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

The interior of the hall continues the magical style that blends technology and plants. The puppy beast looks around curiously, while the ancient beast remains easily forgotten (cognitively blinded).

Behind the registration desk sat several women dressed in professional attire with gentle demeanors.

"Hello sir, are you here to register your animal trainer in a different location?" a woman asked softly. "Please show me your animal trainer certificate. If you don't have it with you, your ID card will also be fine."

Cheng Yuan handed over his apprentice animal trainer certificate.

He had only had this little notebook for less than six months, and looking at the youthful photos and information inside, he felt a bit emotional.

The woman was operating the computer, and the screen displayed Cheng Yuan's basic information, including his registered partner Digimon—Puppymon.

She compared it to the small, snow-white dog that was curiously peering at Cheng Yuan's feet and confirmed that it was the same dog.

"Is Mr. Cheng a high school graduate taking the college entrance exam this year?" the woman asked casually while entering his information.

"Yes."

After the information was entered, the woman handed the ID back to Cheng Yuan and smiled, "Mr. Cheng, your temporary visit registration is complete. During your stay in Huadu, you can use this ID to access various facilities for animal trainers in the city. We wish you a pleasant trip in Huadu."

"Thank you." Cheng Yuan took the documents, a wry smile playing on his lips.

It seems that it is indeed more troublesome for animal trainers to travel between cities than for ordinary people. It is estimated that this registration process will be unavoidable every time they go to a new city.

As Cheng Yuan stepped out of the digital center, he looked up and gazed into the distance.

Amidst the towering trees and buildings, he could vaguely see a striking, bud-shaped building, resembling a giant flower bud about to bloom. He knew that was the core area of ​​the Flower City Beastmaster University.

After taking a taxi, Cheng Yuan arrived at the university town area of ​​Huadu in less than 20 minutes.

It is larger than you can imagine, reportedly covering more than 400 square kilometers, and is like a city built in a forest garden.

Besides the top-tier Huadu University, this area also gathers several other universities with animal training programs, as well as the most dazzling "flower" in the center.

When Cheng Yuan got out of the taxi, he was once again shocked by the scene before him.

In the center of the university town, the giant flower bud building, with a diameter of over 5 kilometers, stands in a way that is almost magical.

Its "petals" are not just simple decorations, but layers upon layers of real functional areas!

Teaching buildings, dormitories, training grounds, research institutes... are built on a huge petal-shaped platform as if they were growing naturally.

Students and their Digimon, like busy bees and flower fairies, shuttle back and forth among the petals on vine cable cars or sky bridges, full of life and energy.

Beneath the petals lies a vast, meticulously manicured garden square. But the most striking feature is the extremely luxurious school gate, spanning a hundred meters in width.

The entire school gate seems to be woven from countless vibrant blooming roses. Different colors of roses are cleverly combined to form seven dazzling and artistic characters: Huadu Animal Trainer University!

This school gate alone probably used tens of thousands of top-quality roses, making it dreamlike and dazzling to the extreme, enough to capture the hearts of countless girls and make the trip worthwhile.

As Cheng Yuan was admiring the expensive "flower gate" that cost a fortune to build and maintain, a slightly surprised and uncertain voice came from the side:

"Cheng Yuan?"

Cheng Yuan turned around upon hearing the sound and was also taken aback. He had unexpectedly run into an acquaintance here—Zhu Caiwei and her sister Zhu Qiangwei! Zhu Qiangwei was accompanied by her partner, Baloushou.

"Sister Caiwei? Rose? What are you doing in Huadu?" Cheng Yuan asked in surprise.

Cheng Yuan never expected to run into the two sisters who run a Digimon beauty salon on Pengcheng's way to school.

After a conversation, Cheng Yuan learned that although Zhu Caiwei did not take the college entrance examination to become a student at the Beast Taming University, she took a different path and applied to the Breeding Department of Huadu Beast Tamer University at her own expense.

