The Shocking Truth

"Kill you? Haha."

Xue Qing laughed. It was a disdainful laughter of the strong towards the weak. She looked as if doing such a thing would only dirty her hands.

She looked at Handsome Black seriously and said slowly, "Is this the stray dog that you and my sister adopted? When it rushed over just now, its aura was comparable to that of a beginner rare creature. You're still alive because of this dog, right?"

Zhao Hao did not defend himself. To be fair, he had indeed gotten a lot of help from Big Black.

Xue Qing laughed coldly. Her beauty was a little mysterious as she said coldly, "If you continue to let this dog evolve, you won't even know how you die."

"What do you mean?" Zhao Hao was stunned.

"I don't mean anything else. One day, you will die in the hands of your own dog." Xue Qing glanced at him with pity. It was a kind of pity for someone who was about to die. "Don't doubt me. Two months ago, I saw a woman who brought a kitten in with my own eyes die. Do you know how that woman died?"

Zhao Hao did not say anything. The scene of Big Black devouring the Ghost Head Gang's fifth elder appeared in his mind. The sound of Big Black chewing on the fifth elder's bones echoed in his ears, and an ominous feeling rose in his heart.

"That cat was very obedient at first. But after evolving to the variant level, it ate its owner without hesitation!"

Xue Qing said the result that Zhao Hao did not want to hear the most. Her clear and pleasant voice was filled with indescribable sorrow, "In the World of Evolution, while humans are evolving, so are animals and plants. When those animals evolve to a certain extent, their self-awareness becomes very strong. They would definitely choose to pursue the end point of evolution. At that time, the relationship between humans and pets becomes a joke."

Zhao Hao fell silent. A pet devouring its master was a possibility that he would never want to face.

"Have you ever been to the Neutral Grounds?"

"I just came out of that place yesterday."

"What did you think of it?"

Zhao Hao replied, "It's a pretty good place. It's not easy to establish rules in the World of Evolution."

Xue Qing: "I didn't ask you about it because of that. Did you not feel anything when you saw those rare evolvers and the four guardians at the market?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"When I first came, there were hundreds of thousands of people in the Endless Forest. In just half a year, only tens of thousands of people are left. Some were killed by animals, some were killed by plants, some failed to evolve and died, and even more were killed by their fellow humans."

Xue Qing hugged her knees with her small hands. It was unknown what she had experienced back then, but she trembled slightly and said, "I just want to tell you how hard it is to live here."

"For the sake of my sister, I'll give you a piece of advice. Don't try to evolve." Take this pet of yours and find a place to hide. Perhaps in a few years, when someone opens the teleportation array, you will still have hope of returning home and reuniting with your family."

Zhao Hao looked at the angelic face that was similar to Weiwei's and smiled. "Qing'er, you still care about your brother-in-law. I don't like to place my hopes on others. When I get a C-grade evolution technique, I'll evolve."

"C-grade evolution technique?" Xue Qing snorted. "I really don't know what my sister saw in you. You don't even understand the most basic rules of this world. Even if you're lucky enough to get a C-grade evolution technique, you would still be a weakling."

"Don't make it sound like you know everything," Zhao Hao expressed his dissatisfaction. "Why am I a weakling?""

"Just because you care too much about a C-grade evolution technique and because you're stupid enough to bet on that 30% chance of evolution!" With a completely emotionless face, Xue Qing said, "An evolver like you is destined to struggle at the bottom of the food chain. You do not even have any hope of seeing the middle of the food chain!"

Zhao Hao was even more unconvinced. "Even if you're a variant evolver, you would only have a B-grade evolution technique at most. Is there a need to be so arrogant?"

"You're really stupid to the point where it's pitiful. You're still struggling with the grade of your evolution technique." In Xue Qing's eyes, Zhao Hao was no longer just a pig but a stupid pig. She sighed helplessly and said, "Forget it. I've hurt my sister so many times in the past. Today, I'll take it as making it up to her. I'll tell you something useful."

At this point, she slowly began to tell a story. "Back then, Boss Ghost was wanted in four provinces. The police spent a lot of effort but still could not catch him. Don't you think it's strange?"

"It's not strange. He probably had someone inside, most likely colluding with your peers." Zhao Hao did not like the cops.

