What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

The brilliant sunlight was cut into countless tiny, shimmering spots by the dense, layered canopy of the forest, sprinkling onto the ground covered with thick, decaying leaves.

Lin Chen, accompanied by the Flameclaw Beast and the Pinedog, was traversing this perilous secret forest with an almost unbridled attitude.

He didn't deliberately hide his footsteps, nor did he take detours to avoid territories that might be inhabited by powerful creatures. He even occasionally had the Flameclaw Beast deliberately emit its aura, or had the Pinehound bark.

He couldn't wait for more wild pets to be attracted here.

It's always better to have the goods delivered to your door than to search all over the place.

This is Lin Chen's truest thought.

He had been in the secret realm for most of the day, from dawn to afternoon, he headed north, pushing forward relentlessly.

Several first-tier pets that blindly stumbled upon the dog became whetstones for the Pine Pine Hound, while five second-tier pets became nourishment for the Flame Claw Beast's experience bar.

However, the pets in this secret realm seem to share a common trait: they are resentful.

After being defeated, the pets here generally show resentment and stubbornness, and only become convinced after being thoroughly beaten up by the two little guys, which delays their progress quite a bit.

"It's true that different environments nurture different kinds of pets," Lin Chen remarked with some emotion.

Fortunately, both pets have made significant progress so far:

[Flame Claw Beast Level: Tier 2, Stage 5 (48/66)]

[Songsong Dog Level: Tier 1 (265/300)]

The Flameclaw Beast is almost at the sixth stage, and the Pinehound is also approaching the second stage.

What pleased Lin Chen even more was that, in between searching for the Molten Armored Dragon Lizard and fighting, the Flameclaw Beast also discovered two level-one fire-type resources. Although their quality wasn't top-notch, they still gave the Flameclaw Beast 20 evolution experience points.

In this way, only thirty experience points are needed to fill the Flameclaw Beast's evolution bar.

With clues already available regarding the Heart of the Tyrannosaurus, Lin Chen had a strong feeling that the time for the Flameclaw Beast to evolve had arrived.

"It's a pity I can only stay here for three days."

Lin Chen said with some regret, "There are many wild pets here, and there are also untapped breeding resources. I wish I could stay longer..."

As the sun began to set, the light in the woods gradually turned a dim yellow, and it was estimated that in another hour or two, it would be completely dark.

Seeing this, Lin Chen decided to find a relatively safe place to set up camp and rest.

But just as he found his campsite, a fierce fighting suddenly broke out from the depths of the dense forest ahead.

The sounds of fighting continued for a while, then suddenly fell silent, and finally, cries for help from humans could be heard.

The sound grew louder as it approached, seemingly moving rapidly in his direction.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, and he immediately signaled the Flameclaw Beast and the Pinedog to go on alert. He then slipped behind a thick tree trunk and stared intently into the distance.

A few seconds later, the bushes in front shook violently, and a tall, fat boy with a panicked look on his face and several scrapes and mud marks on his body scrambled out.

As he ran, he kept glancing back in terror, as if something horrible was chasing him.

As soon as he burst out of the bushes, he saw Lin Chen ahead. He was startled at first, but then a strong will to survive flashed across his face. He frantically waved his arms and screamed in a voice that was almost distorted:

"Run! Run! Get out of here right now!"

Lin Chen remained hidden behind the tree, only raising his voice to ask, "What happened? What happened up ahead?"

Seeing Lin Chen standing still, the tall, chubby boy stamped his feet in frustration, but still panting heavily, he explained at top speed:

"It's a Groundshattering Bear! Two Groundshattering Bears live deep in this forest. Several freshmen formed teams to challenge them, but they were all knocked unconscious and captured by the bears."

He was still shaken as he spoke, his face showing lingering fear: "My classmate and I didn't believe in superstitions, and we thought that if we cooperated well, we might be able to get through this."

"As it turned out, those two Earthshaker bears were extremely cruel. They defeated us in no time, and my classmate was captured. I managed to escape in the chaos."

He became increasingly anxious as he spoke: "Hurry and run with me, we're doomed if those two guys catch up."

After listening to the tall, fat boy's story, Lin Chen's eyes grew brighter and brighter. The Flameclaw Beast beside him was already rubbing its hands together in anticipation, while the Pinedog raised its head and began to sniff the unfamiliar scent in the air.

Good, good, so there are still powerful pets that were overlooked in this area.

Lin Chen's eyes burned with fervor, and he quickly asked about the location of the two Earthshaking Bears.

"What? You're going to find it?" The tall, fat boy's eyes widened, his face full of incomprehension.

Lin Chen nodded.

