Is That A Wisp?

"What makes you say that with such assurance?" Gehen was surprised to hear such a comment from Krune.

"Well, the Monster Geckos have numerous advantageous traits. The only reason they haven't made use of it was because of their inferior intelligence. Though, thanks to what I did there while hunting them, they might have figured out quite a lot of details," Krune said as he pointed at himself, showcasing the Monster Gecko skin armor he wore. "This is just the skin of a regular Monster Gecko that I stitched into an armor."

"But as I grew and emitted energy while using my abilities, it slowly evolved accordingly to suit me more and more. Plus, it was also able to heal itself by absorbing the healing effect in the ocean water." He allowed Gehen to pinch his skin armor and feel its sturdiness as he continued, "Now, it's stronger than any armor I might ever come across."

"So that's it, huh." Gehen nodded. "They have a trait of being able to evolve accordingly to environmental changes?"

"Yes." Krune nodded, "This was what I have observed in them. Before, their customs ensured that their population was always small and that they were trapped on that Primary Landmass. Now that they're invading other landmasses, they would develop more traits and cause more genetic variations. Sooner or later, one of them might accumulate enough variations to break through its limitations and become a Supreme Monster."

"It seems I have underestimated them greatly." Gehen sighed after hearing that. "And once the Third Wave ends, all the Checkpoint Turtles would vanish. Only one of them would remain, stationing = itself within my Empire. With them gone, it wouldn't be long before the other monster species would begin to spill out of their landmasses as well."

"You can always head to Layer 2, you know," Krune said.

"Hell no." Gehen laughed in excitement. "In here, I will never have a moment of boredom until I die. Why would I leave this place?"

"As long as you like it, I guess." Krune shrugged, then speaking, "As for the Rope Bush King, it takes a couple of months to fully grow. Also, one bush only produces one seed at a time. So, you'll have to take time to create a plantation for them first." 

"My boat was made using the Rope Bush King's stem," Krune continued as he said with a hint of pride. "If you damage them a little while keeping them continuously immersed in water, over time, they would grow even sturdier. You can create strong ships out of these. Even a Monster Gecko Emperor would have trouble breaking through a ship."

"I'll do that," Gehen said with a hint of excitement. Upon seeing how Krune had willingly shared with him such valuable information, he then said, "Our active abilities are different from the passive abilities in that they can be passed down to our children."

As Krune's eyes widened, Gehen spoke, "Though, it's like only a key is passed. Only after we die would one of our children obtain the active ability. Also, there is a certain goal to be achieved in this Sub-Realm."

"A goal?" Krune asked. 

"Yes." Gehen nodded, "Once you leave this Sub-Realm, your active ability would absorb all your accumulations and would seep into your blood, forming a bloodline."

"A bloodline?" Krune was surprised.

"A demon beast has its bloodline. But, a human doesn't have any bloodline. With that, a demon beast in human form is incredibly weak compared to its demon beast form. In any case, our reward for clearing this Sub-Realm is that, a bloodline. Whether we are humans or demon beasts, while in human form, we would have access to this bloodline that is passed down to our children and beyond," Gehen said. 

He then looked at Krune as he told him, "So if you have any children after this, they would possess all your active and passive abilities. So from the start, your children would be many times stronger than their peers. You should be very well aware just how overpowered an active ability would turn out to be once we integrate it with Godly Energy, right?"

Upon seeing Krune nod, Gehen exclaimed, "The bloodline, the condensation of everything we obtain from this Sub-Realm is the ultimate treasure we will receive from here." 

"The Sub-Realm's ultimate treasure…" Krune muttered, thinking, 'If I have any kids after this, they would definitely grow to be stronger than their peers easily. A treasure that is passed on through blood is definitely a peerless treasure.'

"Thank you for this information. I will be more careful in my growth and obtain as much advantages as I can." Krune cupped his fists as he thanked Gehen. 

"I have used the same trait by breaking heads with more than a thousand geniuses from all parts of the God Realm that I have created an institution with. And..." Gehen smirked. "I managed to create something similar here."

"You managed to figure out the Sub-Realm's arrangements?" Krune was shocked, wondering just how deep Gehen's law comprehension extended towards.

"No, it's not something of that level." Gehen hurriedly waved his hands. "All I did was split portions of my active ability and mix it with each of my passive abilities. This way, I created five inferior bloodlines. I passed them to five people and created a noble house of sorts."

