Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

She was dressed simply in a T-shirt and jeans, looking fresh and neat. In just over half a month, her complexion had improved a lot, and she was no longer as haggard as she had been in the underworld.

"Sister Guan Yan." Cheng Yuan walked over with a smile.

Guan Yan looked him up and down, then suddenly smiled and said, "Oh, it's been half a month since I last saw you. You seem to have grown a bit taller and more muscular."

Cheng Yuan was taken aback, realizing he hadn't really noticed: "Really? Maybe."

His life-or-death struggles in the underworld and the deadly volcano truly strengthened his physique.

"Come with me, I'll take you inside," Guan Yan said naturally, leading Cheng Yuan toward the huge school gate.

As she walked, she turned her head to the side, a sly smile on her face, and whispered, "So, this time you're planning to challenge all three top universities and take the 'Dengke Road' route, right?"

Cheng Yuan was slightly surprised: "Sister Guan Yan, how do you know about 'Dengke Road'?"

"Tch, I'm a graduate student at Shanghai University, okay?" Guan Yan rolled her eyes at him. "What else can a graduate do at Shanghai University of Technology? Just visit? Although Shanghai University of Technology is open to the public, it's not easy to become a focus of attention for the school leaders. That's why the tradition of 'Dengke Road' has been passed down."

If you can establish a reputation and make a name for yourself at various schools before admission, demonstrating abilities that far surpass those of your peers, it will be difficult for school leaders not to pay attention to you. Then, various forms of focused attention and preferential treatment in resources will follow.

She paused for a moment, then said, "I mentioned you to Zhao Gang and the other members of the current student union's discipline department. They are very interested in your experience of surviving from the underworld. If you want to go down this path, I can ask them to help arrange suitable opponents, ensuring you have a 'fun' fight without going too far."

She blinked, her meaning clear—I have connections, I can make things perfectly clear for you.

Cheng Yuan felt a warmth in his heart and smiled, "Sister Guan Yan is so kind. However, challenging someone also requires strategy; you can't be too reckless."

"Of course!" Guan Yan patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I've got your back! I guarantee you'll have a glorious path to success! We've been through thick and thin together!"

The two chatted and laughed as they passed through the high-tech access control system and officially entered the interior of the Shanghai Beast Tamer University.

The campus scenery is consistent with the steel fortress style seen from the outside.

The road is wide, with various modern training venues, simulated battle towers, energy testing centers, and even a giant open-air obstacle course where many students are training hard and sweating profusely.

The roars of Digimon, the sounds of skills clashing, and shouts of reprimand and encouragement rose and fell, filling the air with a swirling atmosphere.

Even during summer vacation, many animal trainer students choose to stay on campus to make the most of their time to improve themselves.

Guan Yan led Cheng Yuan to a detached building near the administration building, which seemed to be the student council's activity center.

As soon as I entered, I heard laughter coming from inside.

"Hey! It's Guan Yan!" A tall, composed young man named Zhao Gang, wearing the Magic University uniform, greeted Guan Yan with a smile as soon as he saw her.

"Hello, Guan Yan!"

The other student council members also greeted him with smiles.

Guan Yan immediately feigned displeasure: "What do you mean by 'big boss'? That sounds awful! Call me 'senior'!"

"Haha, isn't this just a sigh of nostalgia!" a boy laughed. "Thinking back to when you, senior, with your budding, adorable monster, dared to 'trick' younger students into being your bodyguards, going to all sorts of ruins to do archaeology. And now, your partner has not only evolved but has become such a powerful Baronmon! It's truly admirable!"

"It was the armor evolution of the Qilin boss that made me who I am," Guan Yan corrected, her tone filled with gratitude. Then she pulled Cheng Yuan over, "Come on, let me introduce you all. This is Cheng Yuan, my... cousin. He took the college entrance exam this year and he's very strong! He's preparing to take the 'path to success.' He's a gem, so please take good care of him and help him make arrangements so he can shine and catch the eye of the school leaders."