"Don't go! You'll disappear too!!!" The tall, fat boy's voice was already choked with sobs, clearly indicating that the Earthshaking Bear's violent behavior had caused him severe psychological trauma.

"I'm a beginner beast tamer." Lin Chen pointed to the eager Flameclaw Beast and Pinedog. "You don't need to worry about me."

The boy looked at Lin Chen, whose face remained calm, then glanced at the two menacing beasts beside him. He gritted his teeth and stamped his foot: "You...you! Sigh, fine. I'll go with you! My classmate is still inside, I can't just run away like this! But it's agreed, if things don't look good, we'll retreat immediately."

"Lead the way." Lin Chen nodded.

Led by the tall, chubby boy, the two quickly traversed the area for a few minutes and soon arrived at a region with relatively sparse trees and large, exposed rocks on the ground.

After rounding a rock as large as a house, the view suddenly opened up before us.

The scene in the cleared forest clearing was rather eerie.

In the center of the open space, a giant bear, as large as a small truck and covered in blackish-brown fur like steel needles, lay comfortably on its side, purring contentedly.

Nestled beside it was a small bear, only a third the size of itself, with lighter fur, but looking just as robust.

Beside the two earth-shattering bears, one large and one small, stood four freshmen dressed in Qiming Academy training uniforms, their faces filled with terror. They were in pairs, each carefully scratching the bear's itch with trembling hands.

Judging from their stiff movements and expressions that were about to cry, it was clearly not voluntary.

The Earthshaker Bear would occasionally let out a low growl of dissatisfaction, or gently pat the ground with its huge paw, startling the freshmen so much that they quickly adjusted the intensity and position of their scratching.

"Look! That's them!" The tall, chubby boy, hiding behind a rock, pointed at the giant bear, his voice trembling. "My classmate, the one in the blue shirt!"

Lin Chen's gaze swept across the area and, sure enough, he saw one of the boys scratching the back of the giant bear, his face deathly pale.

"Now you know how terrifying these two guys are, right? Even if you're a beginner beast tamer, you're no match for them," the tall, fat boy said in a low voice, trying to persuade him again.

Lin Chen stared at the giant bear from afar, but the tall figure of Zhao Siwen appeared in his mind.

Is Zhao Siwen capable of going head-to-head with this guy?

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" The tall, chubby boy waved his hand in front of Lin Chen.

Lin Chen composed himself and smiled slightly: "You stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."

The next moment, Lin Chen walked forward, simultaneously aiming his energy detection bracelet at the Earthshaking Bear.

Race: Earthshaker Bear

Attribute: Earth.

"Racial Rank: High-level Transcendent".

"Strength Level: Second Tier, Fifth Stage"

This Earthshaking Bear is at the second-tier, fifth-stage strength, no wonder these new students are no match for it.

Lin Chen encountered several new students during the day, whose pet beasts were still at the first level. It was clear that the number of new students with second-level pet beasts was still very small.

To think that a mere few Tier 1 pets could defeat a Tier 2 pet is just wishful thinking.

"Hey, wait a minute! Let's come up with a strategy. Never mind, I'll help too." The tall, fat boy was getting anxious and wanted to go out and help as well.

Lin Chen suddenly turned around, his gaze sweeping over him like lightning, his tone wary: "You stay here."

He absolutely would not allow anyone to steal his experience points.

Tall, chubby guy: "???"

As soon as Lin Chen left the shelter, he immediately attracted the attention of the Earthshaking Bear and the new students.

The freshmen who were serving the Earthshaking Bear were taken aback when they saw another hothead come to their door. They immediately shook their heads and gestured to Lin Chen to leave quickly.

Lin Chen remained unmoved.

"roar!"

The arrival of the uninvited guest caused the Earthshaking Bear to let out a disgruntled roar. Its massive body slowly sat up, its bell-like eyes flashing with anger at being offended, and it locked its gaze firmly on Lin Chen.

The little bear next to it also stood up, baring its teeth and letting out a threatening roar.

The Flameclaw Beast stepped forward, blocking Lin Chen's path, its eyes blazing with ferocity as it met the Earthshaking Bear's gaze without fear: "Gagoo!"

The dog also lowered its body, staying close to Lin Chen's side, whimpering.

After a series of battles, the little guy gradually understood a principle—most opponents were not as good as him, and if an opponent stronger than him appeared, he could just leave it to Flameclaw Beast.

"Erhuo, the big one is yours. Nuomi, the small one is for you to practice on." Lin Chen quickly assigned tasks.

"Gaku!"

"Eek!"

The two pets echoed in unison.

The next moment, the battle broke out.

