CHAPTER 108: CHAPTER 102: SATISFYING CATALOG EXPERIENCE, THE MYSTERY OF PAPERMAN!

"Why does it feel like the decades I’ve spent here in the Heart of Woods have been less thrilling than your one month, kid?"

Su Anyong watched the little Paperman in the distance and listened to Su Ping’s words, which seemed to relate to the Secret Realm. He took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled a smoke ring with some annoyance, and watched it slowly drift up into the sky.

"So you’ve perfected our ancestral breeding and Evolution method, accidentally developed a new Pet Beast Evolution method, and even discovered that there’s a Secret Realm on our own little patch of land? What else have you done this month?"

Su Ping opened his mouth but didn’t mention Qin Xiaoxue. As a proud man, he naturally found it embarrassing to admit to being supported by a woman.

So he awkwardly changed the subject. "What do you know about the Secret Realm, and what do you think of it?"

"Don’t you know it all? It’s a Beast Taming Space left by a group of ancient, powerful Beast Tamers. Some were left unintentionally after their deaths, while others were purposefully arranged to leave behind a legacy," Su Anyong said indifferently. "Of course, the value of a Secret Realm is undeniable. So, when the time comes, you can choose whether to develop it alone or cooperate with other organizations."

"Eh?" Su Ping gave his father an odd look. "You’re not staying to work on it with me?"

Su Anyong shook his head. "I still have unfinished business in Beihai City; your stepmother is waiting for me there. I came back this time just to see how you and Old Sha were managing, since it’s your first time in charge. But now it seems I was overthinking it."

Indeed, he had overthought it. Su Anyong felt that, without him, the Heart of Woods seemed more prosperous than ever before.

Could it be that he had been hindering the development of the Heart of Woods all these years?

Su Anyong questioned his life choices.

Perhaps he should have been under the car, not inside it.

Pushing down the speechlessness in his heart, Su Anyong’s gaze returned to the little Paperman, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you thinking of contracting this little thing as your second Pet Beast?"

Su Ping nodded as if it went without saying.

"This little Paperman is indeed a bit strange. As you said, it can freely enter and exit that Secret Realm. I suspect it’s directly connected to that Secret Realm. Plus, it has developed a Metal Element Mutation. But..."

"But what?" Su Ping looked at Su Anyong.

His father’s expression was serious. "Papermen are known as the disgrace of the Necromancy Series. Do you know why?"

Su Ping nodded. "Because they’re weak."

"Weak, of course. But you need to understand just how weak! It’s not just weak; it’s utterly lacking in potential!"

Su Ping looked at Su Anyong, waiting for him to continue.

Su Anyong elaborated, "Papermen have only one Racial Skill: Paper Body Folding. It’s a trivial skill that allows them to freely alter their physical form. Other than that, they have no other Racial Skills. As a Breeder, you should understand the implications of this."

Su Ping’s brows slowly knitted together.

He certainly grasped the meaning behind Su Anyong’s words.

Racial Skills dictate their corresponding development and even affect Evolution pathways. Vice President Liu had made this crystal clear in his class. The growth of Skills is crucial for deciding the direction of Cultivation and possible evolutionary paths. Having few foundational Racial Skills naturally means that research into evolutionary paths would likely revolve around just that one skill, which presents an enormous challenge.

However, his frown wasn’t just about that.

It was for a simple reason.

In the Myriad Spirit Beast Atlas, the Racial Skills listed for the Paperman included not only Paper Body Folding but another skill: Paper Body Joint!

He looked at Su Anyong suspiciously. "All Papermen have only this one skill? There are no others?"

"Of course, there are exceptions. Take your variant, for instance; it’s already quite something for it to have that absurd Jinge Technique and other cultivated Skills. But unlike the Forest Wolf, which has four Racial Skills, a Paperman typically has only one."

Really?

Su Ping had been too busy lately to pay much attention to the Cultivation of the little Paperman or Papermen in general. He simply let it continue practicing its Swordsmanship and the Jinge Technique, coupled with Rapid Casting.

So his knowledge of Papermen was still at a very basic level.

Was the Myriad Spirit Beast Atlas wrong? Did Papermen truly lack a so-called Paper Body Joint Racial Skill? After all, even his own father said so! But that couldn’t be possible! No sooner had this thought emerged than Su Ping snuffed it out in its infancy.

However, at this moment, Su Ping was truly curious about the Paperman, this weak yet special Undead Pet Beast.

Su Anyong didn’t notice the change in Su Ping’s expression and continued, "So, if you want to contract this creature, it’s best to assess the situation within that Secret Realm first. To my knowledge, the evolutionary channels for Papermen are average at best. Even the race limit of their evolved species doesn’t exceed Elite Sixth Rank."

Su Anyong didn’t directly advise Su Ping to give up on contracting the little Paperman.

In his view, even as a variant, this Paperman simply couldn’t compare to the Forest Wolf.

As for the Secret Realm, while precious, no treasure within could be more important than a contract slot for his son’s Pet Beast.

But he knew his son all too well: Su Ping was decisive and had his own ideas. All Su Anyong could do was present the facts and his own experience as supporting arguments.