Everyone immediately turned their attention to Cheng Yuan. Zhao Gang exclaimed in surprise, "So you're Cheng Yuan, the rising star of Pengcheng! It's a pleasure to meet you! I sent you a message this morning."

He stretched out his hand.

Cheng Yuan shook hands with him and said with a smile, "Hello, Senior Zhao. What 'newcomer king'? The media and netizens are just making things up. I'm just an ordinary examinee."

Since the other party was so polite, he didn't feel like he would have directly caused trouble like he would in Huadu.

"To win two championships in the Pengcheng mock exams, your college entrance exam scores must be top-notch as well. No need to be modest." Zhao Gang smiled, his tone confident. "You boasted about your achievements in Huadu, defeating three top freshmen, including a newly promoted professional animal trainer (referring to Mei Ning). Truly, you're a force to be reckoned with!"

He patted Cheng Yuan on the shoulder, his tone filled with appreciation and expectation: "I'm so glad you chose our Shanghai University of Technology. I believe that with your potential and drive, you will definitely achieve the best development here and will never regret this choice!"

Cheng Yuan: "..."

Wait, no, wait a minute!

Senior, are you making things up in your head? When did I ever say I wanted to go to Mogu University?

Chapter 171 Mission

Zhao Gang seemed oblivious to Cheng Yuan's subtle expression and continued with a sigh, "Junior Ji Yueheng is a perfect example! Maybe you can become the next one like him..."

He paused halfway through his sentence, then gave an awkward laugh.

Since its founding, Shanghai Animal Training University has only produced one prodigy like Ji Yueheng. He became a professional animal trainer in his first semester of freshman year and is now reportedly leading a team on the front lines in some dark region. His strength far surpasses that of his peers.

This kind of example is too difficult to replicate.

Suddenly, Zhao Gang's eyes lit up, and he looked at Guan Yan: "By the way, Senior Guan Yan, have you talked to Cheng Yuan about tomorrow's event?"

"...The Ruins of the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts?" Guan Yan asked after thinking for a moment.

Zhao Gang nodded: "Yes! Senior, didn't you bring back important data from the Underworld and want to explore the newly discovered ruins in the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts again during the summer vacation? You came to the Student Union today to recruit some reliable bodyguards, didn't you? It's perfect that Cheng Yuan is here. He's capable, and he came back from the Underworld with you. He's experienced and works well with you. If you go to the ruins together and make some discoveries, the results will definitely impress the school leaders!"

Guan Yan also recalled that the school attached great importance to the information brought back from the underworld, and her new research topic was related to it. If Cheng Yuan participated and made contributions, it would indeed greatly benefit his chances of passing the imperial examination.

Fighting at the school gate is just a display of reckless courage; it's all superficial skill. The real talent lies in making direct contributions.

"Cheng Yuan, why don't you come with us to the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts tomorrow?" Guan Yan immediately extended an invitation.

Cheng Yuan: "..."

Wait, why were I suddenly assigned to be a bodyguard?

However… the Forest of Beasts is a well-known large-scale digital space supported by Shanghai, and he had already planned to visit it anyway. This is indeed a good opportunity for a publicly funded trip… cough, to broaden his horizons.

As a result, the originally planned challenge trip to the Shanghai Arena seems to have turned into an adventure into the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts before it even began...

Cheng Yuan was taken to Guan Yan's graduate student dormitory.

Just as she had said, it was a separate one-bedroom suite, kept clean and tidy. The bookshelves were filled with books on archaeology and history, while the cabinet on the other side displayed many cute Digimon figurines, revealing the room's owner's academic rigor and the girlish playfulness she retained.

This was Cheng Yuan's first time entering a girls' dormitory. Although she was a senior a few years older than him, he couldn't help but feel a little strange.

However, since both of them were purely focused on the digital world, they didn't have any awkward thoughts.