This is a relatively niche major that mainly studies the breeding, care, grooming, and even psychological counseling of Digimon. It is not directly related to combat-oriented trainers and is a self-funded major (equivalent to undergraduate B category), so students cannot enjoy the preferential treatment of resources for combat-oriented students.

But this is the best way for her to enter the Flower City Taming Center she has always dreamed of and learn truly high-end Digimon knowledge.

She has even sold the shop in Pengcheng "Digital Home" and plans to rent a small shop near the university town to work part-time while studying, both to make a living and to put what she has learned into practice.

"My dream is to master breeding and grooming, save up enough money and experience, and in the future... I hope to support Qiangwei to get into Huadu Animal Training University and become a formal animal trainer!" Zhu Caiwei looked at her younger sister, who was curiously gazing at the little dog beast beside her, her eyes filled with gentleness and determination.

The little girl, Rose, has a natural affinity for Digimon and quickly became friends with the equally innocent and adorable Puppymon.

Gulemon seemed to be infected by this childlike innocence, forgetting the temptation of the food, and hopping and skipping to join in. Balmon, on the other hand, acted like a dutiful little nanny, guarding the scene.

However, an accident occurred during their playful antics.

While chasing the little dog, Zhu Qiangwei accidentally stumbled backward and bumped into a distracted young man passing by.

"Ouch!" The little girl fell to the ground, spilling the half-finished juice in her hand, which splashed all over the young man's pants and shoes.

"I'm sorry..." Zhu Qiangwei apologized hastily.

The young man was jolted by the impact, his brows furrowing instantly, and a look of extreme impatience flashed across his face.

Instead of helping the little girl up, he glanced at her with disgust, muttered "unlucky" and "blind" under his breath, patted his pants, and prepared to leave.

He was feeling quite agitated—why did the student council insist on having him "sit on duty" at the school gate today? He had originally arranged to take two junior girls who had just been admitted to Huadu and admired him greatly to "take a stroll" in the nearby Fairy Forest, so as to properly demonstrate his power and charm as a "mature senior."

Now everything's ruined! The thought of his female classmates' potentially disappointed tears made him furious.

After all, his Digimon had just evolved from the Rookie stage to the Champion stage, and he was preparing to apply for a professional Beast Tamer exam. It was the perfect time to enjoy the admiring glances of his female classmates!

He was simmering with pent-up anger when he was suddenly bumped into, and the juice spilled on his carefully chosen clothes and shoes.

Seeing the little one lying on the ground, she was immediately furious. "How can you let a child play in a place like this?"

"Rose!" Zhu Caiwei exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to help her younger sister.

"Baru!" Seeing this, the Baru Beast, who was very protective of its younger sister, immediately jumped forward, opened its petal-shaped hands, and blocked the young man's path.

Zhu Caiwei quickly helped her younger sister up. She saw that her sister had scraped her knee and was bleeding, and her eyes were filled with tears of grievance. When she saw that Baloo had been kicked, her face instantly turned cold.

"Sister, I accidentally bumped into her," Zhu Qiangwei said.

"Rose has already apologized," Zhu Caiwei said.

The young man was still cursing: "How do you raise a child? Is this a place to play around? Can't you watch where you're going? You must be her parent, right? How did you raise her? Pay me back for my pants... huh?"

His words came to an abrupt halt as he saw Zhu Caiwei's delicate features; she was indeed a rare beauty.

But at that moment, Cheng Yuan walked over: "What happened?"

After understanding the situation, he looked at the aggrieved little Rose and the beaten Baloo Beast, and said to the young man, "Rose has already apologized, so why don't we just let it go? If your pants are dirty, we can make amends to you."

The young man said, "If apologies were enough, what would we need the police for? Ha, are you here to visit the freshmen of Huadu University? I'm a sophomore! Don't you know any rules? Is this how you talk to a senior?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhu Caiwei and deliberately showed off the exquisitely designed Tyrannosaurus Rex on his wrist, which clearly bore the emblem of Huadu Beast Tamer University.

