What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

The last rays of the setting sun sank completely into the western mountains, and the deep blue sky slowly permeated from east to west.

In Luoxia Village, located on the northern outskirts of Qinglan City, near the edge of the Duanshan Mountain Range buffer zone, it is the most leisurely time of day.

In the open space in front of several houses, villagers gathered in twos and threes.

The men carried large, rough porcelain bowls filled with thin porridge or noodle soup, slurping as they chatted loudly about this year's harvest, the latest happenings in town, or complaining about the wild animals that had been stealing their vegetables and causing trouble lately.

The children were the most excited, chasing and playing in the open space, their clear laughter carrying far into the twilight.

"Brother Siwen, are those older brothers and sisters really your classmates today?"

A little boy raised his rosy cheeks and asked Zhao Siwen a question in the middle of the open space.

Zhao Siwen crouched down, his two-meter-tall frame casting a huge shadow that enveloped the boy. He scratched his head and replied softly:

"They're not classmates, they're alumni. They're students from the next class, we just run into them often."

"Are they as good as you?" the boy asked.

Zhao Siwen smiled and said, "They are much better than me, not only in terms of academic performance, but also in pet battles."

"Do you remember that older sister who didn't like to smile?"

"I remember!" The children had a deep impression of it.

Zhao Siwen patted the boy's head and continued with a smile:

"She's the champion of this year's Young Eagle Cup, and that boy in the brightly colored clothes is one of the top four in the Young Eagle Cup. The others also made it to the knockout stage. They're all very strong."

"Brother Siwen is the best!" the boy said loudly, which drew a burst of laughter.

Zhao Siwen did not answer, but stood up and looked out at the distant mountains and forests.

In the eyes of the children, he was indeed very impressive.

He is the only beast tamer from Luoxia Village to be admitted to the Beast Taming Academy in the past two years, and he is the pride of the entire village.

Although he was eliminated in the top 64 of the recently concluded Young Eagle Cup and failed to reach the finals, for the villagers, being able to stand on the stage of the city's newest beast tamers and compete with those privileged young talents from wealthy urban families was already a remarkable achievement.

"Brother Siwen, aren't your classmates amazing?" a girl asked.

"They are also very capable," Zhao Siwen said softly. "Do you remember the older brother I told you about before? He got into Qiming Beast Taming Academy, which is one of the most prestigious academies in our Donghuang."

"Oh, by the way, that older sister who didn't like to smile also got into this college."

"Wow!" Screams erupted one after another.

"Did this older brother participate in the Young Eagle Cup?" a child suddenly asked.

"No." Zhao Siwen shook his head.

After the college entrance examination, he returned to this remote mountain village, and his contact with his classmates stopped on the first day after the exam.

This place is so far from the city center that it's enough to block all communication and connection.

Even the best relationships can be blown away by the mountain winds.

"Hey!!!"

A sharp, panicked cry of an eagle rang out without warning, its high-pitched and piercing sound instantly drowning out all the laughter and merriment.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

A dark gray shadow was seen flying low over the village from the direction of the Broken Mountain Range at an astonishing speed.

It appeared to be a large eagle-like pet, but at this moment it lacked the majesty and composure of a raptor. Its wings were flapping wildly and forcefully, and its flight path was crooked, as if something extremely terrifying was chasing it from behind.

It didn't even glance down at the village and people below before disappearing into the silhouette of the mountains in the twilight, leaving only its chilling cry echoing in the air.

The open space at the village entrance fell silent instantly.

The adults' laughter and the children's playful noises all disappeared.

A strange chill crept up everyone's spine along with the cry of the eagle.

This is unusual.

Villagers living on the edge of the Duanshan Mountains are no strangers to the appearance of wild pet animals.

But it is rare to see a bird of prey so panicked that it completely ignores human settlements and only cares about fleeing for its life.

"Was that an Iron Fierce Eagle just now? How did it fly like that?" An old farmer muttered, putting down his bowl with a furrowed brow.

"It looks like something's happened?" someone nearby chimed in, their voice filled with uncertain worry.

As if to confirm this ominous premonition, a sharp-eyed young man suddenly pointed to the end of the dirt road leading from the village towards the mountains, his voice trembling with fear: "Look over there!"

