Chapter 58: Primordial Exotic Species

“What!?”

Lu Yu was taken aback for a moment, thinking he had heard wrong, and he quickly said, “Is there really such a skill?”

But he had just browsed through all the elite-tier extraordinary materials and even took a glance at the commander-tier that he couldn’t afford, yet he had not seen any skills with similar abilities.

Could it be that he overlooked it?

Or is it that it’s a material from the dominator-tier, which he does not have the authority to access?

The sales clerk, who had just made a significant achievement, was also in a good mood and said with a smile, “Of course, it’s just that such skills are not available in the commerce association. Even if there are similar skills, they would be of the dominator-tier materials which require the authority of a Star VIP. What I am talking about is in an ecological secret realm near Dayuan City.”

“Near Dayuan City?”

As a top student, Lu Yu naturally had an abundance of knowledge. His mind flashed through various ecological secret realms, from the ordinary difficulty of Peach Blossoms Forest, Vampire Swamp, Primordial Tree Forest, and even thought of some mid-to-high-level secret realms.

Eventually, his thoughts settled on one particular ecological secret realm.

The two of them looked at each other and then said the same answer:

“The Ant Hill Secret Realm!”

The sales clerk was surprised and continued, “Well done, customer. You are quite knowledgeable. It is indeed the Ant Hill Secret Realm, a three-star level secret realm. The reason I mention it is because of that legend!”

Lu Yu nodded, familiar with the subject.

Although the Ant Hill Secret Realm was named after ‘ants,’ it was not only home to ant-like pet beasts but was dominated by desert terrain combined with Gobi, caves, oases, and so forth. It was inhabited by numerous rock and earth-type, and even water-type pet beasts.

However, it also housed a large number of Desert Fire Ants, a kind of low-tier servile extraordinary creature. Each the size of a finger, ordinary people could kill them with a stick.

But when they gather in the thousands or tens of thousands, they become a sea of fire that burns everything in its path, even making commander-tier pet beasts retreat if they encounter more than a hundred thousand Desert Fire Ants, lest they be consumed to ashes by the incessant onslaught of the ants.

Most of the time, these ants are scattered in various places searching for food, carcasses, monster scales, and shells to carry back to the nest to help build and feed the queen, among other things.

During this time, they also fall prey to desert foxes, anteaters, long-eared rabbits, and other creatures, not

only controlling the numbers of fire ants but also serving as food for higher predators, forming a complete ecological chain.

The original Ant Hill Secret Realm was a fallen territory of a powerful ant-class pet beast, with its servile ants occupying the area. After countless generations of breeding, it evolved into today’s Desert Fire Ants. Legend has it that before its death, it also left behind ant eggs sealed in a corner, waiting for the day of hatching in the future.

Most people took this as a fun fairy tale, but a few years ago, the mysterious ant’s dead body was discovered.

After researchers examined it, they identified it as the “Barren Might Ant,” a primordial exotic breed from ancient times, with a minimum strength of the dominator-tier, and a female, causing a sensation.

Primordial exotic species refer to a kind of special pet beast situated between a dominator and a commander.

The reason being, dominator pet beasts are defined by possessing one super-tier skill, numerous high-tier skills, and a multitude of mid-to-low tier skills.

Whereas primordial exotic species possess just one super-tier skill and no other skills, nor can they learn any other skills, making them a type of extreme pet beast.

Therefore, their cultivation is extremely important: the strong ones can be on par with those above dominators, but the weak may be even weaker than regular commander-tier pet beasts—a special beast that exhibits extreme polarity.

Nevertheless, primordial exotic species are still sought after and priced highly, far exceeding commander-tier.

The Barren Might Ant is among the elites of primordial exotic species, owning the super-tier racial talent “Ring of Strength”.

It can transform the extraordinary organs of devoured monsters into special rings of flesh that augment its own strength. Moreover,

the Barren Might Ant has a special body structure that unleashes up to twenty times the power of its abilities, which for the ant itself, is not unlike top super-tier skills.

