What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

Chapter 97 Lin Chen, Become My Student

The rising sun broke free from the horizon, casting its bright rays upon the desolate plains that had been bustling all night, and also illuminating the market near the meeting point.

At the steaming breakfast stall, Lin Chen and his group sat around a wooden table with their breakfast laid out in front of them. They ate with great relish, enjoying the cool morning air of the wasteland.

After the meal, it was time to say goodbye.

Li Heng and Xiao Ya's Beifeng Academy is in a different direction from Qiming Academy, so they need to go to another transportation point to take a special space mount.

"Brother Chen, Sister Su, Xiaoxiao, we'll be going now." Li Heng stood up, a satisfied smile on his face. "This was so exciting! Don't forget to call me next time something like this happens!"

Zhou Ming remained expressionless.

Xiaoya also stood up and bowed politely to everyone: "Thank you everyone, I really appreciate your care last night."

17

Li Heng then said, "Brother Chen, let's get together next weekend. I'll definitely come this time."

Lin Chen glanced at Xiao Ya, who was standing close to him, and joked, "You should spend time with the person next to you first. We can get together anytime."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng chuckled and gently put his arm around Xiaoya's shoulder, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Xiaoya's face flushed instantly, and she quickly lowered her head.

Zhou Ming stared intently at the two of them, his expression gradually turning serious: "Li Heng, don't slack off in your training. I've found a way to deal with the Stone Armor Lizard. Let's see how I defeat you next time."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng raised an eyebrow, then tilted his chin up to meet Zhou Ming's gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Don't worry, you'll always be my defeated opponent, you were before, you are now, and you will always be!"

"you!!!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ming's face flushed red, and he immediately shouted, "Li Heng, let's fight now!"

After some playful banter, Li Heng and Xiao Ya left, and Lin Chen and the other three boarded the pre-booked Cloud Wing Giant Roc.

The giant roc spread its wings, soaring over the gradually awakening wasteland and city below, and flew towards the academy.

It was nearly noon when they returned to Qiming Academy.

The sun was shining brightly, and the college was filled with students rushing to the cafeteria or back to their dormitories after class.

After a whole night of intense exploration and battles, even the most energetic beast tamers are inevitably feeling deeply exhausted.

The group parted ways at the school gate and returned to their dormitories, ready to catch up on some sleep and recharge.

Lin Chen, whose physical condition was no longer what it used to be, only felt a slight mental exhaustion, but his body was still full of energy and he was not sleepy at all.

He didn't go back to his dormitory, but went straight to the South Training Ground.

There weren't many people at the training ground at noon. Lin Chen found a relatively quiet corner and had an idea.

A flash of light appeared, and the elegant figure of the Radiant Moon Cat materialized before him: "Meow~"

Lin Chen had a thought and silently recited in his mind: "Use the TM for Cat Punch and Cat Eyes on Gatomon."

The next moment, a massive amount of information about the two moves flooded into the Moonlit Cat's mind.

The Moonlit Spirit Cat didn't move. Having learned from the [Dog Roar], it already knew that Lin Chen was the most incredible beast tamer in the world.

In an instant, countless key points about power generation techniques, energy circulation, and practical applications appeared clearly in the consciousness of the Radiant Moon Cat, as if enlightened.

The Moonlit Spirit Cat closed its eyes slightly, its triangular ears trembling gently.

A moment later, it reopened its eyes: "Meow~"

In just a short time, it had mastered the two skills.

"Let's try the Cat Punch first," Lin Chen said.

The Moonlit Spirit Cat nodded, took a few light steps forward, and stood in front of the energy target.

It did not attack immediately, but instead adjusted its breathing and posture slightly, as if digesting the newly acquired skills in its mind.

The next moment, its seemingly slender forelimbs suddenly became blurry!

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

In an instant, the Moonlit Spirit Cat unleashed four lightning-fast claw shadows with unpredictable trajectories!

Each claw shadow was not a simple physical attack; the claw tips were faintly covered with a layer of condensed ordinary energy. The claw shadows struck the heavy target almost simultaneously!

boom!boom!boom!boom!

The target continued to emit a series of dull thuds and shook violently.

Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully: "Yes, intermediate skill."

As for the other skill, Cat's Eye, it has a different effect. Cat's Eye intimidates opponents with its sharp, knife-like gaze and has a chance to cause affected enemies to become confused or even kill each other. It is a very practical and powerful crowd control and interference skill.

Seeing the Moonlit Cat unleash two new skills, Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction.

With this, the skill system of the Moonlit Cat can be considered to be initially complete.

For melee combat, there's Cat Punch and Light Blade Slash; for crowd control, there's Mind Whisper and Cat Eye; and for dashing, there's Phantom Charge, which is enough to handle most complex combat situations.

Furthermore, the Moonlit Spirit Cat and the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus have different roles.

The Flameridge Tyrannosaurus is designed for heavy armor and strong offense, focusing on frontal charges.

The lithe Moonlit Cat is better suited for a high-speed, agile, guerrilla-style role, constantly pulling the opponent away with its skills to gradually gain the upper hand in battle.

