What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

Chapter 85 The First Step in Sweeping Through the Campus!

September 1st, early morning.

Sunlight pierced through the thin mist, and the air was fresh and slightly cool.

Lin Chen and Yun Chuxiu got up early, put on their school uniforms, left their dormitory, and joined the flow of people heading to the teaching area.

Unlike the scene when new students registered a week ago, the campus was packed with people today.

Students from all grades have returned to school after their holidays or internships.

Students dressed in various departmental uniforms, casual or formal attire, either walking alone or chatting in twos or threes, accompanied by their pets of different shapes, surged toward different areas.

"There are so many people!"

Yun Chuxiu raised an eyebrow as she looked at the crowded scene before her.

The distance from the dormitory area on the south campus to the teaching buildings in the central area of ​​the college is quite far, taking at least forty minutes on foot, so transportation is necessary.

There are two main roads on campus. One is a relatively traditional vehicle road, and the other is an extremely wide animal trail with specially reinforced road surface and obvious guardrails on both sides.

Looking around, the sheer number and variety of mounts and pets here are astonishing.

The most eye-catching creatures were several giant pets that looked like moving small mountains. These were specially trained by the academy for use as public mounts for commuting.

One of them is a giant beast covered in thick, long, ice-blue fur, resembling an ancient mammoth, and is called the Frosthoofed Elephant.

Its body was as large as a mountain, and the ground trembled slightly when it walked. On its broad, platform-like back, there were several rows of seats with simple railings. At this moment, there were already twenty or thirty freshmen with curious expressions sitting there. They were moving steadily along the riding path at a not slow pace, and it was obviously very popular.

"Tsk tsk, what a show of force."

Yun Chuxiu crossed her arms, looked at the scene before her, and turned to ask Lin Chen, "How do we get over there?"

Lin Chen asked, "Can't you fly on a sword?"

Yun Chuxiu's eyes widened: "???"

"That's the ability of cultivators, what does it have to do with us beast tamers?"

Lin Chen smiled, his gaze sweeping over the various mounts on the mount path, and a thought struck him.

Since the Mount Road can accommodate a behemoth of the size of a Frosthoofed Elephant, then the Flameback Tyrannosaurus should be no problem either.

While the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus Rex may not be as convenient as a flying mount, it is absolutely top-notch among ground mounts in terms of speed, stamina, and intimidation.

Then, with a slight thought, he connected with the Beast Taming Space.

The next moment, the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus Rex crashed onto the mount path, its heavy claws landing with a dull thud.

Its crimson, round eyes slowly swept across the surroundings. Although its immense dragon might was deliberately restrained, its massive size and domineering appearance still shone through.

And the wild aura emanating from nature still instantly silenced the surroundings.

Nearby students all turned to look.

"What kind of pet is this?!"

"It's the Flameridge Tyrannosaurus! The one they were talking about on the forums!"

"Is that the new evolved form of the Flameclaw Beast that the monster reborn independently researched?"

Yun Chu stood beside the Flame Ridge Tyrannosaurus Rex, looking up at this wild and powerful behemoth. Even though he was mentally prepared, he was still awestruck by the sight of it up close.

Lin Chen had anticipated this, and his expression remained unchanged.

He wasn't going to keep the Flameridge Tyrannosaurus Rex a secret. Now that it had evolved, he should announce its birth in a grand way.

Then, he leaped up and easily flipped onto the broad shoulder of the Flame Ridge Tyrannosaurus, pulling the still somewhat dazed Yun Chuxiu up with him.

"Let's go." Lin Chen patted the Flameback Tyrannosaurus on the shoulder.

"Yagu".

With a low roar, the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus Rex strode forward, its thick, pillar-like limbs adjusting its pace, and rumbled onto the wide mount path.

Heavy footsteps followed, but the steps were steady and powerful.

The Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus began to accelerate. Although it was not as fast as those agile small and medium-sized mounts at the start, once it started running, its stride was extremely long and its speed increased rapidly.

Sitting on the shoulder of the Flameridge Tyrannosaurus, the field of vision is extremely wide.

Lin Chen could easily look down at the many small and medium-sized vehicles and students on foot below, with an unobstructed view of the road ahead.

The Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus Rex runs with surprising stability, thanks to its thick feet and strong limb control, which minimizes any sense of bumpiness.

Compared to the lightning-fast aerial speed of the Four-Winged Ironwing Vulture, the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus Rex is much slower in running, but it is enough for traveling.

Lin Chen even imagined a heartwarming scene: on an endless wilderness, Lin Chen rode on the shoulder of a Flame Ridge Tyrannosaurus Rex, holding a Pineapple in his arms, with the sunset slowly setting on the horizon.