The skill’s effect is that consuming the flesh of a complete servile-tier pet beast can condense a ring of strength with up to twenty in total, each increasing strength by a hundred pounds.

Then, elite-tier pet beast flesh is required for condensing twenty rings, each adding two hundred pounds of strength.

Each commander-tier ring increases strength by four hundred pounds while beginning from the dominator-tier, every ring can add four thousand pounds of strength.

As for higher tiers… The Barren Might Ant is only a primordial exotic species and rather scarce, so no one has been able to attempt condensing strength rings from them.

However, the difficulty lies not only in the disparity of strength but also because as pet beasts grow in power, their flesh and souls metamorphose toward mythical creatures.

Lower life forms that rashly consume flesh of such calibers risk being tainted by its will, enslaved, twisted, or even assimilated into part of the higher being’s existence.

But according to expert researchers, condensing force rings from higher life forms’ flesh might equate to the sum of all former rings in one.

If one can eliminate contamination, it could greatly enhance the strength of a beast like the Barren Might Ant that relies on magnifying power base.

And such contamination for countless others is a dreaded plight, but for Lu Yu, it is a minor concern.

Are there any contaminations that can compare to the taboo sun?

If he could gain the “Ring of Strength” skill, even if he cannot currently kill a commander-tier pet beast, the first forty rings should be easily attainable.

And if he could collect another twenty from commander-tier, that would be a total of fourteenth thousand pounds of power—equivalent to seven tons.

It may not sound like much, but this is pure physical strength without any additional spiritual power. A punch unleashed would be no less than a high-speed impact from a charging war vehicle. With the addition of extraordinary power, unleashing a hundred punches in an instant, the opponent’s flesh would be pulverized into dust.

Combined with Little Spider’s spatial strength, it would become a nightmare for any opponent. Among peers, it would decidedly place him among the top echelon of strength. And if he could create a special secret food that doubles strength and max out proficiency,

there is every chance to surpass the Barren Might Ant and combine a skill comparable to the legendary tier!

Little Spider renamed itself “Void Mighty Spider” overnight!

However, this is just wishful thinking. After all, over the long years, the flesh and extraordinary organs of the Barren Might Ant have weathered away, leaving only a skeleton.

Not to mention whether material can be extracted from it, this skeleton was moved to the imperial capital research institute for study years ago.

Ordinary people have no qualifications to enter, let alone see it!

As for the so-called ant eggs… they are even more elusive. After the sensation several years ago, many adventuring groups and explorers swarmed in, conducting thorough searches but without finding any trace.

Instead, a large part of them became desiccated skeletons in the mound, mobile rations for monsters.

However, the exploration progress of the Ant Hill Secret Realm was vastly accelerated, which led some people to suspect that it was intentionally orchestrated by the League to deceive people into helping explore unknown secret realms.

Over time, fewer sought it out.

Lu Yu, who dislikes cryptic people, asked directly:

“Has there been new information about the Ant Hill Secret Realm?”

He wasn’t worried that the other party would deceive him, a customer who just spent a million, with old information.

Because deception has no meaning and only offends. Since it was mentioned, it indicates recent changes, and substantial news is likely.

It might even be a discovery of the ant egg fossil!

For others, it might be useless and can only serve as a collectible, but Lu Yu is different; he could attempt to extract material from it!

The sales clerk nodded and said seriously, “Three days ago, due to a sudden rampage by the Desert Fire Ants causing some chaos, someone took on a task to investigate the cause but unexpectedly witnessed the battle of a giant golden armored ant.

At first, it was believed to be a kind of special ant pet beast. However, during the battle, twenty-seven rings of flesh manifested on its body, confirming that this was the legendary Barren Might Ant. This scene was coincidentally recorded by a personal recording device.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu’s pupils shook…