Due to their different positioning, the two cannot be directly compared.

However, if the two are of equal strength and there are no other external factors interfering, the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus will have a great headache facing the agile Moonlit Spirit Cat.

"The next step is to continue to improve Nuomi's strength level and enrich its practical experience so that it can become capable of standing on its own as soon as possible."

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but consider the two leagues Ye Xuan had mentioned.

In a follow-up conversation with the school team that day, Ye Xuan stated that the rules did not prohibit participating in two competitions at the same time, nor was there any explicit rule that beast tamers must personally appear on stage.

However, the schedules of the two competitions partially overlap, so even if he becomes an intermediate beast tamer before the competition, he must selectively give up one of them.

But Lin Chen didn't want to give up the system's generous rewards, so a bold idea formed in his mind:

He sent the Moonlit Spirit Cat to represent him in the early stages of the freshman exchange competition, while he led the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus to make a full-fledged push for the university league.

This way, you can participate in two competitions at the same time and maximize the rewards from the system tasks.

He will personally participate in the freshman tournament once the schedules of the two leagues are staggered.

The key to this plan is that the Moonlit Spirit Cat must quickly acquire enough strength to go far in the freshman competition, or even make it to the finals on its own.

"The road ahead is still long —"

Lin Chen took a deep breath, his gaze becoming even more determined.

"Let's keep trying, Nuomi."

"Meow!"

After spending over an hour practicing new skills with the Moonlit Spirit Cat in the training ground and doing some basic training, Lin Chen returned to his dormitory.

Back in his dorm room, he took out his phone and logged into his personal service page on the Beast Tamer Association's official website.

In the "My Applications" section, he found a business application for "Confirmation and Collection of Information on the New Evolution Form of Flameclaw Beast".

The status still shows "Accepted, awaiting on-site verification (estimated waiting time: 2-4 weeks)".

The association's busy schedule is evident, especially when it comes to important matters that require collaboration among multiple experts and rigorous process verification; it's normal for things to be a little slow.

Lin Chen skillfully opened the new application page and began filling out the information confirmation application for the Shining Moon Spirit Cat.

A moment later, the application status changed to "Submitted, awaiting preliminary review".

After finishing this task, Lin Chen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Time passed slowly.

Inside a laboratory in the Research Department of Qiming College.

Several sophisticated instruments were humming softly, and complex data streams flowed across the screens.

Students in white lab coats are carefully conducting an experiment under the guidance of an elderly professor with gray hair.

Professor Li Jingming paced back and forth between the lab benches, his stern gaze sweeping over each student's work: "How many times have I told you? Be slow, be careful, be..."

"7

Looking at the students scrambling around, Professor Li sighed heavily, then shook his head and muttered to himself, "Sigh—you guys are truly the worst class I've ever taught."

Upon hearing this, the students fell silent, heads bowed, and became even more cautious in their actions.

Professor Li walked to the window, looking at the bright sunshine outside and the vibrant scene in the college, and felt inexplicably annoyed.

If he had never seen a truly exceptional genius, he might have been much more lenient with these students who were of average ability.

But... sigh.

With such research talent, why not become a renowned scholar and instead stay in the combat department as a crude beast tamer?

Suddenly, the tense atmosphere in the laboratory was broken by the urgent ringing of the telephone.

Professor Li frowned, walked over, picked up his phone, and glanced at the caller ID—it was one of his prized students from many years ago, who now held a senior management position in the research department of the Qiming City Beast Tamer Association.

Professor Li walked to the corridor outside the laboratory and answered the phone.

"Hey, Xiao Chen? What made you think of calling me?" Professor Li's tone softened.

A respectful male voice came from the other end of the phone: "Teacher, am I disturbing you?"

"without."

"That's good, teacher. Has our college recently produced a research genius?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jingming subconsciously glanced at the group of clumsy students in the laboratory and said irritably, "There are no geniuses here, they're all a bunch of idiots."

"Sigh, you're nowhere near as good as you were back then."

The student asked in confusion: "But my system shows that a junior student applied for information confirmation of a new pet form. The information shows that this junior student is only 18 years old and should be a freshman."

Upon hearing this, Li Jingming suddenly realized what was going on, but then sighed deeply: "Oh, so you mean Lin Chen."

"He is indeed a true research genius, discovering the Flameclaw Beast's new evolutionary form all by himself. What a pity..."

""

At this point, Li Jingming sighed heavily, his voice low: "It's a pity he was in the combat department and didn't join our research department."

However, the student on the other end of the phone sounded even more confused. He interrupted Li Jingming, "Wait, teacher—you said Lin Chen is a combat-type? I know about the Flameclaw Beast's evolved form; it was mentioned in the application. But—"

The student paused, seemingly confirming the information on the screen, before tentatively asking in an uncertain tone, "Teacher, the applications I'm seeing here—it's not just Flameclaw Beasts."

"This student, Lin Chen, submitted a confirmation application for a brand new evolutionary form of the Satsuki dog half an hour ago."

""

"What?!?!"

Half an hour later, Lin Chen arrived at the laboratory.

