Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

The puppymon once had the feat of taking on multiple opponents, but now that it has evolved into Gatomon, the students don't even have the courage to challenge it anymore.

"Why bother with team battles? One Gatomon can take on all five of us!" Wang Wei, the captain of the neighboring team, jokingly expressed everyone's thoughts.

Cheng Yuan felt that this kind of mentality was not acceptable. They were all classmates in the special training class and comrades who had fought together. If they could make progress together and enter the Beast Tamer University together, they could take care of each other whether in university or after graduation.

Remembering Xu Xin's words, he felt he should also find a way to help these students improve together.

The students were full of confidence, but the teachers were worried. Through communication among the teachers, they learned that the strength of the other participating schools should not be underestimated.

In addition to 12 public schools qualified to train animal trainers, 4 private elite schools also participated in the competition.

The students at these private schools come from wealthy families, and their Digimon are meticulously nurtured from the egg stage, with a continuous supply of resources.

Even more frightening is that the digital eggs they obtain through special channels are often rare species with amazing evolutionary potential.

"I just heard some gossip that some schools might have secretly trained adult-level Digimon. Apparently, they have alumni who graduated in recent years and became professional trainers helping them," Teacher Liu Liuyan reported worriedly at a faculty meeting.

"Everyone, get yourselves together!" Principal Liu's roar echoed throughout the gymnasium. "You all need to take this seriously. Don't be complacent. The school teams from other schools are also full of the student elites from the entire district. This mock exam is a great practice for your college entrance exam. If you don't achieve good results because of carelessness, it will be irresponsible of you to your future."

Following the school's internal selection competition, the final roster for the Pengcheng No.1 High School team is as follows:

Captain: Cheng Yuan (Gi-Oh!)

Team members: Zhao Lu (Gearmon X), Kang Zhaodi (Pangolinmon), Li Yue (Palumon), Wenrou (Flormon)

Reserve members: Wang Wei (Hedgehog Beast), Zhang Ming (Candle Beast)

It is worth mentioning that the substitute players are elites selected from other teams to ensure the overall balance of the school team's strength.

This inter-school animal trainer league, organized by the Education Bureau and launched under the guise of mock exams, had 16 participating schools. Each school sent 5 individual players and a 5-person team to participate in the team battles. The team battles allowed substitutes to enter the game when the main players were not performing well.

Even more appealing is that representatives from several prestigious universities will be present to watch the competition, and outstanding performers may be eligible for early admission.

This mock exam-style league was held in the most bustling and affluent Qianhai District, at the Penguin Sports Arena, sponsored by Tencent.

Since Tencent is sponsoring the project, the official digital center wasn't chosen as the location. This saved the Ministry of Education a significant amount of money.

For Tencent, on the one hand, it can build its own digital industry system and increase its brand awareness among these future animal trainers; on the other hand, if it finds any outstanding animal trainers, it can make early moves and train them so that they can join Tencent after graduating from university.

After all, these contestants are very likely to become professional animal trainers in the future.

While the Penguin Sports Center doesn't have the same comprehensive facilities as the official Digital Sports Center—after all, that's a national-level center—it's more than adequate for a competition venue with over a hundred participants.

On April 24th, the Pengcheng No.1 Middle School team traveled to Qianhai District by bus arranged by the school. In addition to the seven team members, accompanying them were their teachers, Cao Jin (partner Big-Eared Beast) and Luo Qiuyu (partner Lala Beast). School leaders and other teachers and students will be present to cheer them on on the day of the competition.

"Wow, this place is so impressive!" Zhang Ming couldn't help but exclaim as soon as he stepped into the Penguin Sports Center. The metallic walls gleamed under the lights, and the central arena was spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

Needless to say, the audience seating area can easily accommodate tens of thousands of people if it's full.

This sports center will utilize state-of-the-art digital space simulation technology to send Digimon into a virtual digital space built through algorithms for battle.

In the virtual digital space, various battlefields can be set up according to the needs of the battle, including forest battlefields, desert battlefields, swamp battlefields, mechanical battlefields, and even aerial battlefields... as well as composite battlefields.

It can even replicate a specific grid in digital space.

Digimon can perfectly enter this virtual digital space and engage in real battles. For Digimon, the virtual digital space is actually the same as the real space; inside, Digimon can still get injured, and their skills are not weakened.