"Put away your dark conspiracy theories. Evil Ghost escaped several times back then for a simple reason. He was trained and once killed four police officers who were chasing him with a machete." As Xue Qing spoke, she gave another example. "There's also that Feng Yunjian. As soon as he came in, he could kill an evolutionary creature with his bare hands. Why don't you give it some deeper thought?"

Zhao Hao's mind seemed to have been struck by lightning. He was enlightened. "Are you saying that martial arts are equivalent to combat skills?"

"You're half right. Some secret ancient martial arts have the effect of evolution." Red Chili Pepper revealed a mystery, "Boss Ghost's Kung Fu is equivalent to a combination of a C-grade evolution technique and a combat skill. That Feng Yunjian is even more terrifying. He is a direct descendant of the Feng family and has a secret technique passed down from his ancestors. It's at least equivalent to an S-grade evolution technique!"

Boom!

It was as if there was a huge explosion in Zhao Hao's mind as the truth behind the evolution techniques was incredibly shocking to him.

"The World of Evolution is currently the world of martial artists. Do you think you can break through to the variant level by betting on a mere 10% to 30% probability? If you really tried evolving like that, you would not even know how you died." Xue Qing said, "Most of the powerhouses you know are martial artists, including those from the Neutral Grounds."

"So, you've also practiced martial arts before?"

"Only people like you whose brains are built on muscles have such slow reactions. Feng (Wind), Hua (Flower), Xue (Snow), and Yue (Moon) are the four famous aristocratic families in the Chinese martial arts world. My sister and I both have the surname Xue… Sometimes, I admire your thoughtlessness. You've been dating my sister for two years, but haven't you realized that she's very good at martial arts?"

Zhao Hao was dumbfounded. He only knew that Weiwei would get up before dawn to do her morning exercises.

To be honest, he never would have thought that the gentle and quiet Weiwei was a martial arts master.

"My grandfather's lineage is a branch of the Xue family. The cultivation techniques he learned are incomplete. The cultivation technique I have mastered is equivalent to an A-grade evolution technique." Xue Qing changed the topic. "Student Zhao, I'll give you a clear path. It's much better than you trying your luck by killing rare creatures."

Zhao Hao looked at her silently, waiting for her to continue.

"There is a guardian of the Neutral Grounds called Snow Lotus (Xue Lian). You should have seen her. That was not her nickname. Her surname is really Xue, and she is a direct descendant of the Xue family. She had mastered the complete ancestral cultivation technique." Xue Qing's lips moved, revealing a thought-provoking smile. "Here's a suggestion for you to spare thirty years of struggle. Become Xue Lian's boy toy!"

Zhao Hao almost fell down. He seriously suspected that he had misheard.

"Don't be so surprised. You know very well how expensive it is to buy a house in the Neutral Grounds. But if you follow Xue Lian, you will have permanent residence in the village. This is definitely more practical than the American green card on Earth. If you do that, it won't be a problem for you to live for three to five years." Xue Qing's smile did not fade, and she continued, "According to the family hierarchy, Xue Lian is my aunt. I can help you pull some strings."

"Now I understand why you did not attack me the moment we met. You wanted me to give up on Weiwei and become a boy toy, right?"Zhao Hao recovered from his shock and sneered, "Sister-in-law, you've changed. I am very curious. Are you trying to find a way out for me, or are you trying to get the complete cultivation technique from Xue Lian through me?"

"Is that important? You won't lose out anyway." Xue Qing's smile grew a little enchanting.

"Of course it's important. I once heard a fitness coach say that a great kung fu can't be achieved without more than ten years of hard work. I admit that I don't have the talent to practice martial arts. Even if Xue Lian was willing to teach me, I won't have a chance."

While Zhao Hao was careless most of the time, he could sometimes see things very clearly.

He stood up and patted the dust off his body. He said something that surprised Xue Qing, "Perhaps you ancient martial art practitioners are very powerful, but that does not mean that I have to give a damn about you. In the World of Evolution, everyone has a chance, and I am one of the people who believe in that chance. In the future, this might not be the world of ancient martial arts practitioners. I don't believe that I'll be at the bottom of the food chain for the rest of my life!"