The room is brightly lit and softly lit, with lush greenery visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a stark contrast to the cold, hard metal instruments and lab benches piled high with data.

He had just walked in and was about to ask Professor Li why he had been summoned when he saw Li Jingming turn around.

Professor Li's gray hair seemed even more disheveled than when we last met, but his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, were surprisingly bright. He couldn't wait to speak: "You're here! Quick! Summon your pet beast, the Moonlit Spirit Cat, so I can see it!"

He didn't even wait for Lin Chen to answer, and immediately explained in a very fast voice: "It's like this, the association staff member in charge of reviewing information on new forms of pets happens to be a student I used to teach."

"After seeing your application, he immediately contacted me to inquire about the situation and asked me to directly verify the information."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly understood: "I see, thank you for your help, Professor Li."

As the summoning light appeared, the elegant figure of the Moonlit Spirit Cat slowly solidified.

"This is the Moonlit Spirit Cat—"

Li Jingming almost jogged to get close to the Radiant Moon Cat, but maintained a safe distance.

He bent down, his gaze like the most precise scanner, carefully observing the Radiant Moon Cat in front of him from head to toe.

As he observed it, he asked Lin Chen, "Lin Chen, what are its attributes?"

"Can you reveal your skills?"

"Has the evolved personality changed significantly compared to before?"

The questions came out in rapid succession, but Lin Chen was prepared and answered them one by one.

Professor Li listened intently, nodding frequently, his fingers rapidly jotting down notes in his notebook, his eyes shining ever brighter.

This observation and questioning lasted for nearly an hour.

Professor Li seemed tireless as he circled the Moonlit Spirit Cat again and again, carefully observing it from every angle.

Finally, Professor Li collected enough data.

He slowly straightened up, exhaled a long breath, and turned his gaze to Lin Chen, who had been patiently cooperating the whole time.

"Lin Chen," Professor Li's voice was a little hoarse. He shook his head, his tone filled with an almost dreamlike disbelief, "You've really given me a huge surprise."

He paused, looking at Lin Chen's calm, youthful face, and added with a smile, "And it's only been a little over a week since the last surprise—"

Lin Chen replied politely, "You flatter me. I was just lucky."

He also felt that it was quite absurd to have researched two evolutionary forms in such a short period of time. Moreover, as a system translator, his knowledge in this area was very shallow. Faced with many professional questions from Professor Li, he could only give vague answers and try his best to remain silent.

As long as you speak less, you won't be caught out for too many loopholes.

Professor Li looked at the polite and humble Lin Chen, his eyes filled with even deeper emotion.

Although he didn't talk much, this is the best evidence of his down-to-earth and hard-working attitude.

Talk less and do more; no wonder he has achieved so much at such a young age.

He composed himself, his expression turning serious: "So, are you also planning to keep the Moonlit Spirit Cat a secret, just like last time, and keep it for your own use?"

Lin Chen nodded decisively: "Yes."

This answer seemed to be exactly what Professor Li expected, and his expression remained unchanged.

"I see."

Professor Li walked to the window, his back to Lin Chen, his deep gaze fixed on the campus outside. His voice rang out slowly: "Once I finish verifying their basic information, the association's formal review process will be expedited. Within a week at most, these two new evolutionary forms will be officially registered in the Pet Encyclopedia and made available to the entire Federation."

He turned around and stared at Lin Chen: "At that time, everyone will know that a freshman named Lin Chen has independently researched two brand-new evolutionary forms. This will be a major piece of news that will shake the entire research community."

At this point, Professor Li's face turned solemn: "Reputation, honor, and attention will flood you in like a tidal wave. Top research institutes across the Federation, various large enterprises—countless forces and individuals will try every means to contact you, recruit you, and win you over. They will extend unimaginable olive branches to you, promising conditions that ordinary people can only dream of."

"However," he changed the subject, his eyes fixed on Lin Chen, "you should be well aware that achieving such remarkable results at your current age will inevitably be accompanied by countless criticisms, doubts, and even malicious speculations."

"Some people will doubt the authenticity of the data, investigate the truth behind your so-called independent research, and may even use various means to test and pressure you, trying to uncover your secrets. These troubles will far exceed your imagination."

"Are you ready?"

Lin Chen's expression remained unchanged.

He was well aware of the troubles Professor Li was talking about, but with a global crisis looming, he didn't care about the outside world's disturbances.

So what if it explodes!

Professor Li looked at Lin Chen, whose expression remained unchanged, and inwardly admired his composure. He then took two steps forward, his gaze frank: "I don't care if you have any secrets, nor do I care how you developed these two forms or what shortcuts you took. The field of evolution itself is an ocean full of unknowns and miracles; any possibility exists."

"I only care about the results, only about the truth itself. The Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus and the Moonlit Spirit Cat are real, and their power, potential, and stability are the best proof."

He looked into Lin Chen's calm, unfathomable eyes and said, word by word, "So, I have a suggestion."

Lin Chen raised his head and met Professor Li's gaze.

Li Jingming took a deep breath and smiled, "Lin Chen, become my student."

At that moment, Zhao Honggang, far away in the wilderness, suddenly sneezed: "Huh?"