Along the way, more and more students recognized the Flameridge Tyrannosaurus Rex.

After a night of public discussion, the popularity of this year's freshman competition and Lin Chen's terrifying score has been rising in the college, with everyone from freshmen to teachers and professors discussing it enthusiastically.

Moreover, in addition to the students of his own college promoting the title of the strongest freshman of the year, Lin Chen's popularity gradually spread to other colleges in Qiming City, which sparked a heated discussion about who was the strongest freshman in the Northern Territory.

But all the online commotion had nothing to do with Lin Chen. He met everyone's gazes with a smile, secretly pleased with himself.

Soon, a cluster of towering teaching buildings came into view.

The Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus slowed down and finally came to a steady stop at the entrance of the main teaching building.

After retrieving the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus from their Beast Taming Space, Lin Chen and Yun Chuxiu entered the teaching building.

This building mainly houses classrooms for freshmen classes. At this moment, the lobby and corridors are bustling with people, all wearing brand-new uniforms and looking excited and curious.

When Lin Chen appeared, enthusiastic greetings rose and fell.

"Good morning, Lin Chen!"

"Boss! Over here!"

"Hey you over there, could you move aside? I'd like to take a photo with Boss Lin Chen."

Yun Chu's lips twitched, and he silently left.

After weaving through the crowd, the two finally arrived at the classroom.

Pushing open the door, I found the classroom spacious and bright, with about twenty people sitting there sparsely.

When Lin Chen and Yun Chuxiu entered, the conversation in the classroom paused slightly, and many eyes immediately focused on them, mainly on Lin Chen.

Lin Chen's gaze swept quickly across the area.

He saw Zhou Ming sitting in the front row, waving excitedly at him, as well as Zhang Xiaoxiao smiling and nodding, and some faces he had met briefly in the secret realm or were complete strangers to.

But he did not see Su Qingyuan.

Even when the school bell rang, Su Qingyuan still didn't come.

Lin Chen couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "So bold, skipping class on the first day of school?"

The first class of the freshman year was "Fundamentals of Pet Potential Studies (Part 1)," which was far more in-depth and systematic than the basic knowledge Lin Chen had encountered in middle school.

Instead of simply reading from the textbook, the instructors analyzed the principles and misconceptions of pet potential development from multiple dimensions, including the nature of energy, bloodline inheritance, and environmental adaptation. They also incorporated many real-life examples, which the new students found fascinating.

In fact, the course schedule at the Combat Academy is very relaxed.

There aren't many theoretical classes each week; more time is left for students to train independently, complete tasks, explore hidden realms, or participate in various practical courses.

In the future, the Combat Academy will organize freshmen in batches to conduct their first real comprehensive field practice.

It is understood that the practice will not take place in ordinary wilderness, but will delve into the already explored areas inside the Wall of Eternal Night.

The first class ended quickly, and the freshmen left the classroom in twos and threes.

"Brother Chen, which cafeteria should we go to?" Zhou Ming asked, leaning closer.

"Either is fine." Lin Chen put away his notebook.

The two walked side by side on the tree-lined path leading to the cafeteria.

Zhou Ming seemed to remember something, looked around, and lowered his voice to say to Lin Chen, "Brother Chen, there's something I find a little strange."

"Hmm?" Lin Chen looked at him.

"It was during this freshman competition that I felt Su Qingyuan was acting strangely." Zhou Ming organized his thoughts. "I always felt that she had too much experience in wilderness survival. Even though it was her first time here, she seemed to have mastered the strategy in advance, and she was very familiar with the place and not nervous at all. It felt like a max-level expert had accidentally entered a newbie village."

"And what's more, she can always find cultivation resources hidden in various places, no matter how deep they are hidden, she can find them accurately."

Lin Chen paused slightly.

"You mean..." Zhou Ming's eyes lit up, his tone excited, "Brother Chen, if we go on a wilderness training trip in the future, wouldn't it be amazing if we could bring Su Qingyuan along? We could find a ton of resources!"

Lin Chen understood.

Zhou Ming is treating Su Qingyuan like a treasure hunter; his mentality is just too mercenary!

However, he thought it was a good idea.

As the two were talking, they reached a fork in the road on a main road.

Suddenly, a figure blocked their way.

Ye Zhen, with her youthful, baby-faced expression, was currently pursing her lips tightly and staring intently at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen stopped in his tracks, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Who is this person?

