The pandas from the Azure Dragon Secret Realm quickly adapted to life in the panda breeding house.
The Panda Cubs lounged around in the bamboo groves, drinking milk from basins and munching on tender bamboo shoots, their little legs kicked up in contentment.
As for the adult pandas that had evolved, after eating and drinking their fill, they sought out the Martial Panda and Rogue Panda, quickly hitting it off with these fellow pandas from their homeland.
Although the Wood and Dragon Pandas were not as skilled in combat techniques as these martial-trained pandas, the absurdly high stats granted by the Dragon attribute and the toughness provided by the Wood attribute still left the martial pandas astonished.
The Dragon Pandas were one thing. Their specialty was maximizing physical attack power. With strength that could overwhelm any obstacle, they only needed to learn a few martial techniques before becoming extremely powerful.
But the Wood Pandas?
They actually possessed a permanently regenerating bamboo stalk—
Wasn't that basically a top-tier staff with infinite durability?
Natural-born masters of staff techniques!
Yet these pandas only used such a treasure to eat bamboo.
What a waste!
The martial pandas in the breeding house felt the same frustration one might feel toward an iron that refused to become steel. They immediately dragged the Wood and Dragon Pandas off to practice martial arts, filling the area with energetic battle cries.
Watching the pandas from the two regions get along so well, Jiang Xing felt extremely satisfied.
The problem was...
Why had they started practicing martial arts again?
'Are pandas permanently locked into the martial path or something?'
Jiang Xing could not help but laugh.
Still, after observing the pandas train for a while and combining what he saw with his knowledge of Pet Beast studies, he gradually formed an idea.
The pandas of this world were certainly adorable companion creatures, but their nature was not gentleness or restraint.
It was competitiveness and boldness.
They were true Battle Pet Beasts born for combat!
Just like the panda leader from the Azure Dragon Secret Realm, hot blood flowed through their veins, and they were willing to follow only the strong.
Just as naturally kind Honey Attendants tended toward healing and support after evolving.
According to the Will-Based Selection Theory, pandas possessed bold and heroic temperaments. Naturally, their growth and evolution tended toward combat-oriented paths.
Furthermore, bears as a species already shared many similarities with humans and often displayed human-like behavior. In ancient times, there had even been legends of "man-bears."
After gaining extraordinary power, learning martial techniques and strengthening themselves was only natural.
In fact, the vast majority of bear-type Pet Beasts were associated with the Fighting attribute in some way.
Even those that were not Fighting-attributed Pet Beasts often combined their attribute powers with martial techniques, mastering many hybrid Fighting-attribute moves.
They were naturally compatible with the Fighting attribute.
Humanoid physiques.
Combat-loving personalities.
Exceptional Fighting potential.
Taking the martial path was completely natural.
'If something exists, there must be a reason for it.'
'The pandas clearly possess remarkable Fighting potential.'
'If I deliberately ignored that just to expand their evolutionary paths, trying to force them into mastering elemental powers like wind, water, lightning, and so on while raising them as caster-type Pet Beasts, I'd be going against the natural laws of evolution.'
'If I'm going to raise Panda Cubs, it's better to follow their nature.'
As unique regional forms from the Azure Dragon Secret Realm, the Wood Pandas and Dragon Pandas clearly possessed far more untapped potential.
Through proper raising and development, they could undoubtedly evolve into even stronger forms.
Jiang Xing loved pandas very much. Since he planned to raise a panda clan in his backyard, he naturally intended to fully bring out their potential.
Thus, in addition to requesting seeds for various bamboo resources, he also asked for the complete collection of "Panda Martial Arts" move manuals to facilitate their future training.
After all, martial arts and Fighting techniques were far more difficult to learn than ordinary move manuals.
Relying solely on move manuals and training behind closed doors made it difficult to reach a truly masterful level.
It would be best to find a Fighting instructor and receive direct guidance...
The top Fighting-type Beast Tamers were often martial arts masters themselves, proficient in all kinds of combat styles. Some Fighting-type moves had even been created by them before being taught to their Pet Beasts.
Jiang Xing clearly didn't possess that kind of ability.
Fortunately, he wasn't in any hurry to raise the pandas.
It wouldn't be too late to think about the next research project after finishing the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling project first.
Thus, Jiang Xing reminded the panda breeders that if they wanted to breed Wood Pandas and Dragon Pandas, they should first work with the Azure Dragon to create a small special environment similar to the Azure Dragon Secret Realm and use it as a "maternity ward."
Only then could they ensure a sufficient supply of divine dragon power and encourage the birth of regional forms.
Otherwise, breeding a Fighting Panda with a Dragon Panda would most likely result in an attribute-less Panda Cub.
The same principle applied not only to the panda clan but also to the special Dragon-attributed Pet Beasts originating from the Azure Dragon Secret Realm.
After dealing with these matters, Jiang Xing transported a large quantity of bamboo resources into the Azure Dragon Secret Realm. He then returned to the research institute, established a new exit, and retrieved the resources from there.
...
The advantage of using a secret realm as a transportation hub was its enormous carrying capacity.
For small-scale transportation, however, the efficiency was actually quite poor.
After returning to the research institute, Jiang Xing spent more than thirty hours stabilizing the secret realm entrance before it could be used normally. As a means of transporting supplies, it was actually slower than a train.
Moreover, secret realms were fundamentally attached to Earth, existing as something similar to a "mirror space."
From a spatial perspective, a secret realm and Earth were like two overlapping sheets of paper. While it was possible to jump between them, transfer between them, and expand the range of accessible space...
In reality, only the overlapping regions were connected.
For example, a secret realm the size of a sports stadium could have multiple entrances and exits, but its range would never extend beyond the stadium's boundaries.
Therefore, secret realms merely expanded planetary space.
They could not function like wormholes, providing spatial warp capabilities that allowed Beast Tamers to travel freely across the planet.
To reach other regions, conventional transportation on Earth was still necessary.
This was also why the farther away Jiang Xing wanted to relocate a secret realm entrance, the longer the process took.
During that process, the secret realm was effectively recalibrating its coordinates relative to Earth and changing its position within space. Naturally, that required time.
Returning to the main topic.
After relocating the Azure Dragon Secret Realm to the research institute, Jiang Xing reopened the entrance, released the panda clan, and treated them to a grand feast of bamboo shoots.
These bamboo shoots were premium resources produced through generations of selective breeding. They were far tastier than the bamboo shoots from centuries ago and far more nutritious as well, finally fulfilling the pandas' long-held dream.
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, it was time to get to work.
Energy Cubes were life.
Fresh bamboo shoots were faith.
The pandas were deeply obsessed with fresh bamboo shoots. Even with plenty of other food available, their demand for this particular resource remained extremely high.
Shipping them in by air every day from distant locations was both time-consuming and labor-intensive.
It was far better to grow them themselves.
Conveniently, the Azure Dragon Secret Realm was rich in Wood-attributed energy. Even a small amount of humus soil dug up there was equivalent to top-grade fertilizer.
The Wood Pandas also possessed Wood-attributed power and could use it to create bamboo forests, making complete self-sufficiency possible.
To show how much he valued them—and because he wanted to see Panda Cubs more often—
Jiang Xing set aside a section of forest next to the research institute and designated it as the panda clan's territory.
'The Panda Bamboo Forest is only two or three hundred meters from the research institute...'
'That still counts as being within the inner ring.'
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