At this moment, it twisted restlessly, trying to find an exit. Each wriggle sent ripples spreading across the water in the sink.
The eel's head lifted from time to time, its small black eyes revealing a hint of confusion and terror.
The water in the kitchen sink swirled into irregular whirlpools from its thrashing, making a faint sloshing sound.
Hu Qi only needed a glance to recognize it as a male swamp eel.
Male swamp eels generally had larger, slightly bulging heads. Their backs were marked with three bands of brown spots, with a colored stripe running along each flank.
The pigmented spots were evenly distributed, and their bellies were a darker color.
Female eels, on the other hand, had small, flat heads. Their backs were plain greenish-brown, without any spotted patterns.
Sometimes, three parallel lines of brown pigment spots could be seen. The body color lightened from front to back, covered in fine, evenly distributed brown spots, and their bellies were a lighter shade.
The one before him was undoubtedly a male.
Combined with what Li Zhenguo had said, the two swamp eels were likely a pair.
"Don't be afraid. I'll send you into my belly soon, so you can go see your wife."
Hu Qi grabbed an apron and tied it on.
Then, he reached out and grabbed the swamp eel directly.
As if sensing danger, it began to twist and writhe, raising its head and opening its mouth to bite at Hu Qi's hand.
Unlike ordinary, toothless swamp eels, when this one opened its mouth, a circle of tiny teeth was visible on its upper and lower jaws.
Hu Qi's expression was calm.
The sticky slime covering it didn't seem to affect him at all.
Seeing the eel's movement, he curled his fingers into a hook, grabbed its slippery, thick tail, and with a flick of his arm, swung it down against the floor.
BAM! BAM!
After two hits, its struggles weakened.
Although Hu Qi hadn't tested his strength, it was definitely far greater than that of an average adult man.
After just a few swings, the swamp eel lost the strength to resist. Blood trickled from its gills, its body went limp, and it passed out.
Seeing this, he brought over a pair of scissors.
He skillfully cut it open and began to clean it.
「Over half an hour later.」
In the living room, Hu Qi leaned back at the table and let out a satisfied burp.
The plate in front of him was completely empty. He had even chewed up and eaten the bones.
He had just eaten, and now he'd had another full meal.
Even with his appetite, he felt a little stuffed.
"Crimson!"
He called out in his mind.
SWOOSH!
A translucent, illusory panel unfolded before his eyes like a curtain of water.
[Owner: Hu Qi]
[Status: Normal]
[Age: 21 (Lifespan Remaining: 59 years)]
[Skills: Mixed Martial Arts (Mastery) △]
[Nourishing Essence Breathing Technique (Perfection)]
...
[Modification Points: 5 (89%)]
On the panel, his Modification Points had reached 5.
In comparison, this one swamp eel had given him over 3 Modification Points.
Perhaps it was because it was larger.
Without any hesitation, Hu Qi focused his gaze on the triangular rune after Mixed Martial Arts.
"Crimson, modify Mixed Martial Arts. Raise it to Perfection!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his Modification Points began to decrease. At the same time, the word Mastery after Mixed Martial Arts blurred, changing to Great Success and then finally to Perfection.
The familiar flood of images and memories, along with the cool stream of energy that strengthened his body, appeared once again.
Hu Qi carefully absorbed it all.
After a while, he came back to his senses.
He looked at the panel again.
————
Mixed Martial Arts (Perfection) Trait: Coordination
...
Modification Points: 1 (89%)
'Did it use four Modification Points?'
Hu Qi was speechless. He had worked hard to get five Modification Points, and now they were almost all gone in an instant.
However, it was worth it.
After all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Moreover, after Mixed Martial Arts reached the Perfect Realm, it had also awakened a Trait called Coordination.
Thinking of this, he suddenly raised his hand, formed it into a claw, and snatched forward!
SWISH!
In an instant, his hand shot out like an afterimage, flashing through the air before retracting.
He opened his fingers.
There, lying quietly in his palm, were two squashed mosquitoes.
'My reaction speed seems a bit faster than before, but it's still within the range of a normal person.'
Hu Qi assessed the changes in his body, making his judgment.
Coordination, as the name implied, referred to the ability of different parts of the body to work together harmoniously when moving or completing an action.
Good physical coordination manifested as the ability to perform various complex movements and tasks smoothly, accurately, and efficiently.
Examples included walking, running, jumping, throwing, dancing, and various technical moves in sports.
It involved the nervous system's precise control and regulation of muscles, including the sequence, force, and duration of muscle contractions.
At this moment, he felt better than ever before.
Just as he was about to stand up, a faint pang of hunger suddenly came from his stomach.
"Huh?"
Hu Qi's expression was strange.
He reached out and touched his stomach.
His previously somewhat bulging stomach had deflated at some point.
'Could it be because I modified Mixed Martial Arts to Perfection all at once?'
Hu Qi raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
'It's probably due to raising it to Perfection in one go and awakening the Coordination Trait.'
As for whether that was the case, it was the only explanation that made sense for now. He could test it again later if he had the chance.
Thinking of this, he took out a few chocolate bars he had bought earlier from a drawer, tore open the wrappers, and began to chew.
...
The night passed quickly.
The next day, as dawn broke, Hu Qi got up early.
However, he had taken a day off from the Red Scale Club today and didn't go in.
This was because Hu Qi needed to verify the source of his Modification Points.
He slaughtered a swamp eel he had bought from the wet market and carefully prepared it as a plate of braised eel.
Then, he picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
Next, he stared intently at the panel.
As expected, the Modification Points column didn't change at all.
'Just as I thought. The cooking method didn't change at all, but no Modification Points appeared. It's obvious that ordinary swamp eels can't provide me with Modification Points. The only possibility is that it has to be an Exotic Beast.'
Hu Qi muttered to himself.
He picked up his phone, opened a browser, and began searching for information about Exotic Beasts.
Soon, results started popping up one by one.
He automatically ignored and filtered out content from movies and novels.
He focused on the useful articles.
The first thing they explained was what an Exotic Beast was.
Exotic Beasts referred to animals that were peculiar, rare, or uncommon in appearance.
For example, rare species with unique forms that only existed in specific regions or environments, or animals with unusual appearances or habits due to genetic mutations.
This information was no different from what Hu Qi already knew.
Most of these Exotic Beasts only differed in appearance and size; they didn't possess any special abilities.
It would be more accurate to call them genetically mutated creatures rather than Exotic Beasts.
His gaze moved down.
Below that were some news articles about Exotic Beasts.