What caught Cheng Yuan's attention was not his awkward smile or senior's airs, but the Tyrannosaurus Rex in his hand—it looked like a high-end model, not a commoner's version.

Fearing the other party wouldn't believe him, or perhaps to show off his feathers, the young man pressed the release button: "Come out, Wood Beast!"

As the data shone, a figure emerged, composed of dead wood and thorns, exuding a faint scent of decay and heavy pressure—it was the mature Wood Beast!

【Rotten Wood Beast】

[Virus Species - Plant Type]

[Maturity Stage]

[Skills: Withered Claw, Branch Energy Absorption, Giant Tree Smash]

[Description: A Digimon resembling a withered tree. Although a plant-type Digimon, it dislikes water and has a gloomy personality. Its attacks possess a decaying power that can wither vegetation. While slow in movement, it boasts excellent defense and immense strength, typically inhabiting dry forests or deep caves.]

Although its mature aura wasn't top-tier, the dry, hard trunk, the tangled thorns, and the faint, icy sense of decay still caused the surrounding air to stagnate slightly, attracting the sidelong glances of some passing students.

Seeing Cheng Yuan looking at his wooden beast, the young man patted the beast's hard body triumphantly, making a "bang bang" sound, and laughed, "What? Scared? Junior?"

Cheng Yuan frowned slightly, but did not reply, though he was quickly assessing the situation in his mind.

A virus-type, plant-based, early to mid-stage mature form, excelling in strength and defense, but lacking speed... It's a bit troublesome for Puppymon to deal with, but if you switch to BlackGatomon...

Seeing that Cheng Yuan remained silent, the young man assumed he had intimidated the boy and became even more smug. He casually circled Cheng Yuan and Zhu Caiwei, sizing them up, and then laughed, "Freshmen? I bet you are! Dragging your suitcase, standing at the door in a daze, looking like you've never seen the world before, you're most likely a freshman. And you're aiming for Huadu University, here to visit and experience it, right? You've come to the right place! But..."

He changed the subject abruptly, looking coldly at Cheng Yuan, "Forget about you! This little beast is yours, right? It doesn't seem very tough, probably won't get into Huadu University! But this junior," he looked at Zhu Caiwei, a self-proclaimed handsome smile plastered on his face, "I can show you around and help you get familiar with the environment!"

Cheng Yuan watched this scene, speechless. This guy's motives were too obvious, and he didn't seem to be very bright.

Cheng Yuan suddenly gave a shy smile and asked, "How should I address this senior?"

The young man raised his chin: "Huadu Animal Tamer University, College of Botany, sophomore, History of Forestry!"

"Oh—! So it's Senior Lin Shi! I've heard so much about you!" Cheng Yuan deliberately dragged out his words. "I'm a candidate from Pengcheng, and I've always longed to attend Huada University! I heard that the student council arranges for senior students to stay and guide visiting freshmen during the summer vacation. I wonder if you're the one in charge, Senior Lin Shi?"

Lin Shi's brow twitched at the "shit-drenching" comment, but he couldn't retaliate, so he could only grunt and say, "That's right! I'm here to guide... to educate you ignorant freshmen!"

"With your strength, senior, dealing with those troublesome freshmen shouldn't be a problem. Let alone dealing with me, a Digimon." Cheng Yuan pointed to the puppymon.

"Of course! The strength of the mature stage is incomparable to that of the growth stage!" Lin Shi said proudly.

"What if I win?" Cheng Yuan blinked, his smile growing even more amiable. "Could you grant me a small request, senior?"

"Hmph, you think you can win? You're dreaming! What are your requirements?" Lin Shi scoffed.

"If I win... please apologize to little Rose!"

Chapter 161 The Fire Begins

"Oh? What are you apologizing for... And do you think you can win?" He looked at the little dog beast.

