I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

Why does this sound so familiar?

It seems that Ozawa made the same request during the initial period when he was with me...

Yan Ziming had already guessed, "Obsidian?"

"Hmm... this amount might be quite large, so... please! Chiyuki will spend her whole life repaying this debt!"

Ye Qianxue spoke with utmost sincerity, almost to the point of bowing deeply to her.

"Are you stupid?" Yan Ziming waved his hand as if to hit her on the head, but because he wasn't tall enough, he could only pinch her waist. "Besides you, who else can I give everything to?"

Before Ye Qianxue could even feel touched, Yan Ziming relentlessly teased, "Besides, you're already mine completely, what do you need to repay me with? Your body?"

"!!!" A blush rose on Ye Qianxue's face, and she shyly stammered, "If you don't mind, elder sister..."

Leprechaun!

Yan Ziming cursed inwardly, realizing that her younger sister had her cornered for life. At the same time, she was also enveloped in a deep sense of happiness.

"Ahem, let's get down to business first. I need to know a few things. Is eating all you want?"

"Yes, Mother... that's what that guy said."

Looks like he's still holding a grudge against that Si Mo guy...

Although what she did did indeed arouse Ye Qianxue's jealousy.

"Alright, then let's not delay, start eating. Eat as many as you have, except for a few to keep in reserve."

Yan Ziming said very generously, without feeling any remorse.

Some time ago, she wanted to give Tian Tian and Ye Qianxue a few obsidian crystals to improve themselves, but later, because the news of the mutation might be related to the crystal core, she froze the matter, and a bunch of obsidian crystals became decorations, which could only be used as money.

Now... with Xiao Qi around, and Ye Qianxue herself has the bloodline of Si Mo, so she can no longer be considered a pure human, is there anything to worry about?

Even though he will have to go back to living on a shoestring budget, Yan Ziming is willing to pay any price as long as his younger sister can grow.

"I remember bringing eleven obsidian stones with me when I left. You can have them first..."

"Um, dear sister, there should be twenty-four. I brought all the ones from home with me when I came back..."

Ye Qianxue poked her index finger, like a child who had done something wrong.

Yan Ziming was amused by her, "Does Mu Mu know? She seems to have some treasured too."

"She's not here, but Qianxue left her a note explaining the reason."

"Hmm... I see. Well, she doesn't seem like a miser, so she probably won't mind. Now you can start, and I'll keep an eye on things for you."

After having Ye Qianxue lead him back to his original residence, Yan Ziming began to clear the surroundings and eliminate any potential threats.

All of this was to prepare for my sister's new life.

19. S-class

When it came to his sister's advancement, Yan Ziming went to great lengths, clearing out the area within a ten-kilometer radius of the camp.

For half a day, the area was shrouded in dark clouds, the oppressive power of the heavens frightening away many small creatures who dared not approach and fled on their own.

One SS-level mutated species and three S-level species were killed, and the number of other villains was unknown.

Ye Qianxue saw everything her older sister had done for her, and a strong sense of security filled her heart, but the sense of mission also weighed heavily on her.

Seeing that Yan Ziming had returned, Ye Qianxue was just about to start when Yan Ziming stopped her.

"Wait, don't rush. Let's see if any other powerful beings will come after hearing the news. If all else fails, we'll have to send you back to Beian."

Yan Ziming was quite cautious, worried that, like before, several SS-level or even sequence-level creatures would be drawn out in succession, which would be the end of everything.

Ye Qianxue obediently waited with her for another half a day. During this time, she used the Pioneer Card to apply for satellite exploration and found that there was no one within a twenty-mile radius who was beyond her strength. Only then did she finally feel relieved.

"It's time to start."

"Ah."

On Ye Qianxue's table, there were more than twenty crystals of various shapes scattered around, their light dazzling. Just being bathed in this light made one feel several years younger.

These are all the obsidian stones they currently possess; two are black, and the rest are orange.

Yan Ziming stared intently at Ye Qianxue, wanting to see what her sister's method of improvement looked like.

After seeing it, all she could say was—it's so ordinary.

He simply tossed an S-grade obsidian into his mouth, chewed it a few times, swallowed it, and that was it.

Just like before with Si Mo, Ye Qianxue felt that she had swallowed a stream of molten lava, but it did not harm her body. Instead, her whole body was extremely hot. Her body's cells were rapidly destroyed and reorganized under this heat, becoming stronger and her senses were several times stronger than usual.

呲——

A life essence tried to overflow from Ye Qianxue's body, but she suppressed it with her spatial abilities. In the end, the life essence of the crystal stone settled into her body and became nourishment.

[This is much weaker than the one my mother gave Qianxue before... Was it an SS-grade one?]

