Ling Tian woke up from the spiritual realm space. He had slept for tens of hours, finally recovering his depleted spirit.
Although the spiritual realm space was powerful, using it came at a cost, especially after releasing a large number of items from it a few days prior, which consumed immense mental energy.
Just as Ling Tian was contemplating contacting the Misty Rain Pavilion to gauge external reactions, the butler within the spiritual realm space respectfully approached the elder Ling Tian.
"Master, two of the beasts in the Beast Taming Courtyard have completed their evolution. If it's convenient for you, you may go and see them."
Ling Tian's thoughts flickered, and he immediately used his mental power to examine the Beast Taming Courtyard. The results filled him with joy.
"Let's go, let's go see them quickly."
Upon arriving at the Beast Taming Courtyard, Ling Tian's thoughts flashed, and a colossal beast was summoned by him.
This was a gigantic beast, with a length of 15 meters. Fifteen meters was a significant scale, comparable to the length of a container truck. This massive crocodile, lying on the ground, had a back height exceeding two meters!
The crocodile's scales shimmered with a black luster. Its hardened scales were even adorned with sawtooth-like barbs.
And when the crocodile opened its cavernous maw, its upper and lower jaws could open nearly a meter wide, enough to swallow a standing adult man whole.
This crocodile was not just large; its strength was also astonishing, capable of easily crushing land behemoths like rhinoceroses and elephants.
Do not assume such a colossal creature would be clumsy. Ling Tian had just tested it; this beast, comparable in size to a truck, could run at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour on land.
While its physiology dictated that it couldn't sustain such a sprint for long, short bursts of speed were certainly possible. This velocity would leave opponents with no chance of escape, and even a motorcycle wouldn't be able to outrun it.
Ling Tian also tested the crocodile's resilience. Ordinary bullets fired from firearms barely scratched its scales, failing to penetrate its armor.
Ling Tian, in a rather extreme test, used a Gatling gun to spray bullets at the crocodile from over ten meters away. The result was that only by repeatedly firing at specific scales could the crocodile be injured.
However, these injuries were merely superficial, incapable of inflicting fatal damage. On the contrary, the injured parts of the crocodile's body were recovering at a visible rate.
When the scales were damaged, a waxy, viscous fluid was secreted from the gaps between other scales. This fluid rapidly solidified upon contact with air, and within minutes, the scales were as good as new.
The robust muscles beneath the scales and the severed tendons were also rapidly regrown and reconnected within tens of seconds of being damaged.
It could be said that the crocodile's abilities were entirely due to the magic core of that seven-gilled lamprey. All the life essence of the seven-gilled lamprey was contained within that magic core, and some of the lamprey's abilities were inherited by the crocodile through the core.
What surprised Ling Tian even more was that this giant crocodile was poisonous!
Crocodiles and their ancestors had appeared on Earth for over 200 million years, making them living fossils of the animal kingdom. Yet, over these millions of years, crocodiles had not evolved venomous capabilities.
The reason was simple: it was unnecessary.
Crocodiles were already apex predators at the top of the food chain. They possessed immense strength, sharp teeth, and thick hides, making the evolution of venom unnecessary.
Crocodiles hunted with a single, decisive strike. It was likely that before any venom could take effect, the prey would already have been torn apart and consumed.
However, the crocodile before Ling Tian, having absorbed the seven-gilled lamprey's magic core, had evolved poisonous capabilities.
The crocodile's venom originated from its saliva. The mouths of crocodiles are filled with saliva, which helps kill microorganisms and digest food residue.
The seven-gilled lamprey's magic core caused the crocodile's salivary glands to evolve, rendering its saliva toxic.
Furthermore, the salivary glands had become extraordinarily developed. As soon as the crocodile opened its mouth to bite, it could rapidly secrete large amounts of saliva.
The venom secreted by the crocodile was a neurotoxin, which acted very quickly on both humans and animals.
Once this toxin entered the body, it would rapidly attack the nervous system, causing a blockage in nerve transmission, thereby paralyzing the target.
Imagine the terror of anyone facing such a prehistoric, beast-like crocodile and being poisoned, rendered unable to move.
Of course, if not treated promptly after being bitten, death would result within minutes due to respiratory muscle paralysis and suffocation, or cardiac muscle paralysis leading to cardiac arrest.
Ling Tian circled the crocodile countless times, his heart overflowing with joy. He envisioned how his opponents would react when such a creature suddenly appeared behind him during a fight.
Even against close-combat masters like Zerienkov, unleashing this crocodile would be a simple matter of a single bite!
Ling Tian leaped forward, soaring into the air and landing directly on the crocodile's head. The crocodile did not resist. Ling Tian sat cross-legged on its head, gripping two scales on its forehead. The crocodile began to gallop within the spiritual realm space. Ling Tian felt as if he were riding a large, open-top truck, which was an incredibly exhilarating experience.
"Very good, from now on, you shall be called Tuo Long!"
In ancient China, "Tuo" referred to crocodiles, specifically the Yangtze alligator. Due to the crocodile's scales and its crawling movements, which resembled those of the mythical dragon, some people also called crocodiles "Tuo Long."
Ling Tian adhered to the principle of pragmatism, believing that the name "Tuo Long" was perfectly suited for the colossal beast before him.
Among the reptiles Ling Tian had subdued in his spiritual realm space, the first to receive its own exclusive name was the giant King Cobra, which was named Du Long (Poison Dragon).
Now, Ling Tian possessed his second "dragon," signifying the formation of a scaled and combat-ready reptile legion in his possession.
Ling Tian spent several hours meticulously understanding the full capabilities and weaknesses of the colossal beast before him.
Even the strongest creatures had weaknesses, but during combat, one could choose to leverage strengths and mitigate weaknesses effectively.
After returning Tuo Long to the Beast Taming Courtyard, Ling Tian summoned a python.