"Cheng Yuan, your Gatomon... has it stabilized at the Champion stage by now, right?" Guan Yan poured Cheng Yuan a glass of water and asked, "But then again, if it hadn't stabilized at the Champion stage, how would you dare to take the 'Road to Success' and challenge other schools?"

She continued, "During the summer vacation at Shanghai University, the mission system is open to students staying on campus. I have a research mission about exploring the ruins of the Forest of Beasts, which is currently listed in the system. I'm recruiting a team of researchers to guard the area, requiring them to be at least at the mature stage, and there are three slots available."

"The rewards are generous and tied to the exploration results. If the mission is successful and deemed valuable by the mission review committee, you will receive a high-level data cube used by mature Digimon, worth over 500,000."

Even if no valuable information is found, as long as the researcher (that is, me) returns safely, I will still receive 500 school points.

"500 points are roughly equivalent to 5 yuan in purchasing power in society. This event starts tomorrow."

“The team was already full, just Zhao Gang and the other two. But we can add one more prospective student at the last minute, as long as they are capable enough. Once you officially enroll, the reward resources and points will be automatically transferred to your account,” Guan Yan explained.

Money and resources were secondary to Cheng Yuan; his primary purpose in traveling was to broaden his horizons.

Being able to explore the famous, large-scale digital space of the Forest of Beasts at public expense is an opportunity I could only dream of. The license fee for entering the digital space alone would cost 3, so this is a complete saving.

“Okay, I’ll go.” Cheng Yuan readily agreed.

At 7 a.m. the next morning, three men and two women gathered at the gate of Shanghai University.

Cheng Yuan glanced at the group. Besides Guan Yan, there was another girl who looked quite quiet, with long, slightly wavy hair.

The three boys were Zhao Gang, and two others whom I had met at the student council yesterday.

As the team leader, Zhao Gang took the initiative to introduce everyone: "Now that everyone is here, let me formally introduce you. This is Cheng Yuan, Guan Yan's cousin, a soon-to-be freshman, very capable, and he has temporarily joined our escort team this time."

Then he pointed to the quiet girl: "This is Liu Li, a freshman, a reserve member of the school team, and her partner is Jinba Angora Beast, early stage of maturity."

Next were two other boys:

"Lin Yu, freshman, official member of the school team, partner of Grizzly Beast, early stage of maturity."

"Li Yunjin, freshman, official member of the school team, partner of Running Beast, early stage of maturity."

"I am Zhao Gang, a sophomore, the head of the student union's discipline department, and my partner is the Lion Beast, a mid-stage mature player. Senior, I've recruited all the top players from the school team, isn't that awesome!"

Guan Yan gave a thumbs up.

Cheng Yuan nodded, understanding the situation. The Shanghai University varsity football team was indeed impressive, showing such maturity even in their freshman year.

He casually asked, "Is there someone on your school team named Lin Xiaoyang?"

Lin Yu looked at Cheng Yuan with some surprise: "Oh? It seems that Cheng Yuan is quite interested in our Shanghai Xun University. Yang Ge is our team leader, but he is too strong and often carries out various difficult missions outside. Except for major national competitions, he is rarely at school."

Cheng Yuan smiled and said nothing more: "I've heard of him."

Despite knowing Lin Xiaoyang's reputation, he didn't pay much attention to the high school league.

Cheng Yuan thought to himself: Lin Xiaoyang... his "comrade-in-arms" from the Digital Spacetime Secret Realm four months ago, like Cheng Yi, was among the first group of young elites to come into contact with and bring back the incomplete digital armor technology. But the complete knowledge and technology are in my hands now that I've transformed into a Qilin.

Guan Yan tried to smooth things over, saying, "Cheng Yuan is my cousin. He's just tagging along on this mission to get familiar with the environment. Please take good care of him!"

