What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

Chapter 82 First Place Can Only Be Mine

As the sun began to set, it bathed the spacious platform at the center of the secret realm, which served as the departure point, in a warm golden hue.

A considerable number of people have already gathered on the platform.

Compared to the mix of tension, excitement, and eagerness they felt when they entered the secret realm three days ago, most of the new students now showed signs of undisguised fatigue.

Many people's clothes were covered in mud and dust, and some were even torn, making them look rather disheveled.

Some of them also had minor injuries that had been bandaged up.

Their mental states also varied; some gathered together, talking loudly about something, their faces beaming with the joy of their accomplishment.

Some sat silently in the corner, their eyes still showing lingering fear from the near-danger they had just encountered;

Many others felt a sense of relief, whispering among themselves as they awaited their departure.

Suddenly, a tall, thin boy seemed to remember something, looked around, and raised his voice, saying, "Hey, have you guys noticed something strange?"

Several people around him looked at him.

"Starting yesterday afternoon,"

The tall, thin boy stroked his chin, looking somewhat puzzled: "I just felt that the wild beasts in this secret realm seemed particularly afraid of fire."

"Afraid of fire? Fire is effective against wood, insects, and ice, so it's not surprising that you're afraid of fire, is it?" someone next to him said dismissively.

"I'm terrified!"

The tall, thin boy shook his head repeatedly: "It's the kind of situation where I just sent out a fire-type pet, and those guys ran away like they'd seen a ghost, without even looking back. This has happened more than once."

His words piqued the interest of the people around him.

"Now that you mention it, I find it strange too."

A girl with a ponytail spoke thoughtfully: "I contracted a wind-type pet. The wild pets here will also flee in panic when they see it flying over."

"Yes, yes, yes! Wind-type pets too!"

Another boy chimed in, "So you guys have all encountered this situation? I thought it was just an isolated case."

"That's strange. These wild pets weren't this timid before. They were very fierce on the first day."

Someone stroked their chin, a thoughtful expression on their face: "Could this be the underlying survival logic of this secret realm? Wild pets have an innate fear of fire and wind-type pets?"

Just as everyone was speculating, two figures walked out one after the other.

"Phew—it's finally going to end."

Yun Chuxiu yawned, her tone relaxed: "My back and waist are aching from sleeping for the past three days. The big bed in the dorm is still the most comfortable."

Ye Zhen didn't respond, but just glanced at the platform that was gradually becoming lively.

"Zhenzhen," Yun Chuxiu leaned closer to him and lowered her voice, "Do you think you can get first place?"

Ye Zhen frowned, then raised his chin, his tone filled with strong confidence: "First place will only be mine."

"Yes, yes, our Zhenzhen is the best."

Yun Chu's smile remained unchanged: "Yesterday we joined forces to take down that leader-level deep-pool crocodile, and adding the scattered ones from before, I reckon your total points must be over four hundred, right?"

When he said the number, he himself gasped slightly: "That's a bit of an exaggeration."

Ye Zhen's expression remained unchanged: "Points are just a result. My goal has never been simply to surpass my peers, but rather..."

""

Before she could finish speaking, Yun Chuxiu interrupted with a grin, "I know, I know, your goal is to catch up with your brother and then surpass him."

Ye Zhen gave a soft "hmm".

As the two talked, the time to leave the secret realm arrived, and ripples spread across the platform.

In an instant, spatial ripples enveloped the group of new students, and their figures disappeared one after another.

In the following days, new students continued to arrive from all directions of the secret realm, ascend the platform, and then leave through spatial ripples.

I don't know how much time passed, but the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the horizon a brilliant orange-red.

A fast-moving black dot suddenly appeared on the distant horizon.

The black dot rapidly enlarged, and the four-winged iron-feathered eagle soared high in the sky, its flight posture unrestrained.

Finally, the four-winged Iron Feather folded its wings, swooped down, and landed steadily on the platform.

"call"

Lin Chen exhaled softly and nimbly leaped off the back of the four-winged iron feather.

On his way there, he also dealt with a few wild pets.

In those three days, he himself couldn't remember exactly how many pet beasts he had defeated.

From the initial Tier 1 and Tier 2 to the later Leader level... the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus, which has now broken through to Tier 2, Stage 7, speaks volumes about the abundance of wild beasts in this secret realm.

But starting yesterday afternoon, things started to get a little strange.

Many wild beasts, upon seeing the four-winged iron-feathered eagle carrying him from afar, or sensing the undisguised terrifying dragon might of the Flameback Tyrannosaurus, dared not even make a face at him and fled in terror.

