The worse you are, the stronger you become: My summoned beast is a photographer.

As if he had discovered a secret of this world, Ming Luochen became even more curious—how many crystals would be needed to reproduce different species?

As he continued his research, he deliberately looked through medical books and historical documents, as there were too many questions he wanted to clarify.

Sure enough, I read in medical books that abstinence can prolong life, and that the more children a woman has, the shorter her lifespan.

People like the Rat-people and Rabbit-eared People have a high reproductive rate, giving birth to five or six children at a time, and can give birth every three months, but their lifespan is only ten years. This number made Ming Luochen gasp – ten years is not even enough time to raise a single child to adulthood.

The larger the orc, the longer the pregnancy takes. A race like Principal Hollen's might only have five or six children in their lifetime, with each pregnancy lasting five years, and their lifespan is generally around two hundred years. Just thinking about a five-year pregnancy is exhausting.

Based on his knowledge of Earth, Ming Luochen was certain that lifespan might be related to the Origin Crystal, and that marital relations and combat would consume the Origin Crystal. It was probably no coincidence that warlike races often had shorter lifespans than peaceful races.

According to records, during the Fifth Age of Gods, Diano, the son of the god of the hunt, died while hunting after encountering a powerful beast. Enraged, the god of the hunt slew the beast and brought back a divine magic stone half a meter long. Fortunately, the divine magic stone possessed the power of resurrection, and the god of the hunt revived his son.

[In other words, the crystals at that time were half a meter in diameter. Would this size be necessary to break down reproductive barriers between species?]

Ming Luochen didn't have much information, but how big of a brain would it take to hold a crystal that was half a meter long? Even the head of an adult centaur couldn't fit something that big. He felt that something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

[Do I have crystals in my brain?]

Ming Luochen's expression was strange as he reached up and touched the back of his head. "You can't get a CT scan in this world, right?" he thought with a self-deprecating laugh. "If you could, it'd probably only be the size of a soybean."

Even if it can absorb and grow stronger, how many strange beasts would it take to hunt down a half-meter-sized crystal?

Ming Luochen picked up a pen and paper and began to do calculations:

The volume of a half-meter-long rhomboid crystal is approximately estimated using a square pyramid:

Side length: 0.5 m; Thickness: 0.1 m

Volume ≈ Base area × Thickness

The base area (rhombus) ≈ 0.5 × 0.5 = 0.25 m²

Volume ≈ 0.025 m³

Convert to cubic centimeters:

0.025 m³ = 25,000 cm³

Based on the volume of crystals of different grades, an S-grade pigeon egg crystal is approximately 8 cm³. An SSS-grade crystal is about the size of a fist: approximately 500 cm³.

A half-meter-long rhomboid crystal, roughly equivalent to an S-grade pigeon egg-sized crystal: 3125 pieces. A 3S-grade fist-sized crystal: 50 pieces.

There are only two ways to obtain crystals: one is to hunt alien beasts and other creatures, and the other is to buy them with money.

Buying them would be too expensive. Back then, my father-in-law bought Aura an S-grade Blessing Crystal, which cost most of the family's working capital. Even a regular S-grade crystal would cost several hundred gold coins, and it's only the size of a pigeon egg. We simply don't have the financial means to buy them.

However, hunting S-class beasts requires killing 3125 of them. The key is that these are S-class beasts, not just cabbages on the roadside. Searching for them takes a lot of time, not to mention hunting them. The efficiency is too slow, and it is unknown when it will be completed.

As night fell, Aura knocked on the study door, her voice tinged with worry: "Principal, dinner is ready."

"Coming." Upon hearing that it was time to eat, Hollen immediately stood up, his trunk curling excitedly. He turned to look at Ming Luochen, his tone returning to its sternness, "Keep reading. Someone will bring it to you later. You are not allowed to leave until you finish the book."

Ming Luochen ignored him, stood up, dusted off his trousers, and walked straight out: "I'm going out today. I might as well drop out of school. I want to see who's afraid of whom."

"You—" Hollen gritted his teeth, his trunk swaying angrily—this kid is at it again.

