based on interstellar standards, halved for your current novice status, and further discounted to ten percent. No bargaining, please. Host, work hard to earn more credits."

Bai Xiaoyu remembered Tao Limeng mentioning that the technology behind the refining device surpassed interstellar standards by a century, and Tao Limeng estimated its value to be even higher than the system's original price.

Taking a deep breath, he realized that Tao Limeng's team had nearly finished their version of the nutrient solution refining device.

He clicked on the next compartment, which revealed the repair potion refining device. Similarly priced at one million points, the credit requirement was equally daunting.

The next one was the vitality potion refining device, requiring two million points, with the credit requirement doubled.

Bai Xiaoyu: "Only these three? What about the bone-washing potion?"

System: "There are others, but your current exchange store can only display three at a time, changing periodically. You can refresh it for 20,000 points each time, with no limit. However, finding what you need relies on luck. Today, because you unlocked the store, the different three items displayed simultaneously are a special benefit. Tomorrow, they might all be the same item. As for the bone-washing potion refining device, it hasn't been unlocked yet. You need a total of five million points to unlock it."

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

He saw no point in refreshing since he lacked the credits to purchase any of them.

System: "Host, don't worry about the points. Today's points are just the first batch from three months ago. You'll receive points daily, depending on the number of eggs and their repair levels. Now, the important thing is credits. The more powerful the device, the more credits required."

Bai Xiaoyu: "System, your store should be called the Credit Point System. By the way, do you have a device for refining the life-renewing potion that can restore human vitality?"

He hadn't forgotten the situation with the retired soldiers. Refining the elixir from the cultivation world was too slow, and he didn't have the time to focus solely on research.

Moreover, the sooner the soldiers could use the life-renewing potion, the less suffering they would endure.

System: "Host, the current refining devices in the store are based on the processes you've used. If you haven't refined a potion, the system cannot generate it. Please refine the life-renewing potion, and the system will record the data and generate it within a month, then make it available for exchange."

Bai Xiaoyu: "...I understand."

With that, he logged out.

System: "Host, aren't you going to look at the other devices and items available for exchange?"

Bai Xiaoyu: "Next time."

Upon exiting, Bai Xiaoyu saw an egg encircled by deep blue tentacles. The egg shook excitedly upon seeing him, though the tentacles seemed reluctant.

Usually, it was fine, but whenever any species approached the egg, the tentacles disliked it. Compared to others, not attacking him and allowing him to approach the egg was already a sign of tolerance.

Bai Xiaoyu gave the egg some nutrient liquid and also fed the tentacles, which was why he wasn't attacked. Since he started feeding the deep blue tentacle, he noticed its hostility toward him had diminished.

The tentacles inside the egg treated him well, and this one was somewhat influenced, though the change was minimal.

Looking at the egg, he knew it was the first of the next batch. Given that live streaming during cultivation was inevitable, he planned to handle this egg personally to manage its involvement in the broadcasts.

After feeding, Bai Xiaoyu checked the egg's condition and found nothing unusual, so he left.

The next day, parents were playing with the newly hatched eggs. Bai Xiaoyu joined them, spending time with the twenty eggs he had nurtured, along with Little One, making it twenty-one in total.

Not long after arriving, he saw Ye Feng and his partner playing with seven little ones. The stern man looked slightly surprised upon seeing him.

The system suddenly spoke up, "Hello, host. A new task has been issued—hatching eggs that entered dormancy twenty years ago. Basic reward: 50,000 points. Additional rewards based on the hatching progress."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Eggs from twenty years ago?"

He naturally knew what had happened. In the starry expanse, many eggs, due to various circumstances, failed to find a Cultivator within the designated time and were thus placed into specialized equipment for hibernation.

However, if given a choice, parents would never let their eggs hibernate. Hibernation itself is a process where the equipment forcibly keeps the egg in a dormant state, causing significant harm. Many eggs that have hibernated face an even greater challenge when it comes to being cultivated again, with the difficulty often doubling or more.

Not all eggs can successfully enter a hibernation state either. Some that cannot withstand it end up in eternal sleep, turning into silent eggs.

The older the egg, the harder it is to hatch.

President Luo had previously mentioned the hibernating eggs at the Cultivation Association to him. He planned to try cultivating a few eggs that had been hibernating for a shorter period, but the system directly assigned him a task involving an egg that had been hibernating for twenty years.

The system has always been precise and timely with its tasks.

His optical brain flashed, and upon checking, he saw it was indeed President Luo.

After connecting, President Luo's voice quickly came through: "Xiaoyu, you've perfectly hatched these damaged eggs and double-yolked eggs. Do you want to give those hibernating eggs I mentioned a try? Don't worry, I'll select a few eggs that have been hibernating for less than three years, which have a higher chance of success."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded: "I can't be sure if I can do it."

President Luo: "I believe in you."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Apart from the eggs you mentioned, do you have any eggs that have been hibernating for twenty years?"

President Luo was taken aback: "Of course we do."

Just this morning, someone reported that a twenty-year-old egg had developed issues and urgently needed to be hatched.

Bai Xiaoyu then took on one egg that had been hibernating for twenty years and five eggs that had been hibernating for less than three years.

Just as he turned around, he noticed a man near Ye Feng walking over and stopping in front of him. "Cultivator Bai, is there still space for the next batch of egg cultivation? I have an egg that has been hibernating for over twenty years. Would you be willing to take it on?"

Bai Xiaoyu was surprised. Another egg that had been hibernating for over twenty years?

System: "Don't doubt it. All triggers at this moment are task targets, with no upper limit."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded: "If you trust me, but let's be clear, I've never cultivated a hibernating egg before."

The man sighed in relief. "You're the most suitable cultivator I've found in twenty years. If you can't handle it, I doubt anyone else can. My name is Xiao Yue, and I'm very grateful you agreed. If you need anything in the future, just let me know."

Taking another egg, Bai Xiaoyu walked towards the twenty little ones without parents.

The little ones excitedly surrounded Bai Xiaoyu, and soon his body was covered with them.

These children had excellent potential, and after just one day, many people had already applied to adopt them at the Cultivation Association.