Zhang Lie couldn't wait to see what his stats looked like now.

Zhang Lie: a mortal lifeform

Framework: Foundation, Lv. MAX, Ninecarp Transformation, Second Form: Serpent

Techniques: Rippling Walk (advanced), Three-Wave Crescendo (advanced), Calm Waters (advanced), Fists of the Silent Sea (intermediate), The Boundless Blade (novice)

Genes: Basic, 160; Mutated, 100; Superior, 40

Soulshards: White Grub (superior), Galewolf (mutated), Blood Ant (superior), Potbellied Toad (mutated), Venombane Scorpion (superior), Eternalspring Cocoon (superior)

To be honest, if anyone were to see Zhang Lie's stats now, they would likely receive a tremendous shock. Based on his stats alone, Zhang Lie was superior to most hunters at the top of the gene leaderboard.

Yun Bing and Chu Feng likely still had more superior gene fragments than he did, but he didn't think himself inferior in any other area.

With his framework advanced, and with his potion complete, Zhang Lie's month-long seclusion came to an end. His next step was naturally to saturate both his mutated and superior gene capacities.

He exited the inn and quickly found Fang Yi and Sun Mengmeng. Before he started brewing the potion, he had informed the two of them about his plans, and they would leave a hunter or two outside the Blacksteel Inn daily, waiting for him to emerge.

Upon seeing Zhang Lie again, the gathered hunters all noticed the change to Zhang Lie's aura and genetic energy. Although they didn't know precisely what had happened, they were certain that Zhang Lie had just made a great leap forward in his growth as a hunter.

Of course, they hadn't been slacking either. Zhang Lie had given them an additional task beyond scouting the whereabouts of superior-grade lifeforms: filling up their mutated gene fragments to capacity.

With the superior gene fragments that Zhang Lie had shared with them, and with the superior-grade soulshards that their team leaders possessed, the gathered hunters easily finished this task.

"Captain, it feels like you've grown much stronger," Fang Yi remarked, flattering Zhang Lie out of habit.

Still exuberant from his success, Zhang Lie nodded. "A big improvement indeed, but I could say the same for all of you. You're all maxed out on mutated genes, aren't you?"

"Captain, you've given us such favorable conditions for success—of course we wouldn't fail you now!" Sun Mengmeng cried out.

The other hunters nodded.

Zhang Lie laughed. "In that case, how about your other task? How many of the lifeforms in the booklet have you tracked down?"

"All but ten or so of them, Captain! We wouldn't dare slack off on a task you personally assigned us," Fang Yi jumped in.

"All but ten? You're not lying to me, are you? I must have listed at least fifty superior-grade lifeforms in that booklet!"

Zhang Lie couldn't believe how efficient Fang Yi and Sun Mengmeng had been.

"All but ten," Fang Yi reaffirmed. "We wouldn't lie to our beloved captain! We've tracked down most of the lifeforms in the booklet and investigated most of their habitats and behavioral tics. If you're ready, we can start the hunt immediately!"

"In that case, what are we waiting for?" Zhang Lie began to smile in earnest. "You've spent a lot of work preparing this information, so why don't you recommend what our first target should be?"

Fang Yi took out the small booklet that Zhang Lie had handed him in the past. "Captain, I suggest the longhorn dawnbeetle! Its soulshard grants a rare aural attack to its bearer, and it can replace the soulshard you failed to obtain when you hunted the dreadtoad."

Zhang Lie glanced at the booklet, which illustrated a giant bug-type lifeform with black chitin dotted with fiery red stars. He had hunted such a lifeform in his past life, and was able to recall quite a bit about it.

The longhorn dawnbeetle was a superior-grade fire-attuned lifeform that looked like a massively enlarged version of a terrestrial longhorn beetle.

It possessed a supremely hard exoskeleton, and its pincers could erupt in flame, enhancing its extremely strong offensive capabilities. Its cries were aural attacks that could easily bypass shields. Even amidst superior-grade lifeforms, it was a strong existence indeed.

Of course, no matter how strong it was, Zhang Lie was confident that he would be able to deal with it now.

"A soulshard that grants an aural attack, along with a number of mutated-grade lifeforms in the vicinity... this isn't a bad choice. In that case—"

"Wait!" Just as Zhang Lie was about to announce that the longhorn dawnbeetle would be their first target, Sun Mengmeng interrupted. "Captain, while I think the longhorn dawnbeetle might be a good choice, it's not the best choice. I would suggest the forest wolfman!"

She picked up the booklet and flipped to the corresponding page.

"The forest wolfman is a humanoid, life-attuned lifeform, with immense regenerative abilities and considerable physical strength. Most importantly, its transformation-type soulshard turns its bearer into a wolfman, which means it preserves the use of techniques and soulshards while in a transformed state. Furthermore, the wolfman also has a penetrating aural attack. Captain, I believe these strengths are particularly suited to you!"

Both Sun Mengmeng and Fang Yi had made their recommendations based on what they knew of Zhang Lie, but Sun Mengmeng had, once again, shown herself to be more thoughtful.

The forest wolfman's soulshard was more unique, and granted a larger variety of benefits relative to the longhorn dawnbeetle's. At present, although Zhang Lie had amassed quite a few superior-grade soulshards, he was still missing two main types: a humanoid transformation-type soulshard, and a summoning-type soulshard.

A transformation-type soulshard consumed a significant amount of genetic energy, but it could also provide a commensurate amount of strength or flexibility in certain circumstances.

A summoning-type soulshard was the rarest of all soulshards, and could only be produced when a superior- or higher-grade lifeform died with extreme regret or unwillingness. A soulshard that formed under such circumstances would be able to house such a lifeform within it.

Zhang Lie had never hunted the forest wolfman in his past life, but he had seen a fight by a hunter who had a wolfman soulshard.

His memories of that fight were particularly vivid: that hunter recovered impossibly quickly, possessed frightening physical strength, and was both surprisingly agile and endowed with a piercing aural attack.

The soulshard would augment almost all aspects of his strength, and since Sun Mengmeng and the others had discovered such a superior-grade lifeform, it certainly should be given priority over the longhorn dawnbeetle.

Zhang Lie made up his mind. "Since you were able to find traces of the forest wolfman, we'll start with that. A humanoid transformation-type soulshard is more precious than all but a summoning-type soulshard, and it should certainly be given priority.

"Our target is the forest wolfman. Go make your preparations now!"

"Yes, Captain!"