A Bite of Douluo Continent

Soon, Qi Han, led by An Long, arrived at the area where blood-red unicorns were sold. Each unicorn was enclosed by a fence and kept in a separate enclosure. Wooden signs were hung on the fences, indicating the price and detailed information about each unicorn's strength, physical condition, and so on.

After walking a few steps, Qi Han saw the blood-red unicorn worth three thousand gold soul coins.

Judging from the description on the wooden plaque, this one and the other blood-red unicorns are all hundred-year-old soul beasts, but compared with the other blood-red unicorns around it, this one appears to be exceptionally extraordinary.

It was several sizes larger than the other blood-red unicorns, with its body covered in bulging muscles, exuding a sense of power.

What's even more striking is the single horn on its head, which is longer than those of other unicorns and has a somewhat crystalline and smooth texture.

This…

Qi Han blinked, revealing a rather interested expression.

Seeing that Qi Han was somewhat interested, An Long began to explain, "After our examination, this blood-red unicorn has undergone some atavism. Its bloodline has been purified due to mutation, making it more powerful than other blood-red unicorns of the same cultivation level. We also call this kind of unicorn the Blood-Red Unicorn King."

Atavism, bloodline purification?

Qi Han looked thoughtfully at the blood-red unicorn before him, silently asking in his heart, "Ruyi, what do you think of this one?"

"It's alright." Ruyi quickly replied, "Under normal circumstances, a thousand years is the limit for the blood-red unicorn species. Apart from its strong endurance, which makes it suitable as a mount, it doesn't have many advantages. But if this one fully grows up, it should be able to reach the ten-thousand-year level."

Ten thousand years level?

That's really good.

However, Qi Han still wanted to try the second way of purchasing.

"Manager An, I'd like to try the second way of purchasing."

An Long was not surprised. This second purchase method was unique to their An Clan Trading Company. Only their An Clan Trading Company had the strength to support such a purchase method, because it required selection from a large number of blood-red unicorns.

Therefore, most first-time customers want to try out the joy of their choice.

"Okay, please follow me."

With that, An Long led Qi Han away from there and to another animal shed.

Unlike the previous stable, the blood-red unicorns here live together instead of being separated. This special stable is very large and can easily accommodate dozens of blood-red unicorns.

"All the horses for the second purchase method are here. Mr. Qi can choose any one. All horses cost two thousand gold soul coins."

Qi Han nodded to indicate that he understood, and then entered through the open door.

There were about thirty blood-red unicorns in the stable, and unlike the previous ones, these blood-red unicorns had all undergone varying degrees of mutation.

Some had two horns on their heads, some didn't have the blood-red markings unique to blood-red unicorns, and one was completely different in color. If it weren't for the unicorn on its head, Qi Han would have thought it was an ordinary horse that had sneaked in.

Based on his own observations, Qi Han certainly wouldn't know how to choose, but this wasn't a big problem for Ru Yi.

"Ruyi, is there any beast here with even greater potential than that blood-red unicorn from before?"

If not, Qi Han planned to spend three thousand gold soul coins to buy that ancestral beast.

"Let me see," Ruyi replied, and after a while, she spoke softly.

"You know what, there really is one."

Chapter 333 Unknown Mutation

To be honest, Qi Han didn't have much confidence when he asked Ruyi.

After all, this whole shed of blood-red unicorns looks like oddly shaped gourds and cracked dates no matter how you look at it.

Right.

If its extraordinary nature could be recognized at a glance, how could it be placed here?

So when Ruyi told him that there really was a blood-red unicorn with great potential here, Qi Han remained expressionless, but in his heart he quickly asked, "Which one?"

"The one in the corner to your left."

Following Ruyi's guidance, Qi Han quickly spotted the blood-red unicorn she had mentioned. However, upon seeing it, a strange expression instantly appeared on Qi Han's face.

The blood-red unicorn in front of us is similar in shape to the other blood-red unicorns, and is considered one of the more normal-looking ones in this stable.

If we ignore its current actions.

At this moment, the horse was rubbing its back against the stable fence as if it had lice on its back, as if it had contracted some strange disease.

Of course, Qi Han still trusted Ruyi's judgment, so he moved a little closer to carefully observe the blood-red unicorn that was rubbing against the fence on its own.

Upon closer inspection, Qi Han indeed discovered some peculiarities.

This blood-red unicorn also has the unique blood-red markings of its species, but they are completely different from those of other blood-red unicorns. The blood-red markings on this blood-red unicorn are actually distributed in a regular grid pattern, with each grid resembling a hexagon.

Although the patterns on a blood-red unicorn are like human fingerprints, no two are exactly alike, but your pattern is just too outrageous!

What is this like?

It's like a person's fingerprints; they're either whorls or loops.

You hold out your hand and look, and wow, all your fingerprints are square.

The unique markings were only one reason why this blood-red unicorn was special; Qi Han's gaze quickly locked onto the unicorn's single horn on its forehead.

This unicorn…

A typical blood-red unicorn has a horn with a keratinous sheen, which is dark red.

The blood-red unicorn that had previously reverted to its ancestral form now had an extra layer of crystalline texture on its horn, and its color was even more vibrant.

But the blood-red unicorn before them had a horn as bright and clear as blood-red crystal, making it look exceptionally beautiful.

