Although he was being watched by someone, Gu Yuan didn't panic at all; instead, he continued to wander around the streets.
However, the feeling this person behind him gave was a bit like Cheng Gang from before, with a hint of ferocity.
"Could it be that this person is a Martial Master?"
Thinking this, Gu Yuan's expression turned a bit serious.
He knew very little about the Martial Masters of this world and wasn't aware of their methods, but they were definitely hard to deal with.
Nevertheless, since this was the case, he had to be cautious moving forward.
Shortly after that, as Gu Yuan wandered, he suddenly darted into a small alley.
"Huh? Where did he go? Why did that kid disappear in the blink of an eye?"
A middle-aged man with a gloomy face and a hooked nose scanned his surroundings, only to find that Gu Yuan's figure had already vanished.
Startled, he began to search the area.
Meanwhile, in the alley, Gu Yuan opened his attribute panel:
[Beast Master]: Gu Yuan
[Status]: Normal
[Beast Pet]: Mountain Rat (Can evolve into Iron-toothed Rat, requires 30 Dao Rhyme Points).
[Cultivation]: None
[Dao Rhyme]: 49
...
Earlier, Gu Yuan obtained 49 Dao Rhyme Points from the Scholar Lin Zhou.
Hmm, 49... it's quite a magical number.
At the very least, it's enough for the Mountain Rat to evolve into an Iron-toothed Rat!
Mountain Rat Ah Huang emerged from Gu Yuan's embrace and stood on his shoulder.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
Seemingly sensing something, it let out a cry.
[Consume 30 Dao Rhyme Points to evolve the Mountain Rat into an Iron-toothed Rat, Accept/Reject?]
Gu Yuan petted Ah Huang's head, thinking to himself: "Accept!"
In the next moment, the 49 Dao Rhyme Points on Gu Yuan's attribute panel silently turned into 19.
At the same time, a thin layer of white light began to emanate from Ah Huang's body surface.
This layer of white light was not bright, yet it was filled with a gentle and pure aura, enveloping Ah Huang's entire body.
Ah Huang's body was undergoing some changes.
Its body size gradually increased, elongated, and the light brown fur on its body deepened, turning toward a gray-black hue.
Its teeth and claws became sharper and more pointed!
"Squeak, squeak..."
Mountain Rat Ah Huang seemed to be in some pain, its cries sharp and piercing.
But from the connection between him and the rat, Gu Yuan sensed that though it was in pain now, it was also very excited.
Clearly, it instinctively felt that this change was greatly beneficial to it!
After a dozen or so breaths, the light on Ah Huang began to dim and gradually retracted into its body.
Then, several pieces of information appeared before his eyes:
[Evolution successful, you have acquired the pet Iron-toothed Rat!]
[Iron-toothed Rat (Green)]
Description: A unique species of rat fond of devouring metallic iron; its habit of gnawing on iron has endowed it with an "Iron Bone", making it larger than ordinary rats, stronger, and more aggressive and destructive! Although it still falls within the realm of mundane species, it possesses considerable intelligence. To evolve into a "Treasure Hunting Mouse," it must mature into an Iron-toothed Rat and consume 800 Dao Rhyme Points!
Status: Normal
Phase: Growth Stage (26%)
...
[You have gained the Iron-toothed Rat talent "Iron Teeth"!]
At this moment, Ah Huang's appearance was greatly altered!
The first thing was its size, significantly larger than before, nearly comparable to an adult cat.
Its fur turned grayish-black, yet remained glossy and resilient to the touch. Notably, its limbs sprouted sharp, hooked claws that gleamed with a cold light.
Its two incisor teeth grew more than an inch, emanating a metallic luster with a hint of a ghostly blue tinge.
Without a doubt, the name Iron-toothed Rat derived from this trait!
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
After evolving, Ah Huang excitedly ran circles around Gu Yuan, moving even faster than before its transformation.
When it climbed back onto Gu Yuan's shoulder, he felt a sudden weight, like carrying a solid iron weight.
"Not bad, not bad, it finally doesn't seem weak anymore. Looking like this, someone might believe it's a rat-eating cat!"
Seeing Ah Huang's fierce appearance, Gu Yuan nodded repeatedly, quite satisfied, but he quickly became curious:
"But what exactly is this Iron Teeth talent? Does it mean my teeth will become as hard as Ah Huang's, able to chew metal? If so, then this talent seems a bit useless, doesn't it?"
Not that having harder teeth is bad, but since the Iron-toothed Rat is an evolved version of the Mountain Rat, its talent should be better than the Mountain Rat's.
However, just then, Gu Yuan immediately felt some changes occurring in his body.
A tingling sensation spread from his bones, like an electric current.
The sensation was prickly and itchy, with a dull pain that was hard to endure, as if someone was hammering each piece of his bones into fragments while tiny bugs seemed to be gnawing, crawling in his bone marrow!
The pain intensified, even spreading to Gu Yuan's flesh, as if his skin and muscles were tearing, emitting a faint "creak" sound.
The excruciating pain caused cold sweat to bead on Gu Yuan's forehead; his limbs trembled, and even his teeth felt itchy, sore, and numb, various sensations surging up to his mind.
Yet he grit his teeth and endured it in silence, to avoid drawing attention.
After a while, the sensations receded like the tide, disappearing altogether.
"Phew—"
Gu Yuan let out a long breath, suddenly feeling as if he had narrowly escaped a great ordeal.
It was then he noticed some changes in his body.
He seemed to have grown taller, not by much, but noticeably; moreover, he could clearly sense that his body had become much stronger, even gaining obvious weight.
Not that he got fatter, but there was a robust and solid heaviness to him, in other words, his bone and muscle density had increased, giving a stable sense of power with his every move!
Gu Yuan squeezed his own arm bones and knocked on his leg bones, finding them hard and thick, making him ponder:
"Iron Bone, eh..."
Due to constantly gnawing on metal, the Iron-toothed Rat developed an "Iron Bone," making it exceptionally strong, with a body size greater than regular rats, enhanced strength, and more aggression!
It's said that the kidneys govern the bones, and the teeth are the last expression of the bones.
The stronger the bones, the better the teeth naturally are!
The Iron-toothed Rat's iron teeth stem from this "Iron Bone"!
In essence, the talent 'Iron Teeth' strictly speaking, should really be 'Iron Bone'!
Originally, Gu Yuan was just an average youth with shaky steps and loose power, but now, he seemed to shed all his looseness and instability, becoming robust and steady.
He seemed to have undergone refinement and hardening, transforming from an ore into a refined iron, almost experiencing a metamorphic change!
That being said, a stronger bone naturally leads to better bone marrow, which in turn enhances the body's blood production. The stronger the blood production, the stronger the body!