Thinking this to herself, Ye Qianxue felt her resentment towards Si Mo lessen somewhat.

SS-grade obsidian is extremely precious. Even with Mu Mu's entire fortune, they only have two. Si Mo casually fed her one, which shows that she treats her very well.

However, it's also possible that for her, SS-grade obsidian is just a drop in the ocean, something she can easily give away to others.

Fifteen minutes later, Ye Qianxue swallowed another S-grade obsidian crystal, leaving Yan Ziming speechless.

Ah, it's surprisingly ordinary... Well, that's fine, it saves us from making a big fuss.

Yan Ziming found it too bland, so she sat upright on the decaying table to the side, propping her cheek up, and watched Ye Qianxue's 'eating' with great boredom.

Even with your eyes closed, you can feel Ye Qianxue's rising momentum. Although it's not fast, it's definitely increasing at a visible rate.

It seems that Si Mo wasn't lying; all you really need is to eat.

[The rapid evolution of mutated species must be related to this, right?]

Thinking this to himself, Yan Ziming saw Ye Qianxue swallow another crystal, and he raised an eyebrow, rejecting his previous idea.

Well, not necessarily.

The drop rate of S-grade obsidian is incredibly low. How much of their entire evolutionary history does a single obsidian represent?

Yan Ziming estimated that Ye Qianxue would need to consume a double-digit number of S-grade obsidian stones to achieve a qualitative leap.

And a wild, mutated species wants to devour so many S-grade obsidian crystals? Impossible, if it had that ability, it would have reached the pinnacle long ago.

With so many obsidian stones on her person, it wasn't that Yan Ziming didn't want to take them, but rather that ordinary obsidian stones no longer had any effect on her.

She herself is the purest thing in the world, with a life level above all others. The quality of life essence contained in ordinary obsidian is not even as high as her own.

Perhaps only SSS-grade or serial-grade obsidian can nourish her.

After quite some time, Ye Qianxue had already consumed seven of the S-grade obsidian stones piled on the table, which shocked Yan Ziming.

While it's true that one can improve simply by eating, the energy expenditure is simply too astonishing. Ye Qianxue's current physical strength is only between A-rank and S-rank, yet she needs so much...

Once her physical strength reaches S-level, and she wants to achieve a qualitative improvement, who else but the nation could afford to support her?

"Indeed, nothing is perfect. The seemingly invincible path to the top is actually fraught with difficulties."

Yan Ziming thought to himself.

Suddenly, as she ate the eighth one, Ye Qianxue's body stiffened. Yan Ziming jumped off the table, staring at her intently.

"Qianxue?"

boom--

An invisible force emanated from Ye Qianxue. It seemed like nothing at all, yet it caused a loud boom. Yan Ziming's worried expression turned to joy.

This is about to break through!

The moment this thought occurred to her, a black light suddenly shone from Ye Qianxue's abdomen, and through her clothes, a very beautiful pattern could be seen.

"Um?!"

Yan Ziming's expression changed as he recalled some unpleasant memories.

When he broke through to the eighth rank, his domain skill failed to take shape because of the pattern that Si Mo had left on his leg.

Simo wouldn't even betray her own daughter, would she?

He hurriedly went up and lifted the clothes covering Ye Qianxue's abdomen, and found that the cursed... beautiful stripes seemed to be alive and were writhing, like a pair of flapping wings, exceptionally beautiful. Black light spread, and Ye Qianxue's body also emitted a silver light, which complemented it.

Despite his great concern, Yan Ziming was relieved to see that Ye Qianxue's aura showed no signs of weakening.

This pattern... doesn't seem to be harming her; on the contrary, it seems to be helping her...

"Phew... I knew it. Simo wouldn't even... um?"

Suddenly, Ye Qianxue's body was covered by black scales, every corner of her body, even her head. However, it wasn't just a simple fit; the scales on her head were hollow and pieced together to form a suit of armor. Ye Qianxue now looked just like a black-armored warrior, majestic and awe-inspiring.

Damn, he’s so handsome!

Yan Ziming was itching to try it; wasn't this exactly the kind of cool armor he had been longing for?

Back when she was still a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), she wanted to get a suit of armor like this to show off on the battlefield. Unfortunately, it was too heavy, and the joints were terrible, causing her to get stuck. It was just a burden, and her armor dream was shattered.

Now her younger sister has fulfilled her dream perfectly. Behind the armor is a scorpion tail that gleams with a cold, iron light, making it look indestructible. Her hands have turned into claws, and her facial expression is not visible. A surge of blood energy bursts from her body.

Faintly, Yan Ziming heard a roar of a dragon, which made him momentarily dazed, and the sound spread for dozens of miles around.