With such a wondrous horn, this blood-red unicorn was clearly no ordinary beast. However, its other features were exceptionally strange, and it seemed to suffer from some kind of ailment. No wonder the An Clan had placed it here.

"Ruyi, what's the deal with this blood-red unicorn?" Qi Han couldn't help but ask.

"Did you see what it was doing?" Ruyi asked softly. "It's rubbing its back against the fence. This isn't because it has some kind of disease, but because something else is making its back incredibly itchy, so it has no choice but to do it."

"Another reason?" Qi Han's doubts did not lessen; on the contrary, they increased because of Ruyi's words.

"Touch its back with your hand."

Qi Han nodded and took a few steps forward.

Although the blood-red unicorn was restless, Qi Han was stronger and not afraid of it.

A hand was placed on its back, pressing down slightly, and Qi Han's face suddenly showed a hint of surprise.

On the surface, there was nothing wrong, but with a little pressure, he could clearly feel a hard bulge under the skin of the blood-red unicorn's back.

This is…

“It’s wings,” Ruyi answered. “This blood-red unicorn hasn’t reverted to its ancestral form. A completely unknown mutation has occurred within its body, causing it to grow wings. It’s currently in a metamorphosis phase, and because of insufficient nutrition, the wings are having difficulty growing, which is why it’s in so much pain. As for the patterns on its body, perhaps they are signs that scales are about to grow.”

A completely unknown mutation?

Qi Han blinked.

And this kind of operation?

A unicorn that can grow wings and scales?

That sounds so cool!

Qi Han's eyes suddenly lit up. "Ruyi, if I give it to you, can you solve its current problem?"

“Of course,” Ruyi said easily. “Its current problem is that its life force cannot support its transformation. Give it some good food and some life force, and it will naturally be able to complete the transformation.”

I've decided on you!

Qi Han walked out of the animal pen, smiled and looked at An Long, "Manager An, I've chosen a horse."

After saying that, he took out a gold note with two thousand gold soul coins from his pocket and handed it over.

"Huh?" An Long was a little confused. He thought that Qi Han would give up after seeing the various blood-red unicorns in the animal pen. "Which one?"

"It's the one in the very corner," Qi Han pointed.

An Long looked at it and his face showed even more astonishment. "Mr. Qi, this horse is fine in other aspects, but it seems to have some kind of bulge on its back, so it's uncomfortable to ride. Also, because of the bulge, its health has never been very good, and it likes to rub against all sorts of things. Are you sure you want it?"

It wasn't that he wanted to deliberately belittle him; his main concern was that Qi Han might buy things recklessly without understanding the situation, and then feel cheated if problems arose later, leading to dissatisfaction with An's Trading Company. After all, Qi Han didn't seem like an ordinary person, so An Long naturally prioritized maintaining good relations with him.

"I'm sure." Qi Han smiled slightly; he was aware of all the issues An Long had raised.

"Well... alright then." Seeing Qi Han's firm attitude, An Long didn't know to try to persuade him any further. "Could you give me an address later, and I'll send someone to deliver this horse to you?"

"No need, I'll take it with me." Qi Han shook his head, stepped forward, and placed his hand on the back of the blood-red unicorn, using Professor Ruyi's special method to activate his soul power to alleviate its pain.

Feeling that the itching on its back had suddenly subsided, the blood-red unicorn let out a rather human-like hiss and turned to look at Qi Han with a more friendly gaze.

"Come with me." Qi Han smiled slightly, gently pulling the rope tied around its neck and leading it out of the animal pen.

The money had already been paid, so the blood-red unicorn naturally belonged to Qi Han. He led the blood-red unicorn to the front hall, called out to Gulu, who was happily enjoying dried fish, and then said goodbye to An Qiongju before leaving.

Touching Guru, who had returned to his shoulder with a dried fish still dangling from his mouth, Qi Han silently communicated with Ruyi, "Ruyi, how long will it take for it to transform?"

"After storing it in my small world, I can activate the time flow rate up to a thousand times, so one or two hours should be enough."

An hour or two wouldn't delay Qi Han's journey at all; he could wait that little bit of time.

Qi Han was even more satisfied now.

He led the blood-red unicorn down the street and soon found a relatively quiet alleyway. He led the unicorn deeper into the alley, and after making sure no one was around, he stroked the mane on the back of the unicorn's neck. "Now, you'd better work hard to transform. I hope that when I see you again, you'll be different."

The crimson unicorn let out a soft hiss, nuzzled affectionately against Qi Han, and then, guided by Ruyi, entered the system's small world.

After patting Gulu, Qi Han walked out of the alley again.

Next, you only need to spend an hour or two exploring South India City and waiting for the Crimson Unicorn to complete its metamorphosis before setting off again.

Chapter 334 New Partners

"Uncle, your handmade beef balls taste really good."

Qi Han held a fist-sized beef ball in a bowl and started chatting with the vendor who made the beef balls.

"These handmade beef balls are a recipe passed down from my ancestors. Go ask around, who in Nanyin City doesn't know about my family's beef balls?" the uncle replied with a smile.

Qi Han chuckled, used a wooden fork to scoop up a piece from the surface of the beef ball, then stuck it in his mouth.