The senior leaders of each school will only arrive when the competition is about to begin.

Some senior high school students, even junior high school students, and family members of the contestants also came to be spectators and cheerleaders.

Tencent even secured the broadcasting rights and will be able to stream the content online for a limited time for a fee.

“Playing in such a venue, with younger students cheering me on, and my parents watching the live stream online…” Zhang Ming murmured to himself, “I wish I could play on the field.”

"Ah! Why do they have matching team uniforms?" Wenrou suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a spot not far away.

Looking around, the students of No. 2 Middle School were dressed in neat and uniform team uniforms, with "No. 2 Middle School" printed on the front and "Victory is certain" printed on the back. They were neat and uniform and particularly eye-catching.

And these few of them were just wearing school uniforms, the kind that are the same as those in many schools.

Not only Wenrou, but the other team members also felt disheartened when they saw that perhaps fifteen out of the sixteen teams had uniform and beautiful team uniforms.

Miscalculation...

"Wait a minute." Cheng Yuan suddenly turned and walked towards a nearby convenience store. A few minutes later, he returned carrying several boxes and gave everyone a pair of the same type of goggles.

"Although it can't compare to a team uniform, at least it has a unified logo." Cheng Yuan smiled as he adjusted his goggles. "Let's just consider it our school's 'special weapon'."

This small gesture instantly boosted morale. Zhao Lu was the first to put on the goggles, her eyes behind the lenses shining with determination: "At No. 1 High School, we let our strength speak for itself!"

Chapter 109 Digital Curiosities and the Spiritual Realm

In fact, during the 20-day selection and training period for the school team, Cheng Yuan's life was intense and fulfilling, and he was not idle at all.

Every day after school, he would go to the Pengcheng Evolution Research Institute on time, and only return home with the Gear Beast in the evening.

At the research institute, Gear Beast has officially joined the team and become an important member of Zhou Mo's team.

With Zhou Mo's full support, they not only moved to a more spacious laboratory, but also secured advanced metal refining equipment from Dean Zhou. This young female researcher, for the sake of her new research project, relentlessly pleaded with her father, and ultimately got her wish.

At the same time, Cheng Yuan also left the Seed of Light in the laboratory and continued to refine it, making the seed's energy more and more solid.

“Cheng Yuan, according to our research, the Digital Spirit is actually a special collection of data related to emotions.” Zhou Mo pushed up his glasses and pointed to the data graph on the screen. “It contains a huge amount of data, and the wavelengths it emits can guide the growth direction of Digimon.”

Cheng Yuan nodded thoughtfully, his gaze falling on the Light Digital Spirit Seed in the center of the laboratory. After continuous refinement, this seed had become much more solid than it initially was, radiating a soft and pure light.

She pulled up the database of the National Institute for Evolutionary Research and showed several images: "However, they are more like crystallized digital cores. They cannot reside in the body and grow like your Seed of Light. But interestingly, instrumental analysis shows that these crystals contain data fluctuations similar to emotions and feelings."

Cheng Yuan stared at the familiar crystal shape on the screen, his heart suddenly racing—wasn't this the digital spirit crystal he had seen in the Time and Space Secret Realm?

Although the shape and color are different, this style of having spiritual crystals growing on the outside of the digital core is definitely a digital spiritual crystal.

These research institutions certainly have different resources; with their huge databases and curio collections, you can find quite a few good things.

"Sister Mo, is it possible to find out the source of these crystals? Is it possible to obtain them in bulk?" Cheng Yuan asked anxiously.

Zhou Mo couldn't help but laugh out loud: "What are you thinking? These are rare items! They were all brought back from high-risk areas by professional animal trainers. Only items that the National Research Institute couldn't research and had surplus of are put into the Rare Items Archive. If a lower-level research institute wants to apply for research, it has to get its project approved first."

Cheng Yuan's eyes lit up: "Then let's start a research project together?"

What are your specific ideas?

“I have a feeling that these crystals are closely related to my Seed of Light.” Cheng Yuan carefully chose his words. “And… Sister Mo, have you heard about the digital armor technology that the provincial research institute is developing?”

Zhou Mo nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Of course! Although the failure rate is still high, this direction is very promising. The main focus is on developing enhanced weapons or armor, creating tactical chips, and loading them through an arc light machine to achieve tactical versatility."