The Flameclaw Beast launched the first attack, its chest bulging as a condensed flame breath bullet roared out, heading straight for the Earthshaking Bear's face.

It pushed off the ground with its four paws and moved quickly sideways to create distance, while flames rose from its mouth again, and a second and a third Flame Breath Bullet were fired in succession to block the Earthshaking Bear's possible evasion routes.

Since the Flame Breath Bullet broke through to the Proficiency level, not only is the release speed extremely fast, but the energy consumption has also been reduced significantly.

Most importantly, its power has been greatly increased.

"roar!!!"

Enraged by the sudden attack, the Earthshaker Bear stood upright, waving its enormous paws, as big as a door panel, accompanied by howling winds, in an attempt to shatter the first fireball with a single blow.

The fireball was scorching hot, carrying intense heat, and suddenly exploded.

Bang bang bang!

Amidst the flying sparks, the violent impact caused the Earthshaking Bear to sway and stagger back two steps uncontrollably.

"roar?"

The Earthshaker Bear suddenly realized that this was no opponent it could easily defeat.

Seeing the remaining two fireballs coming one after another, the Earthshaker quickly dodged left and right. It narrowly avoided the second one, but was hit squarely in the chest by the third fireball.

boom!

The raging flames scorched the dark brown fur, and the violent explosion caused the Earthshaker Bear to stagger again, nearly falling to the ground.

"Gag?"

The Flameclaw Beast was dissatisfied.

It didn't manage to kill its opponent in one blow.

Lin Chen sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

This Earthshaker Bear is at least at the same strength level as you, and Earth-type pets naturally have excellent resistance to Fire-type skills, so it's normal that it wasn't one-shotted.

"roar!!"

The Earthshaking Bear steadied itself, roared repeatedly, and launched a ferocious attack, charging towards the Flameclaw Beast like a runaway chariot.

"Second Fire, let it experience a skilled-level small-scale explosion." Lin Chen's thought came to mind.

"Gaku!"

The Flameclaw Beast locked onto the charging Earthshaker Bear, its chest bulging and its mouth churning with dazzling orange flames. The next moment, a pillar of orange fire roared out, the scorching heat reflected in everyone's eyes.

boom!!!

A pillar of fire engulfed the charging Earthshaker Bear, accompanied by a violent explosion, billowing black smoke that obscured visibility.

When the black smoke dissipated, the Earthshaking Bear, its body charred black and its breath weak, knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

On the other hand, the battle between the Squirrel and the Earthshaker Bear cub presents a completely different picture.

Although the bear cub is relatively small, its strength should not be underestimated, and its attacks are fierce.

Therefore, the Satsuki dog makes full use of its small size and agility, like a white ghost, quickly leaping and bounding across open spaces, rocks, and even bear cubs.

The little bear angrily waved its paws, but could not touch the slippery white figure no matter what it did.

Sometimes the pineapple would dart out from the side and scratch the bear's nose with its paw; sometimes it would leap onto a low tree branch and then pounce down, hitting the bear on the back of the head; sometimes it would unleash its [Puppy Roar], an invisible mental shock that made the bear dizzy and disrupted its attack rhythm.

The little bear was completely outmaneuvered, roaring repeatedly, but it was helpless against the Squirrel. Instead, it exhausted a lot of energy due to its impatience, resulting in many shallow scratches and bruises on its body.

The four freshmen who were originally scratching themselves had already scrambled behind the rocks and squeezed together with the tall, fat boy, staring dumbfounded at the battle.

"Damn, where did you find this big shot?"

"The sight of the Tsumugi playing with the Earthshaker Bear is so shocking to my worldview."

"I told you long ago, there are no useless pets, only useless beast tamers."

"A novice Beastmaster, a second-tier Flame Claw Beast... Wow, which big shot is here to smear the freshmen in the competition?"

While everyone was discussing, Flameclaw and Tsukishiro had already fully utilized their advantages and firmly seized the initiative in the battle.

boom!

As the Flameclaw Beast unleashed its final fiery charge, the weakened Earthshaker was unable to dodge and was struck head-on. Its massive body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a large tree before falling heavily to the ground.

The pineapple launched a swift attack, defeating the bear and securing victory.

[Agumon gains 6 experience points for defeating a Tier 2 pet.]

[Defeat a Tier 1 pet beast and the puppy beast gains 3 experience points.]

"roar......"

Slamming heavily to the ground, the Earthshaking Bear had lost its fighting ability. Dizzy and disoriented, it shook its head, struggled to lift its chest, and glared angrily at the Flameclaw Beast not far away.

Lin Chen's eyes lit up: "Huh? You're not convinced?"