"What's wrong with me?" Ming Luochen glared at the principal, his eyes wide, his voice rising several octaves. "Even if my wife doesn't study, I can still lift her up to heaven. You better watch yourself. You're the Education Alliance, not royalty. You have no right to control us. Trying to control me? Are you trying to rebel? Or imprison a divine messenger?"

Hollen's eyelids twitched, his trunk frozen in mid-air—why was Ming Luochen so furious, acting like he'd swallowed gunpowder? If Aura dropped out, there really wouldn't be anything they could do, since the school had no right to force students to participate in competitions. He shouted angrily, his voice tinged with helplessness: "Finish eating and continue reciting!"

Aura anxiously took Ming Luochen's hand, her fingertips slightly cold, afraid that the principal would be angry: "Honey, don't be like this, calm down."

"Calm down? Why should I calm down? Whether I study or not is my business. Even if I'm bragging, what law have I broken? He's freeloading at my house and expects me to win the humanities competition?" Ming Luochen sneered, linking arms with his wife as they walked towards the restaurant. His steps were unhurried, and he glanced back at Huo Lun with disdain. "He's got some nerve! Like I owe him something. This competition doesn't benefit me at all. I'll just surrender if I go."

Hollen's face was so dark it could drip water, like a storm cloud before a tempest; he really wanted to beat him to death. But he held back—he couldn't hit him, he couldn't scold him, he had already made a promise to Benuna, and now he had to beg Ming Luochen to participate; he had never felt this humiliation in his entire life.

"Wife, how about we go to the capital city ahead of time and find a school? Maybe some schools will even give us rewards to participate in competitions." Ming Luochen deliberately said to Aura, his voice not too loud or too soft, just loud enough for Hollen to hear—in reality, he wanted to tell Hollen: without giving us any benefits, you still don't know how to restrain yourself.

"This...isn't this inappropriate?" Aura panicked, glancing weakly at the principal, afraid that Ming Luochen would offend him terribly. Her fingers twisted the hem of her clothes, and her lips turned slightly pale.

"What's wrong with that? I contribute my brains, others contribute their money, it's perfectly reasonable. Maybe if I win, they'll even thank me." Ming Luochen said excitedly, his eyes shining as if he could already see the glittering reward. "Why don't we give it a try? We can make quite a bit of money during the competition."

Hollen panicked a little—if Ming Luochen took Aura to the capital, wouldn't he be laughed to death by the other schools? A potential champion was snatched away halfway, where would he put his old face? "I'll give you an S-grade gem, you better participate in the competition properly." His voice carried a hint of compromise through gritted teeth.

"Really?" Ming Luochen looked at Hollen with a bright smile, like a flower blooming in an instant—if there are benefits, then it's a different story.

"Yes." Hollen saw Ming Luochen's face; he had clearly been planning to extort him from the start. He reluctantly took out an S-grade gem, holding it in his palm. The gem gleamed with a pale golden light under the candlelight. "This is the Wisdom Gem. Eating it will permanently increase your Intelligence by ten points."

"Thank you, Principal. I'll definitely do my best in the competition." Ming Luochen snatched it away quickly, his movements almost like a snatching. He looked at the pigeon-egg-sized gem—he'd spent half the afternoon studying it, and this was crystallization; eating it would enhance his innate abilities. He barely hesitated before turning to hand it to Aura, "Wife, you eat this."

"Hey, this is for you—" Hollen hurriedly called out, his trunk practically bulging out in his eagerness. This was originally intended for Ming Luochen to increase his chances of winning the competition; giving an intelligence gem to Aura, a martial arts student, would be a complete waste.

"Honey, you eat it, I don't need it." Aura pushed the gem back, her palm resting on Ming Luochen's hand, closing it around his. Gems that boost attributes were too rare, and this one boosted intelligence, so it wasn't very useful to her; she wasn't even bothered to look at the book. On the contrary, Ming Luochen could make better use of the gem's attributes, putting it to good use.