Zhou Ming immediately leaned close to Lin Chen's ear and quickly reminded him, "Brother Chen, this is Ye Zhen, the fourth place winner in the freshman competition."

Upon hearing the word "fourth," Ye Zhen's already expressionless face suddenly stiffened. He clenched his fist, preparing to issue a challenge.

Just then, four or five young men and women in training uniforms walked over.

The leader was tall and upright, around twenty years old, with a face that resembled Ye Zhen by six or seven points, but with more rugged and mature features, and sported a slicked-back hairstyle.

A gentle smile played on his lips as he glanced first at Ye Zhen, whose face was tense, before his gaze fell on Lin Chen.

"Senior Ye Xuan!" Some students nearby recognized the person and exclaimed in a low voice.

"Captain Ye Xuan! What's he doing here?"

"They're definitely here to invite that monster freshman to join the school team!"

Ye Xuan nodded to those around him, then walked up to Lin Chen, extended his hand, and smiled warmly and sincerely: "Junior Brother Lin Chen, hello. Let me introduce myself, I am Ye Xuan, the captain of the Qiming Beast Taming Academy team."

Lin Chen reached out and shook hands with him: "Hello, Senior Ye Xuan."

Ye Xuan withdrew his hand and got straight to the point: "First of all, congratulations on winning first place in this year's freshman competition with 1450 points. It's an amazing achievement."

Before Lin Chen could react, Ye Zhen clenched his fists.

"Secondly, I am here on behalf of the college team to formally invite you to join the team."

Upon hearing this, the students who had been listening intently immediately erupted in uproar.

Lin Chen suddenly realized.

At Qiming Beast Taming Academy, there are numerous clubs and organizations, but the school team is undoubtedly the most prestigious and renowned among them.

The school team not only represents the highest level of combat power among the college's students, but also shoulders the important responsibility of representing the college in important competitions such as the "Northern High School Beast Taming League" and the "National University League" to win honors for the college.

Especially in top-tier colleges like this, the resumes of team members are a golden brand.

Many large corporations, the military, or special departments give priority to recruiting graduates with varsity team experience.

"You should know a little about the school team," Ye Xuan said with a smile. "By joining the school team, you will not only get the best environment for growth, but more importantly, you can directly represent the academy in the Northern Freshman Exchange Tournament two months later without any assessment."

The students around Lin Chen all looked at him with envy.

Lin Chen remained silent for a moment.

He knew something about the Northern Freshman Exchange Competition, a competition for beast tamers that all freshmen of the Northern Beast Taming Academy could participate in, with the aim of determining the strongest freshman.

But with the world about to be shrouded in a dark crisis, how could he possibly have the time to participate in this baby cup?

But just then, the system voice sounded at the opportune moment:

【Ding! 】

[Mission Content: The player is being bullied by upperclassmen. Please defeat three upperclassmen, show them your power, and complete the first step in sweeping the school!]

[Mission Rewards: 30 EXP, 3 Triple EXP Cards, Giant Horn Impact TM]

Lin Chen:

'

""

The system's judgment is as problematic as ever. Ye Xuan's attitude was clearly very polite, and the invitation was very formal. It has nothing to do with bullying.

It was identified as a highly sensitive system.

However...

Lin Chen looked up to meet Ye Xuan's gaze, a bright smile spreading across his face: "Senior Ye Xuan, we can talk about the school team later. Right now, I'd like to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Xuan waved his hand and revealed a knowing smile: "I know, a battle? Of course."

He paused, then added, seemingly with a sigh, "Every freshman goes through this process. I was the same way back then, wanting to personally test the strength of the school team members."

"But don't worry, our strength will definitely satisfy you, and make you willingly join us."

His smile was radiant, and his tone exuded confidence.

Lin Chen nodded.

"elder brother!"

Ye Zhen suddenly stepped forward, looked directly at Ye Xuan, and said, "I want to go too!"

"Come on, come on, I was planning to invite you anyway." Ye Xuan nodded. "The top ten freshmen will all receive our invitations."

At this point, he scratched his head, looking puzzled: "It's that freshman named Su Qingyuan who hasn't responded yet."

Afterwards, Lin Chen and the others, led by Ye Xuan, headed towards the arena used by the school team.

Upon hearing the news, other students called their friends and followed suit.

When the group arrived at the arena, the stands were already filled with students who had come to watch the excitement. The atmosphere was lively, just like watching a formal match.

Lin Chen remarked, "The atmosphere for battles here is really great."

The thought of the Flameridge Tyrannosaurus Rex displaying its dominance in this situation filled Lin Chen with anticipation.

But his first opponent was unexpected.

7