She became more and more excited as she spoke: "Imagine a Digimon suddenly growing claws or wings during battle, how unexpected! Even more advanced would be a complete set of custom armor, but that involves digital manifestation and metal refining technology, so it's difficult to achieve in the short term."

"Sister Mo, I have a bold idea. With these crystals, we can forge even more powerful armor. Gear Beasts have some expertise in this area."

Gear Beast: "666".

"More powerful armor? You mean armor that can be combined with these digital artifact crystals to develop armor with even higher data enhancements?" Zhou Mo's eyes lit up.

However, her understanding still limited her imagination, and she clearly hadn't grasped Cheng Yuan's true thoughts—to replicate armor evolution in the real world.

Cheng Yuan didn't explain further, but simply asked her to try her best to apply for the project on armor enhancement, and if that didn't work, he would think of another way.

However, the application process hasn't been smooth, and the project review is still ongoing. But Zhou Mo also mentioned that things are looking up, as she recently added Dean Zhou's name to the list of applicants.

The influence of the director of a municipal research institute is enough to get many research projects approved.

At the same time, research on the Digital Spirit of Light has also made groundbreaking progress.

"Look at this!" Zhou Mo excitedly displayed her latest experimental results. She encapsulated the Digital Spirit of Light into a specially designed chip, inserted it into the Arc Light Machine, and released a hazy halo of light. Data fluctuations within the area showed that the environmental attributes were highly similar to the Divine Code Space.

"Within this domain, the combat power of Holy and Light type Digimon will be significantly enhanced!" Zhou Mo explained excitedly. "The most amazing thing is that this bonus is not only for Digimon bound to the Arc Machine, but also for all matching type Digimon within the domain!"

Cheng Yuan was amazed. Wasn't this just like the "halo" effect in the game? Although the coverage area is still very small at present, as the Digital Spirit grows, future Beast Tamers may really be able to change the battlefield environment through the Digital Spirit and Arc Light Machine, no longer just bystanders shouting "666" on the sidelines.

"Gearmon has been a great help in this research," Zhou Mo said approvingly, looking at Gearmon operating the equipment. Since officially joining the company, this mechanical Digimon has demonstrated an amazing learning ability and has become an indispensable assistant in the laboratory.

Cheng Yuan felt that collaborating with Zhou Mo was a wise move. He provided the ideas and materials, and Zhou Mo and the Gear Beast were able to transform them into concrete research results. The Digital Spirit Realm, Digital Evolution Armor... every direction was full of infinite possibilities.

Zhou Mo once revealed that once these research results are put into application, the patent fees alone will be a considerable source of income. Cheng Yuan believes that the commercial value of digital evolution armor may even surpass that of digital songs—after all, this is a technology that can directly enhance combat capabilities.

"Now, please welcome the animal trainer candidates from each school to the stage!"

The host's voice pulled Cheng Yuan back to reality. The Penguin Sports Center was brightly lit, and the stands were packed. Representatives from sixteen schools stood in neat rows, waiting for the competition to begin.

Cheng Yuan adjusted his goggles, and Gatomon quietly perched on his shoulder. After this period of special training, the little guy could now skillfully switch between the four attributes, and his strength had reached a new level.

The flame and shadow rings on its left ear shimmered under the light, highlighting its uniqueness.

"Are you nervous?" Zhao Lu asked softly. Her gear beast X was making the final voltage adjustments, emitting a faint "buzzing" sound.

Cheng Yuan shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the contestants from other schools. In the front row, he noticed a boy in a navy blue team uniform stroking the shell of a seashell beast;

Not far away, a boy in a team uniform with a Chinese style stood beside a magpie beast with its wings folded.

"It seems the rumors are true; there are indeed Champion-level Digimon participating," Kang Zhaodi said in a low voice, causing Pangolin to shrink back nervously.

Chapter 110 A Gathering of Heroes

At the Penguin Sports Arena, the seats reserved for students from Pengcheng No. 1 Middle School were packed. Lower-grade students sat neatly in their designated areas, excitedly whispering to each other.

At the teachers' table, the teachers of each subject looked serious, occasionally bowing their heads to take notes.

