Clone Ascension

This was the first time Evan had heard such a requirement—

that to complete the fourth evolution,

a Butterfly‑tier evolver must absorb three high‑grade Tier‑4 extracts,

otherwise failure was inevitable.

Wendy Lewis confirmed it.

“The fourth evolution is a threshold—

a leap in the level of life itself.

Without three high‑grade Tier‑4 extracts as the foundation,

the body may not withstand the transformative force of evolution,

and the process will fail.”

Yvonne added,

“Dongli currently has no Tier‑4 A‑grade extracts in storage.

And I can’t ask our Saint‑tier powerhouses

to risk their lives hunting A‑grade beasts outside Linhua Continent.

“Besides, Dongli only has four Saint‑tier sovereigns,

but hundreds of Butterfly‑tier evolvers like me.

Everyone is waiting for high‑grade Tier‑4 extracts.

That’s why the national treasury has many low‑grade Tier‑4 extracts,

but not a single high‑grade one.”

Evan paused.

“What if I provide the extract?

Aunt Yvonne, would you be willing to try?”

“You…?”

Yvonne froze.

Evan opened his suitcase

and placed a glowing green extract on the table.

“This is from that tiger‑type beast I extracted in the Blackrock Mountains.

I don’t know the exact species,

but since it’s a tiger‑type,

its grade won’t be low.

At least Tier‑4 B‑grade—

possibly A‑grade.

I’ll have my sister test it later.

“And even if it’s not A‑grade,

I still have one million EvolutionTech points.

Even if that’s not enough to buy a Tier‑4 A‑grade extract outright,

it won’t be far off.

We’ll figure something out.

“So you don’t need to worry about the extract.”

Even Wendy was stunned.

She hadn’t expected Evan to be this wealthy.

One million EvolutionTech points

was already equivalent to a Tier‑4 B‑grade extract.

And Evan, a mere Chrysalis‑tier evolver,

actually possessed two high‑grade Tier‑4 extracts.

Yvonne took a long time to recover,

but still shook her head.

“You should keep these for yourself.

With this extract and your EvolutionTech points,

plus the foundation you’ve already built,

you’re halfway to becoming a Saint‑tier already.

Don’t waste these on an old woman like me.”

These things were too precious.

She didn’t dare accept them.

If she succeeded, fine—

but if she failed,

she would never be able to repay him.

Evan smiled.

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“You still don’t understand me.

If it’s not S‑grade,

I’m not even interested.

“And if you don’t become a Saint‑tier,

who’s going to take me hunting Tier‑4 S‑grade beasts in the future?”

Yvonne couldn’t pretend she wasn’t tempted.

She stared into Evan’s eyes.

“What if I fail?

All this—worth hundreds of billions—

will be gone.

You won’t regret it?”

“Of course I’ll regret it.

But not because of the money.

“I’ll regret losing the ‘Mom Yvonne’ I just acknowledged.”

He said it jokingly,

but Yvonne saw the seriousness in his eyes—

the determination,

the sincerity,

and not a trace of hesitation.

“…Fine!”

Yvonne straightened her back.

“Then I’ll gamble with you!

If I win,

I’ll risk my life hunting Tier‑4 S‑grade beasts for you.

“If I lose,

don’t you dare cry.”

She had finally let go of her worries

and decided to take the leap.

Evan grinned.

“Then I’ll be counting on you to protect me, Mom Yvonne.”

Wendy smiled as well.

She picked up the extract Evan brought.

“I’ll take this to the lab and run a full analysis.”

🔬 A short while later…

The results came back.

【Windborne Tiger Extract】

Grade: Tier‑4 A‑grade

Possible Skills: Wind Overlord, King’s Roar, Beast King Seal

Evan and Yvonne were both overjoyed.

It really was A‑grade.

That meant Yvonne could absorb it immediately.

Soon, Wendy returned to the villa

and handed the Windborne Tiger Extract to Yvonne.

Without hesitation,

Yvonne rushed back to her room

and began the absorption process.

Absorbing a high‑grade extract carried great risk.

Many evolvers had been seriously injured—

even killed—

attempting to absorb high‑quality extracts.

But most failures occurred

when absorbing the first extract after evolution.

Yvonne had already absorbed two Tier‑4 extracts during Butterfly‑tier.

With that foundation,

absorbing an A‑grade extract

had a relatively low chance of failure.

Evan and Wendy waited in the living room.

Evan took the chance to ask Wendy some questions.

“Sis, I saw Quentin Vilewind wearing a storage ring.

It was amazing.

What kind of artifact is that?”

He had been jealous of that ring for a long time

and wanted one for himself.

Wendy said,

“That was probably made from the fruit of a Tier‑5 spirit plant—

the Qiankun Wood.

It has a skill called Spatial Compression,

allowing it to compress a large space into its fruit.

People can then craft the fruit into accessories

with internal storage space.”

“So it’s not an artifact…

How much does something like that cost?”

“About the same as a Tier‑4 B‑grade extract.

Qiankun Wood is rare,

and its fruit grows slowly.”

“I see…

Well, carrying a bag or suitcase isn’t that inconvenient anyway.”

Evan gave up on buying a storage ring—

at least until he became rich enough.

He had thought he was wealthy,

but apparently not.

The things he wanted were simply too expensive.

He asked,

“What about my upgraded Regeneration Body skill?

Do you have any idea how that happened?”

Wendy nodded.

“It’s extremely rare,

but not impossible.

This is an external influence

triggering a skill upgrade.

It means the Spiritroot sap

was highly compatible with your regeneration skill.

“Skills can be upgraded—

but only Saint‑tier lifeforms can do it,

and even then there are many restrictions.

“For you to upgrade a skill at Chrysalis‑tier

is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity.”

“Saint‑tier evolvers can upgrade skills?”

Evan was shocked.

“Then won’t all my S‑grade skills

be overtaken once I reach Saint‑tier?”

Wendy shook her head.

“Weak skills have low ceilings.

Even if they upgrade,

they won’t become strong.

“But powerful skills

have far greater potential for growth.

“So never underestimate the skills you acquire before Saint‑tier.

They determine your upper limit later.”

Evan nodded.

It made sense.

A Burrow Mole’s digging skill,

no matter how much it upgraded,

would never turn someone into a human excavator.

“What about Quentin Vilewind mutating

after absorbing the Spiritroot extract?

I thought humans couldn’t absorb plant‑type extracts?”