"I don't need it either. Trust me, you eat it." Ming Luochen looked at Aura earnestly, his eyes filled with a kind of unwavering determination she couldn't understand. The main reason was that the crystals might enhance her essence; if all the resources were given to Aura, her abilities would improve even faster, and perhaps she could have children. He couldn't articulate this reasoning, so he could only convey his feelings through his gaze.

Aura hesitated, her amber eyes flickering in the candlelight. But since the gem boosted intelligence, she shook her head, her tone softening: "You eat it, I'll eat it next time." She took the gem and, as Ming Luochen opened his mouth to speak, shoved it directly into his mouth, gently pressing her finger against his lips to signal him to swallow.

Ming Luochen swallowed the gem, his Adam's apple bobbing as he felt a warm current slide from his throat into his lower abdomen, then spread throughout his body. He instinctively opened his attribute panel, and a string of numbers appeared before his eyes:

"F-level talent, photographer."

Level 1.

Strength 8, Intelligence 122, Stamina 13, Spirit 11.

It really did increase her intelligence by ten points. Ming Luochen felt a pang of regret—S-grade crystals were incredibly precious. Breaking the reproductive barrier would require countless crystals, and this one alone was worth a small manor. He could have used it to boost his wife's intelligence, making her a little smarter; it was such a waste.

Aura rolled her eyes. Her telepathic connection allowed her to clearly read Ming Luochen's thoughts—he actually thought she was stupid. She reluctantly took him to the restaurant, the horse's hooves pounding heavier than usual on the stone pavement.

"You've eaten the Gem of Wisdom, so you'd better study hard. I've really gone to great lengths to prepare," Hollen reminded him from behind, his trunk drooping listlessly. He felt a heavy responsibility ahead in his quest for first place in the humanities competition—including the wedding gifts he'd given them, he already had two S-grade gems, and his heart was bleeding.

"I understand, don't worry." Ming Luochen waved his hand reassuringly, his tone like that of someone coaxing a sulking child. He still wanted to continue reading the book Huo Lun had sent, hoping to find a way to have children. The secrets of this world were hidden within those yellowed pages, and the more he read, the more interesting it became.

---

Ming Luochen studied diligently in his study for over a month, neglecting sleep and meals. His desk was piled high with open books and scribbled notes. Only ten days remained until the National University Alliance Liberal Arts Competition.

Hollen personally led the team. Also participating in the competition were two other third-year students—a tall, fox-eared girl with meticulously groomed orange-red fur, accompanied by a swarm of hairy chimpanzees that squatted at her feet, occasionally scratching its head, looking adorably clumsy; and a young man with a pair of black wings on his back, which folded like a cape, carrying a transparent tank containing an octopus with constantly wriggling tentacles.

Accompanying them were the teachers and coaches, a total of seven people, who traveled to the capital in a large horse-drawn carriage arranged by the school. The carriage was spacious, with soft cushions, and the wheels made a rhythmic sound as they rolled over the gravel road.

Hollen watched Anthony and Ellie constantly studying to solidify their knowledge, their heads bowed as they turned the pages with the focused seriousness of someone carving something precious, and felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Meanwhile, Ming Luochen was pressed against the car window, watching the scenery with obvious excitement, as if he were on a vacation. He was even using his personal black box—his SLR camera—to snap photos of the fleeting fields and villages, creating one picture after another.

The key is that you can't say anything to him. Hollen turned away dejectedly, resting his trunk on the car window frame, deciding to avoid seeing him altogether.

Ignoring the principal's expression, Ming Luochen raised his camera, aimed it at the snowy scenery outside the car window, and pressed the shutter. The photo slowly emerged from the side gap. Holding the still-warm photo in the sunlight, he looked at it and whistled with satisfaction.

Aura sat down next to him, glanced at the photo, smiled slightly, and said nothing.

The scenery outside the window changed from fields to villages, and then from villages to rolling hills, all covered in silver, showcasing the original mountain landscape.

Still far from the capital, the November north wind was like a knife. Ming Luochen put away his camera, snuggled in his wife's warm embrace, and closed his eyes.

[Once we reach the capital, I wonder if we'll be able to find more ways to crystallize?]