What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

The line of people collecting survival manuals moved quickly.

The survival booklet felt quite heavy in my hand. The cover was made of durable, waterproof material and printed with the emblem of Qiming Beast Taming Academy.

The freshmen hurriedly accepted the documents, not even having time to glance at them, before Zhao Honggang's booming voice rang out again:

"Alright, we've got the manuals. Now let's enter the secret realm in order."

As he spoke, he glanced at everyone, a slight smile appearing on his usually stern face: "See you in three days."

As soon as the words were spoken, the freshmen at the front of the line, at the signal of the senior students in charge of guiding them, stepped into the seemingly ordinary forest ahead.

When the first newborn step crosses an invisible boundary, the surrounding air ripples outwards like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating visible concentric circles.

The moment the ripples appeared, the student's figure was like a reflection in the water, disturbed, distorted, blurred, until it disappeared completely.

Then came the second, the third...

Every newborn who crosses that boundary creates the same spatial ripples before disappearing.

The team moved forward quickly, and soon it was the third shift's turn.

Lin Chen took a deep breath and stepped forward.

hum.

A very slight touch came, and the scene before my eyes changed rapidly.

call--

The next moment, a breeze carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees and the moist aroma of earth caressed my face.

Lin Chen quickly steadied himself and looked closely.

Before us lies a completely different world.

He was standing on a relatively open grassy field, with soft, thick grass under his feet.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the tall trees above, forming bright beams of light, within which dust motes floated gently.

The air was exceptionally fresh, and every breath invigorated me.

Looking around, a denser forest stretched out before us, with ancient trees reaching for the sky and vines hanging down.

To the left in the distance, the outline of rolling mountains covered with lush vegetation is visible, with one peak standing out particularly high, its summit hidden in the light mist.

On the right, the sound of water can be faintly heard, suggesting the presence of a river or stream.

Behind them stretched an endless sea of ​​trees, and the entrance they had come from had long since vanished without a trace.

"This is the interior of the secret realm..."

Lin Chen muttered to himself, and then, with a thought, he immediately summoned the Flame Claw Beast and the Pine Hound.

"Gag?"

As soon as the Flameclaw Beast appeared, it pricked up its ears, flared its nostrils, and quickly scanned its surroundings with its deep green eyes.

Hmm, this is an unfamiliar environment.

The Smoothie then appeared: "Eek?"

The little guy seemed a bit bewildered by the sudden change in environment, but it was quickly attracted by the rich vitality and scenery around it. Its bright black eyes curiously looked around, but when it sensed the various unfamiliar scents in the air, it subconsciously moved closer to Lin Chen's feet.

"Alright, let's figure out where we are first."

Lin Chen took out the survival manual and quickly flipped through it.

The manual is detailed and richly illustrated.

The homepage features a panoramic map of the secret realm, which is drawn in great detail and marks the main terrain features.

"First, determine your position..."

Lin Chen closed the manual and looked around.

He quickly locked onto the most prominent landmark in his field of vision—the highest peak, towering into the clouds and shrouded in mist.

Using the mountain peak and surrounding landmarks, Lin Chen quickly determined his approximate location: in the southwest region of the secret realm, where the terrain was relatively flat.

He then quickly skimmed through the section on the creatures of the hidden realm in the manual.

The manual lists dozens of known common wild pets, including not only low-level extraordinary creatures such as "Grass Vine Monster" and "Green Fang Ant", but also medium-level extraordinary creatures such as "Poison Blade Mantis" and "Water Moss Beast", as well as high-level extraordinary creatures such as "Thunder Leopard" and "Mystic Armor Giant Rhinoceros".

Each pet comes with a simple illustration, a description of its habits, a danger assessment, and most importantly—the points you can earn by defeating it.

Points range from a few to several tens of points, and even for the same type of pet, different strengths result in different points.

Suddenly, Lin Chen's fingers, which were turning the page, paused, and his gaze froze.

On one page of the manual, several creatures are marked with a striking red border and a huge red exclamation mark.

The caption next to it reads: "Boss-level pet!"

The so-called leader-level pets are actually individual pets that, due to talent, opportunities, or long years of growth, have grown to a level far exceeding their peers. They are larger in size, stronger in strength, and often possess more powerful skills or special abilities, making them the overlords of the region.

Among the names and diagrams marked in red, Lin Chen's gaze was fixed on one of them:

【Melted Armor Dragon Lizard】

[Attribute: Fire, Dragon]

[Danger Level: Extremely High (Teamwork Recommended)]

Points: 200

Molten Armor Dragon Lizard!

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat.

If he remembers correctly, this pet will produce the dragon-type resource needed for the evolution of the Flameclaw Beast—the Tyrannosaurus Heart.

In other words, you might not need to wait to exchange points for the Heart of the Tyrannosaurus Rex; you could obtain it in the Secret Realm beforehand.

"So, the goal for this freshman competition is clear." Lin Chen closed the handbook, his eyes narrowing.

First, become number one and receive double rewards from both the system and the academy.

Second, find this Molten Armored Dragon Lizard and obtain the Tyrannosaurus Heart.

The thought flashed through Lin Chen's mind, and he took out two energy cubes from his backpack, handing them to the Flameclaw Beast and the Squirrel:

"I'm counting on you guys from now on."

"Gaku!"

The Flameclaw Beast snatched the energy cube in its mouth and swallowed it in a few bites, its eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Without Lin Chen needing to say more, the Flame Claw Beast, bearing the shame of being annulled, would slay all enemies as a genius.

"Mmm~"

The dog chewed slowly, but secretly glanced at Lin Chen, its body tensing up slightly.

This is the first time it has gone out with Lin Chen.

"Alright, let's go!" Lin Chen waved his hand.

"Gaku!"

The Flameclaw Beast let out a low growl and stepped to the front without hesitation. It lowered its body slightly, its sharp eyes scanning ahead, its face full of eagerness.

The dog, Songsong, stayed close to Lin Chen's feet.

The two pets and the person quickly disappeared into the deep, dense forest ahead, their figures soon swallowed up by the thick shadows of the branches and leaves.

The forest was dimly lit, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of decaying leaves that felt soft and rustled underfoot.

The air was filled with a strange smell of decaying and new life, and occasionally small insect-type or wood-type pets could be seen being startled and quickly fleeing.

Lin Chen ignored these low-value targets. His goal was to cross this relatively safe edge of the woodland as soon as possible and enter an area that might have more prey with points, while also finding the Molten Armor Dragon Lizard.

After walking for about ten minutes, the Flameclaw Beast leading the way suddenly stopped, its gaze fixed on a patch of waist-high, dense grass on its right.

"Gaku~"

Its keen sense of smell told it that there was an enemy ahead.

A long snake, about two meters long, entirely red, and only as thick as an arm, slowly slithered out of the grass.

It raised its triangular head, its scarlet tongue flicking in and out, and its body slightly recoiled, assuming a posture of gathering strength before attacking: "Hiss~"

The Flameclaw Beast's eyes gleamed with ferocity, and it grinned menacingly: "Gagagu~"

Instead of fleeing, the enemy attempted to launch a preemptive strike.

It turned its head to look at Lin Chen, and smeared its neck with its sharp claws: "Gag?"

But Lin Chen squatted down, gently stroked the dog's head, and said softly, "You'll handle this battle."

The Flameclaw Beast was terrified, as if struck by lightning: "Gagu?"