The five people and one beast (Gilomon) squeezed into a clearly modified off-road vehicle and headed towards the entrance to the Beast Forest Digital Space.

The other four Digimon were recalled to their Digimon due to their size, but Gatomon, being small, was held in the passenger seat by Guan Yan, who petted it vigorously and couldn't put it down, showing no awareness of its status as a powerful and ferocious Champion-level Digimon.

Perhaps because of their shared experience of life and death on the deadly volcano, Guan Yan became very close to Cheng Yuan and Dilumon, which was not at all like someone she had only known for a month and a half.

The vehicle quickly arrived at its destination.

When Cheng Yuan got out of the car and saw the entrance to the Forest of Beasts Digital Space, he was once again amazed by the style of Shanghai.

This entrance is not in the middle of nowhere, but in a very bustling urban area!

The surrounding area was not cleared out at all. Instead, skyscrapers, large shopping malls, and business centers rose up, tightly surrounding the entrance to the digital space that exuded a primitive and wild atmosphere!

Looking around, one sees a dazzling array of billboards:

"The cubs love the Beast Brand Digital Food!"

"War God Training Camp, guaranteed to boost your Digimon combat power in just one month!"

"The Hunter's Guild 'Raptor' Squad is recruiting! Excellent benefits!"

"Low-interest loans to help you achieve your dream of becoming a beast tamer!"

"Elite tutors provide one-on-one guidance for mature development!"

"Digimon skills training courses, no refunds!"

……

The strong commercial atmosphere was overwhelming, and the air seemed to be filled with the smell of money.

This place is simply a super-prosperous commercial empire built around the digital space!

Compared to the small market at the Savage Valley outpost, this place is more than a hundred times more prosperous!

Seeing Cheng Yuan looking like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden, Zhao Gang laughed and explained, "When we first started building the entrance, there was a lot of open space around it. But the digital economy has developed too fast in recent years, especially the rich resources of the Beast Forest, which have attracted countless capital and enterprises. As a result, more and more buildings have been built around it, and they have become taller and taller."

He paused for a moment, then added, "You'll be even more surprised when we get into the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts."

Chapter 172 Jungle Cavalry

After overcoming numerous obstacles and verifications, Cheng Yuan and his group finally arrived at the famous crevice.

This is a huge man-made tunnel, with reinforced alloy walls on both sides and a bright lighting system overhead. It extends downwards and eventually leads to a digital space rift that ripples like water, emitting unstable energy fluctuations.

The level of security at the entrance to the crack has been raised several levels.

Security personnel in black uniforms patrolled back and forth, leading Doberman and Labrador, both with keen senses of smell. On the watchtower high up, energy detectors and defensive weapons were set up. Several calm and collected individuals, clearly professional animal trainers, could be seen sitting in a small pavilion nearby, their sharp eyes scanning everyone who approached the rift.

All personnel and goods entering and exiting must undergo strict inspection.

"This is even stricter than customs," Cheng Yuan muttered to himself.

“After all, it connects to another world, so we can’t be too careful,” Zhao Gang explained. “Especially in a highly developed digital space like the Forest of Beasts, with its massive data flow, we need to ensure security and the isolation of disordered data streams.”

After passing through that water-like energy curtain, the brief feeling of weightlessness and dizziness subsided, and the scene before him suddenly opened up, but the shock it brought far exceeded Cheng Yuan's imagination!

On the other side of the crevice, instead of the entrance to the primeval jungle as one might imagine, lies an extremely bustling commercial center!

Moreover, its level of modernization is even greater than that of the outpost commercial district outside!

The wide streets are lined with towering buildings, and holographic billboards flash incessantly, except that the content of the advertisements has all changed to:

"Digital Honey, a Specialty of the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts!"

"Swamp crocodile hide tanning service!"

"Expert guides will lead you safely through Roaring Valley"

"Book your hotel within the digital space – save time and effort!"

"Real-time data network coverage ensures worry-free live streaming!"