As dusk fell, the shadows of the trees at the end of the dirt road swayed violently.

Immediately afterwards, several pet beasts rushed out of the forest and ran wildly toward the village.

In the last rays of daylight, one could clearly see that this was a greyhound, a canine pet with a wolf-like appearance, covered in dark grey short fur, a prominent muzzle, and long, powerful limbs.

Greyhounds are medium-sized predators with a keen sense of smell and are skilled at cooperative hunting. They are commonly found in the forests surrounding the Broken Mountain Range.

But at this moment, these usually fierce and alert hunters showed no trace of the calmness and cruelty of hunting, only the purest fear and panic.

Their eyes flashed a panicked red light in the dim light, their mouths and noses were wide open, their tongues were hanging out, saliva was flowing, and their limbs were frantically pawing at the ground, raising clouds of dust as they ran forward madly with their heads down.

"It's a greyhound?!"

"So many?!"

"What's wrong with them? Have they gone mad?!"

"Quick! Pick up the child! Go home! Close the door!"

The warm and leisurely atmosphere vanished, and panic spread like wildfire among the villagers.

The women screamed and rushed toward their children, scooping them up and holding them tightly in their arms, their faces ashen.

The men panicked as well, and some instinctively grabbed the farm tools at hand—hoes, shovels, and carrying poles—and trembled as they aimed them at the direction the wolfhound was coming from.

The village's pet animals let out fearful cries, one after another, making the scene increasingly chaotic.

Although Luoxia Village is located close to the Duanshan Mountain Range, or rather, on its edge, it is frequently patrolled by border guards, and there have never been any large-scale incidents of wild animal attacks.

Occasionally, wild pets will wander in and be dealt with by the village's animal tamers or the local police station.

"Don't panic, retreat to the village, quick!" The village chief remained relatively calm, shouting hoarsely as he tried to organize order.

Although these gray-maned wolfhounds appeared frightened and panicked, there was no guarantee they wouldn't harm the crowd.

In the midst of the chaos, Zhao Siwen suddenly stepped forward, standing between the panicked villagers and the surging gray-maned wolfhounds.

"Dazhuang!" he roared, his voice hoarse with tension, but unusually firm.

"roar!"

Upon hearing the sound, the Thick Rock Bear, which had been lying docilely to the side, instantly stood up on its hind legs.

Its massive body, nearly two meters tall, resembled a suddenly rising gray-brown wall. The V-shaped white fur on its chest trembled slightly, and its normally docile bear face revealed the ferocity of a predator. Its thick bear paws slammed heavily on the ground, producing a dull thud, and it let out a threatening roar at the charging pack of wolves and dogs.

Zhao Siwen stared intently at the approaching pack of wolfhounds, his brow furrowed.

He did engage in pet battles and did perform well in the Young Eagle Cup, but those battles were limited to one-on-one battles under the battle rules, rather than unrestricted real battles in the wild.

These two types of battles are completely different.

He glanced at the lead greyhound, which was noticeably larger and exuded a powerful aura, and then at the greyhounds following closely behind, his expression grave.

Four Tier 1 and one Tier 2; even if he joins the battle, he will most likely be unable to withstand them.

But he had to stand here.

Even if it's just a futile attempt to stop a chariot.

Zhao Siwen took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeves, and stood to the left of Houyan Xiong with his muscular, towering figure, about two meters tall. He exuded a fierce aura that was even stronger than the latter.

"Gaku!"

At that very moment, a voice came rapidly from the road not far away, growing louder as it approached.

Zhao Siwen suddenly looked up and saw an orange figure covered in flames, instantly traversing a distance and rushing towards him.

A surge of flames followed, and the Flameclaw Beast charged into the pack of Graymane Wolves. The flames suddenly surged, and its sharp claws, carrying streams of fire, slashed down.

Bang bang bang!

The next moment, the two Tier 1 Greymane Wolfhounds were severely injured, their fur charred black, and they collapsed to the ground howling in pain.

"Gag?"

The Flameclaw Beast stepped on a Graymane Wolfhound, easily blocking the wolfhound's biting attacks with its right paw while looking up at the ground and swiping its neck with its left paw.

Zhao Siwen followed the gaze of the Flame Claw Beast and saw a police vehicle parked on the side of the road with its flashing lights.