This reaction is as if the pets here are sharing information.

Later, wherever he and the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus passed, all was utterly silent, and no birds or beasts were to be seen.

With a thought flashing through his mind, Lin Chen turned around and walked to the four-winged iron-feathered vulture.

Despite three days of hard work, the four-winged iron-feathered vulture showed no signs of fatigue. On the contrary, it looked shiny and energetic after rubbing some energy cubes on its body.

Lin Chen reached out and patted the neck feathers of the four-winged iron-feathered vulture, a smile spreading across his face: "Thanks to you these past few days, we'll see you again sometime."

"唳————"

The four-winged iron-feathered vulture couldn't help but let out a cry that was almost a sob. It lowered its head and rubbed its cheek against Lin Chen's arm, the action showing obvious attachment and reluctance.

For three days, it had plenty to eat and drink, and also took the opportunity to teach its old rivals a lesson.

It has never experienced such a happy life since it was born.

As Lin Chen walked toward the platform, a strange courage seized his mind, and he moved forward, swaying as he followed behind Lin Chen.

Lin Chen turned around and asked, "You don't want to come out with me, do you?"

"唳~"

The four-winged iron-feathered vulture nodded repeatedly.

Where can it find its paradise after leaving Lin Chen?

Lin Chen was taken aback at first, then took a half step back, deliberately putting on a stern face: "Huh? You actually still want to freeload?"

"Bah! Bah!"

The four-winged iron-feathered vulture shook its head hurriedly and cried out a few times.

Seeing its expression, Lin Chen couldn't help but laugh: "Stop joking. You have your life, this is your home."

"Stay here and work hard to become stronger. If you become strong enough in the future, maybe we'll have a chance to meet again."

"Take care of yourself."

After saying that, Lin Chen turned and left without lingering.

The four-winged iron-feathered vulture watched Lin Chen's retreating figure, letting out a low, mournful cry, but did not follow him.

As Lin Chen stepped onto the platform, ripples spread through the space, and his figure quickly blurred and disappeared.

The platform returned to calm, leaving only the solitary figure of the four-winged iron feather and its long shadow stretched by the setting sun.

It stared at the spot where Lin Chen disappeared for a long, long time.

at the same time.

Not far below the platform, at the edge of the dense forest, in the bushes, behind the rocks...

One by one, the pets cautiously poked their bodies out, staring intently at the lone black bird on the platform.

They held their breath, pricked up their ears, widened their eyes, and used every sense to confirm whether the human with the terrifying pet had really left.

Time passed second by second.

The sun finally sank completely below the mountain ridge, and the sky quickly darkened.

Apart from the dazed four-winged iron-feathered creature, there was no other human presence on the platform.

The silence lasted for a full fifteen minutes.

"Aww!!"

"Squeak—!!"

"Guwa—!!"

"Hiss!!"

The shouts of surprise rose and fell like a long-suppressed volcano erupting.

That human has finally left!

Countless pairs of eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, appeared in the darkness, slowly approaching from the woods, from the grass, from behind the rocks, and from the sky!

At this moment, countless angry gazes, like cold arrows, were fixed on the four-winged iron-feathered vulture that had just recovered from its despair.

that's it!

"well----?!"

The four-winged iron-feathered vulture's feathers bristled instantly. It turned around abruptly and looked at the ferocious faces that appeared from the darkness from all directions. The slight sadness that arose from parting was instantly replaced by boundless terror.

Its neck tucked in, its wings instinctively protecting its head, and it involuntarily took a step back, letting out a trembling, mournful cry: "Screech—!!!"

Beyond the secret realm.

When Lin Chen returned to the outside world, the new students had already assembled.

Zhao Honggang's towering figure still stands on the high platform at the very front.

He didn't speak, but slowly scanned the young faces below.

The clamor in the square quickly subsided under that gaze, eventually becoming completely silent, with only the sound of the evening wind fluttering the flags.

The silence lasted for several seconds.

Zhao Honggang's booming voice echoed across the twilight-shrouded square: "Congratulations!"

"This year's freshman competition has now officially concluded."

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion arose in the crowd.

Zhao Honggang raised his hand and pressed it lightly, and the square returned to silence.

His expression remained serious: "This trial is an important attempt at reforming the academy's teaching methods..."

"Over the three days, some people were forced to withdraw early due to injuries, while others voluntarily gave up their qualifications, but..."

""

He paused, his gaze growing increasingly profound: "More people choose to persevere to the end."

His tone gradually softened, and the corners of his serious mouth even turned upwards.