The VIP area at the very front was even more star-studded – the three vice presidents of the Pengcheng Animal Trainers Association, the leadership team of the Education Bureau, and the observation group from more than ten top animal trainer universities, including the Imperial Animal Trainer University, the Shanghai Animal Trainer University, and the Huadu Animal Trainer University, arrived one after another.

"As expected of Pengcheng (Shenzhen)," an observer from Beijing murmured. "Although it can't compare to the cultural heritage of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the quality of its students is truly enviable for other cities."

His companion nodded: "I heard that some high schools have already produced high-achieving students this year, who would have been directly admitted to universities in previous years."

"Please be quiet, everyone!"

Suddenly, the electronic screen in the center of the venue lit up, and accompanied by rousing background music, a spirited young man in a dark blue suit strode onto the stage.

Beside him followed a uniquely shaped Digimon—a round body topped with an LCD screen, comically mimicking its master's gestures as it bowed to the audience.

Display Screen Beast

[Data Species - Puppet Type]

[Growth Period]

[Skill: Fireball (launches a fireball for attack, but its power is not very high)]

[Description: Its face is like a monitor display, capable of showing various expressions and information, much like emoticons. Wearing green clothes and sporting a large belly, its overall image is both cute and slightly comical.]

"Good morning, leaders, teachers, and students!" The host's voice resounded throughout the venue through the loudspeakers. "I am He Ling, the host of this simulated battle league, from the Tencent News Department. This is my partner—Monitor Beast!"

The word "HELLO" immediately flashed on the monitor beast's screen, eliciting a burst of laughter from the audience.

He Ling raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Before the competition begins, please allow me to emphasize some spectator etiquette—except for cheering during the contestants' outstanding performances, please remain quiet at all other times. After all..." He winked, "this is an important exam that concerns everyone's future!"

Cheng Yuan stood in the preparation area of ​​Pengcheng No.1 High School and looked around.

The flags of the sixteen schools were neatly arranged on both sides of the field, with five to eight animal trainers in school uniforms standing under each flag.

The crowd of spectators around him was so dense that it reminded him of the blacksmith exam he took in the Digital World – except that back then, he was surrounded by various Digimon, while now it was a sea of ​​people.

"Now I hereby declare the first Pengcheng High School Beast Tamer Simulation Battle League officially open!" He Ling's voice suddenly rose. "This competition has a total of 16 high schools and more than 100 top beast tamer candidates. They are all the new generation of beast tamers in Pengcheng, the best among the new beast tamers. Please welcome the candidates to the arena!"

As the stirring march played, the teams from each school marched past the rostrum in turn.

Cheng Yuan noticed that, in addition to prestigious public schools such as Pengcheng No.1 Middle School and No.2 Middle School, the teams from four private elite schools were particularly eye-catching—their uniforms were well-tailored, and their school badges shone brightly under the lights.

"Pengcheng No.1 High School, Pengcheng No.2 High School, Qianhai Experimental High School, Hongling High School, Bao'an High School, University of Science and Technology of China Affiliated High School, Nanshan High School..."

“There are also private schools like Overseas Chinese College, Meisha Bilingual School, Fuyuan Middle School, and Mathematics High School…” Li Yue muttered to herself, “I heard that half a year’s tuition at these schools is enough to buy a high-quality digital egg. They’re all rich people.”

Kang Zhaodi curled his lip: "So what if you have money? We'll see how it goes on the field later."

After the opening ceremony, He Ling began to explain the competition rules in detail.

The league is divided into individual and team competitions, and the competition will last for two days.

The individual competition is divided into a preliminary round and a main competition. The preliminary round uses a points system, and each player needs to play three matches. The main competition is a brutal single-elimination system, and only the sixteen players with the highest points can advance.

“A victory earns 3 points, a loss earns 0 points, and a draw earns 1 point each,” He Ling explained. “The judging panel will make a final assessment based on the overall performance in the battle and the growth rate of the Digimon.”

Listening to the rules, Cheng Yuan started counting on his fingers, his mind a little confused.

If I keep winning, I'll definitely advance.

After the preliminary rounds, 16 contestants will remain, and these 16 contestants will officially compete in the main competition.

The main competition is actually secretly referred to as a mini-college entrance examination.

Because of the 16 main contestants, it is estimated that some animal trainer universities will pre-book them and extend offers.

After all, it is among the top 16 in Shenzhen.