Blood of Evolution

The name had been chosen for the grey dog.

—Grey Shadow.

This was the first name bestowed upon a beast of this new era.

However, Xi Gu did not carry the self-awareness that he was "making history," "marking an indelible ink on human civilization," or "unfolding a new chapter for the world."

On the other hand, the grey dog didn't feel that the name "Grey Shadow" lacked dominance, mystery, or didn't represent its status as the "historic first beast."

On the contrary, after receiving its name from its master, the dog wagged its tail proudly, circling Xi Gu in excitement.

"Grey... Shadow... name... excited!"

"Alright, alright."

With a chuckling pat, Xi Gu gestured dismissively.

"To celebrate our successful experiment, let's have a feast today!"

...

After ordering some food and procuring fresh ingredients, Xi Gu prepared a pot of delicious hotpot at home.

Xi Gu set down his chopsticks after eating just a little.

It had been almost ten years since he discovered his superpowers. He transformed from a regular fifteen-year-old boy to a secretive twenty-five-year-old young man, filled with enigmas.

Over a decade, he grew stronger by one percent every day. Now, his strength was over thirty trillion times that of an average human. The strength of a single arm was close to 180 trillion tons. The speed of his punches reached up to 20,000 km/s.

His punches exerted an energy equivalent to 3.6e+28 joules, around 200 million times the power of the entire global nuclear arsenal during the Cold War, ninety thousand times the energy of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, and nearly one-thousandth of the sun's daily energy output.

...Yet, even with such immense power, he didn't need to consume an equivalent amount of energy or eat a trillion meals a day to maintain his health.

This was a power of the metaphysical realm, not bound by the law of conservation of energy.

In fact, by the age of twenty, Xi Gu discovered he no longer needed to eat.

Perhaps the vast energy supporting his body truly came from another dimension.

As time went by, the allure of food diminished.

What we call "delicious" is just the brain's reaction to specific chemical compositions during human evolution. Everything consumed breaks down to a combination of molecules and atoms.

If he wanted, Xi Gu could adjust his taste buds, oral cavity, esophagus, and stomach sensors to give his brain feedback even more delightful than the most exquisite matured beef.

But with continuous evolution, Xi Gu became desensitized to these pure neural pleasures.

Now, he remained unfazed no matter what he ate and didn't derive much pleasure from taste. The only reason he still ate was to retain some semblance of human habits.

—That's all there was to it.

While Xi Gu felt indifferent about food, Grey Shadow's reactions were quite the opposite.

Inside the house, facing the ingredients Xi Gu had bought, the creature eagerly devoured plate after plate.

"Huff... Huff..."

Grey Shadow feasted, and the tens of kilograms of beef that Xi Gu had bought were quickly devoured. Soon after, more meat that Xi Gu hurriedly procured was swiftly consumed by Grey Shadow.

In a short span of time, the food it consumed far exceeded its own weight. Only after stuffing itself with over a hundred kilograms of food did Grey Shadow lie contentedly on the floor, exposing its belly to Xi Gu.

"...Oh?"

A hint of astonishment arose in Xi Gu's mind.

Through his perceptions, the food that Grey Shadow had just consumed was being broken down into heat energy by its rapid digestive process. This energy was then rapidly converted, making Grey Shadow's body even stronger.

Its muscles tightened, blood circulated quickly, and its heart beat rapidly. Beneath Grey Shadow's relaxed appearance, its body was utilizing the energy at an impressive rate to further develop its neural and muscular structure.

The source of this rapid evolution...

"...Is it due to my 'Blood of Evolution'?"

Xi Gu pondered thoughtfully.

"...It seems after absorbing my 'Blood of Evolution', a creature's strength doesn't just stop at the level it was when it first consumed the blood. Given sufficient food and energy, their bodies can grow even stronger.

"...Even though my own capabilities have now grown to a point where I can rival a star's explosive power without needing any external energy, the 'Blood of Evolution' that I deliberately separated from myself does need the energy of the physical realm to stimulate evolution...

This sensation, of only the detached blood being influenced by the laws of the real world, felt like..."

Xi Gu shook his head.

Although it might sound arrogant, Xi Gu felt as if his metaphysical 'daily growth of one percent' power was like an emperor, soaring high above the laws of the material world. An emperor whose power was much greater than all famous human rulers in history combined.

The laws of the real world were like officials under this emperor's rule.

Anything related to Xi Gu's body and governed by his 'daily growth' ability was like being in the emperor's court, where the physical laws had no say. Even the law of conservation of energy could only sit silently.

However, if it was the 'Blood of Evolution' that he deliberately disconnected from himself, things were different. Just like officials in a remote province far from the emperor's direct gaze, they had more freedom.

With this perspective, the otherwise cold and rigid laws of the universe seemed a little pitiful in front of Xi Gu.

From this point of view—

"Is it about... priority levels?"

A look of intrigue appeared on Xi Gu's face.

"My inherent power level is far above reality, so the physical rules of the real world must adhere to it. However, the 'Blood of Evolution', derived from my power, has a similar or even slightly lower priority than these physical rules. Hence, the real world can add its 'energy is required for enhancement' rule to the mix.

The current observations suggest this. However... further research is needed."

Xi Gu took a deep breath and smiled.

"...Let's continue.

Let's move forward and see what results the 'Blood of Evolution' can bring when combined with other organisms!"