"I am proud of you, and I hope you will be proud of yourselves for persevering to the end."

"Alright, that's enough."

Zhao Honggang's smile vanished: "The college is currently conducting final point tallying and checks. The point rankings will be published on the official campus website within two hours at most."

At this point, he emphasized, "The ranking reward credits will be credited to your college account immediately, without any additional application required."

Upon hearing this, many freshmen's eyes lit up.

"Now""

Zhao Honggang waved his hand and pointed to the several flying mounts parked to the side: "Let's go, the academy has prepared a sumptuous welcome dinner for you."

"oh--!!!"

"Long live the Dean!"

"Enjoy shopping here~~"

After a brief silence, cheers erupted like a tsunami.

Soon, flying mounts and pets carrying the new students took off into the night and flew towards the academy.

Night had completely fallen when the flying mount landed on a large lawn that had been specially cleared out within the academy.

Buzz—

A melodious sound, like the swaying of wind chimes, flowed through the air.

Looking up, one can see hundreds of elegant, translucent jellyfish-like creatures, their bodies radiating various colored halos, quietly hovering several meters above the lawn.

They drifted slowly, their canopies unfurling, their glowing tentacles swaying gently, like stars suspended in the night sky, illuminating the entire lawn like a dreamlike ocean, and reflecting the real Milky Way in the deep sky above.

"It's a bioluminescent jellyfish! So beautiful!" a girl exclaimed.

In the center of the lawn, a long table covered with a clean white tablecloth had already been set up.

The table was laden with a dazzling array of dishes, each emitting a delightful aroma.

A group of cat butlers dressed in well-tailored black dresses and bow ties strolled among them.

Standing upright on their hind legs, ears twitching, they deftly navigated through the crowd, their paws, covered in soft pads, steadily supporting silver platters laden with drinks and snacks: "Meow~"

In one corner of the lawn, several plump, fiery pigs lined up, taking turns spitting out perfectly heated orange-red flames from their nostrils to roast large pieces of meat on a specially made grill.

As the oil drips into the fire, it bursts into an even richer aroma.

The freshmen were almost stunned by the scene before them.

"What are you all standing there for? Let's get started." Zhao Honggang had also appeared on the lawn at some point, a smile on his face.

"oh--!!"

Cheers erupted again.

The new students no longer stood on ceremony and took their seats at the long table according to their classes and familiar circles.

At first, some people tried to maintain some semblance of decorum, but once they took their first bite of the fragrant food, the memories of the compressed biscuits and simple meals they had eaten over the past three days were instantly activated, and the vast majority of people abandoned their restraints and began to wolf down their food.

"Gulp—Ha!"

Zhou Ming gulped down a large glass of iced fruit drink, let out a satisfied sigh, then tore off a huge piece of roasted lamb leg and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling to Lin Chen beside him, "This is so refreshing! Brother Chen, this meat is amazing!"

A melodious song quietly began to play.

Lin Chen looked up and his gaze fell on the spire of a clock tower with a pointed roof.

A slender, graceful, and long-tailed green bird pet stands quietly.

With its head slightly tilted back and its beak opening and closing, a series of ethereal and melodious chirps flowed like an invisible stream, gently scattering across the entire lawn, serving as the most harmonious background music.

"Qingyin Luluan----"

Lin Chen recognized this rare pet beast, known for its beautiful singing voice. Its songs could soothe the mind and even have a calming effect.

boom! boom! boom!

A series of crisp explosions resounded from high above.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

Suddenly, countless enormous and dazzling fireworks burst forth in the pitch-black night sky.

In an instant, rays of light of various colors intertwined, spread, and fell, illuminating the entire academy sky as if it were daytime.

The light from the fireworks illuminated every face looking up on the lawn.

Zhao Honggang walked to the small stage in the center of the lawn, looked around the audience, and slowly said, "This fireworks display is for you by the academy."

Welcome!

His gaze swept across the entire room, pausing briefly on a few figures, before he finally announced loudly, "You are now officially a member of the Qiming Beast Taming Academy!"

In an instant, cheers and applause erupted like a tsunami.

Zhou Ming clapped his hands vigorously. Looking at the dreamlike scene around him, he couldn't help but whisper in amazement, "Brother Chen, don't you think this looks a bit like an entrance banquet at a magic academy? Like the ones in the stories."

Lin Chen looked at everything before him, a slight smile playing on his lips, and nodded.

"Hmm, it does look somewhat similar."

The banquet atmosphere reached its climax at this moment, until a voice suddenly rang out: "Quick, check the academy's official website! The rankings are out!"

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