"Senior Linshi, are you afraid? Rose was indeed careless just now, but the field of vision is wide. Senior Linshi, you were only looking at your phone and didn't watch where you were going, so you bumped into Rose. I don't ask for anything, I just want justice."

"Bullshit! What's there to be afraid of! Let's go! There's an open-air battle arena right next to the school gate, specially designed to teach newbies like you who don't know the rules a lesson!" Lin Shi was thoroughly enraged. He waved his hand and took the lead in walking towards the battle area not far away.

The rotten wood beast followed along, its heavy tree roots causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Cheng Yuan gave Zhu Caiwei a reassuring look, then took Xiao Qiangwei's hand and followed.

Along the way, he didn't forget to "broadcast": "Come and see! An unknown candidate from Pengcheng is challenging senior student Lin Shi from Huadu University! A battle of the mature! Don't miss it if you're passing by!"

This shout immediately attracted many students from all over the country who were visiting the university campus.

Curious, excited, and eager-to-watch gazes fell upon the crowd, which began to gather towards the open-air battle arena.

Right next to the school gate is an open-air battlefield, specifically designed to extinguish your arrogant arrogance.

Soon, a standard plant-themed battle platform was surrounded by layers of people.

The college entrance exam takers, who came from all over the country and dreamed of becoming animal trainers, whispered among themselves and discussed among themselves, and the atmosphere instantly became lively.

Lin Shi stood at one end of the field, arms crossed, with an arrogant expression.

Cheng Yuan stood calmly at the other end, gently stroking the little dog's head.

"Look! They're really about to fight!"

"That senior is a mature-stage Rotten Wood Beast! The sense of oppression is so strong!"

"On the other side... Pfft, it's a little dog beast? Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to fight that?"

"From Pengcheng? That's brave! Daring to directly challenge a sophomore from Huadu University?"

"Let's bet a meal, senior wins!"

"Nonsense, a mature player beating a long-term player, you could win even with your eyes closed, right?"

"But that Pengcheng kid seems pretty calm, maybe he has some trump card up his sleeve?"

"A trump card? It can suddenly evolve, can it? You're dreaming!"

The discussions surged in like a tidal wave.

Lin Shi stood at one end of the field, enjoying the attention. He could almost see himself easily winning and receiving the admiring glances of the female students. Even the pretty female student next to this Pengcheng boy might look at him with new eyes.

"Hey, Pengcheng!" Lin Shi snapped his fingers, feigning nonchalance. "Don't say I'm bullying you, senior, I'll let you go first! Let your little beast come at me!"

He gestured for the rotten wood beast to step forward. Its massive, withered trunk creaked, and its thorny arms hung limply, appearing nonchalant and riddled with defensive holes—clearly an underestimation of its opponent.

Cheng Yuan looked at the opponent's flawed posture and chuckled inwardly, but his face showed a hint of "tenseness" and "hesitation". He deliberately said to the little dog beast, "Little dog beast, the opponent is in the mature stage and is very strong. We... we will just do our best and be careful."

"Woof! Understood!" The little dog understood immediately, a sly glint in its azure eyes. It immediately went into "acting" mode, lowering its body and letting out a threatening growl. It moved cautiously around the rotten wood beast, looking like a pitiful little thing facing a formidable enemy and not daring to approach easily.

"Haha, look at that little dog, it's too scared to move!"

"I knew it! The level difference was too much!"

"Senior is awesome! He took it down in one move!"

Zhu Caiwei gripped her younger sister's hand tightly, while Little Rose whispered worriedly, "Go, little dog beast..."

The ancient beast was grumbling angrily to the side, waving its little paws as if to cheer on the little dog beast, but unfortunately no one noticed it.

"Rotten Wood Beast, stop wasting time! Use the Withered Claws to tie it up!" Lin Shi lost his patience and gave the order.

He planned to end the battle in the least strenuous and most humiliating way—by using his withered claws to immobilize his opponent, and then using his branches to drain its energy, forcing it to surrender willingly.

This tactic is consistently effective against freshmen.