"This bloodline only gives the bearer a passive ability, nothing grand," Gehen said, but even then, his face beamed with pride. "Then again, it is passed on through blood. So, everyone in a family has that power. I split them up into five colors: White, Black, Red, Violet, and Gold. I named them the Turtle Bloodlines and gave the Gold Turtle Bloodline to my son. Soon, he would establish the Royal Family while the other four Turtle Bloodlines would form the Four Great Noble Houses. They would form the pillars of my empire in the future and would stabilize it."

"You have figured out everything, even for the long term." Krune nodded in praise. 

"Yes, it's necessary since I plan to spend my life here," Gehen said, "Also, I have also been capturing various fish species to forcefully tame them. One of my passive abilities is related to that. With that said, I have only been capturing the Kings to rear more of them in the future. This way, I can reward talented people among my populace passive abilities to suit them."

"How many have you captured to date?" Krune asked. 

"Around 30," Gehen said, watching Krune look at him as if he was looking at a monster.

"Well, I do have an active ability boasting the greatest defense after all." Gehen laughed. "So, whenever I chance upon a colony of fish lead by Kings, I tame them using my passive ability. Due to the difference between our leagues, taming them is possible."

After chatting with Gehen for a long time, Krune exited the palace, intending to roam around the capital city. He slung over his backpack and walked with the intention to travel. As for the ship, he left it for the Seamstress to take care of. 

It seemed that the Seamstress had already planned on what Solare would do. Thus, he didn't interfere, allowing her to do her thing. Gehen gave him another bag filled with Tier 1 Development Spheres, numbering around 1000, saying that it would be more than enough for him to spend until a Checkpoint Turtle appears. 

When it appeared, it would appear within the Empire itself, so Krune felt he had no need of the boat. After all, based on what Gehen said happened the previous year, more than a hundred Checkpoint Turtles would arrive within the Empire. It was to account for the sheer population in the place. 

So, as long as he was fast enough, Krune would be able to arrive at a Checkpoint Turtle to buy his way up to Layer 2. And, considering he had his active ability, he was capable of taking flight by summoning his Cloud Whale. This way, he would be able to reach the nearest Checkpoint Turtle first. 

The capital city was huge. Based on what Gehen had said, more than eight million people were living here. The other cities were equally populated. To account for the space issues and the sheer population, numerous skyscrapers had been installed. 

Krune touched a skyscraper, realizing that it was made from stone. The tallest building only had 15 floors. It seemed to have been the limit of using a stone structure. When he asked Gehen how they had managed to achieve this in such a short time, he said that the native population of the Tertiary Landmass was a monster species that was capable of building. 

They were similar to ants, but instead of creating mud structures, this monster species was able to condense the soil to the extent of forming rocks. After killing the Supreme Monster, Gehen tamed the rest and used them to construct everything.

'A taming ability among passive abilities,' Krune thought. 'For someone like Gehen, it's the perfect ability.'

As for Krune, since he was someone who was always on the move, a taming ability was useless. In the current place, there were enough fish to be tamed and used. Though, Krune couldn't say it would be the same in Layer 2. Besides, he wasn't someone interested in taming other species. 

He had his own clones to use against everything. So, Krune wasn't interested in such a passive ability. He was only interested in obtaining an ability that meshed and complemented his overall abilities as a cultivator. 

Upon hearing Gehen mention about them turning into his bloodline upon exiting the Sub-Realm, Krune's thoughts had changed. He was thinking about the uses of two of his passive abilities, Moving Ripple and Frozen Blood. 

As a cultivator, he was able to unleash elemental attacks using the Laws of Ice and Frost. So, Frozen Blood would lose its value in such a case. As for Moving Ripple, even though it allowed him to run on water or move through it at tremendous speeds, it wasn't that useful. 

After all, if he planned to move anywhere, he could simply ride his Cloud Whale. And by generating wind currents around himself, he would be able to run on water to a certain extent. The same could be said underwater since he could simply employ the Law of Wind and accelerate accordingly.

As he thought in such a fashion, Krune realized that Moving Ripple and Frozen Blood wouldn't have as much value once he returned to being a cultivator. 

"I guess I have to hunt for passive abilities once again."