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

Seeing the lynx's fiery and surging aura, Senior Su Fei felt a weight lift from her heart again and couldn't help but warn, "Mei Ning! Be careful! Its fire attribute might be effective against your plant-type!"

Mei Ning pushed up her glasses and calmly analyzed, "Don't worry, Senior Su. My Raincoat Beast is essentially a Ghost type, a Free type. Although it retains some plant characteristics, it is not a pure plant type and is not afraid of fire. Its skills are also more inclined towards the unpredictable and eerie Ghost type, and there is no obvious restraint relationship in terms of attributes."

Her tone carried the rigor of a researcher, as if she were completely immersed in the academic issues of analyzing the battle.

At this moment, her interest in Cheng Yuan had far surpassed that in the battle itself.

She looked at Cheng Yuan, her eyes burning: "Cheng Yuan... what you just said about the ancient digital civilization... that knowledge... if we win, could you... share some of it with me?"

Her voice carried a barely perceptible hint of longing and pleading.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan's lips curled into a smile: "Oh? Senior, are you going to make a bet? Since it's a bet, there has to be a stake. My stake is some information I know about ancient digital civilization, armor evolution, and those lost technologies. So, what's your stake, Senior?"

Mei Ning asked without hesitation, "What do you want?" To her, the value of that ancient knowledge far exceeded everything else.

Cheng Yuan smiled, his gaze sweeping over the magnificent gates of Huada University, and said in a relaxed tone, "I don't have any unreasonable demands. If I win, senior, could you take some time during the summer vacation to visit Pengcheng and tour the Pengcheng Beast Tamer University? And while you're at it... visit the 'Qilin Group' next to the school, just for a look. How about that?"

This request was surprisingly simple, almost unlike a request at all.

Mei Ning paused for a moment, then immediately nodded: "Okay! I promise you!" It's just a trip to Pengcheng; if it can bring back valuable ancient knowledge, it's a great deal.

“It’s a deal!” Cheng Yuan’s smile widened. He knew that a pure research talent like Mei Ning, once she arrived in Pengcheng and witnessed the projects the Qilin Group was undertaking, would most likely be deeply attracted and willingly stay. She was practically handing over top-tier talent!

"Battle begins!" the two gave the order almost simultaneously!

The Raincoat Beast launched the first attack. Its figure flickered and became blurred as if it had merged into the shadows. This was the skill - [Void]! Physical attacks were almost impossible to hit it when it was in this state.

Immediately afterwards, it swung the sand mallet in its hand, [Sand Mallet Strike]! A cold, damp energy wave carrying a decaying aura attacked the lynx from a distance.

The lynx reacted extremely quickly, using all four limbs to leap sideways like a red lightning bolt to dodge.

The ground where it had been standing was struck by that damp energy, instantly becoming muddy and even covered with a thin layer of frost.

[Super Flame]!

The lynx opened its mouth and spewed out a thick, extremely hot breath of fire, which shot straight at the raincoat beast!

However, the flames were blocked by the raincoat raised by the raincoat beast. Only the surface of the raincoat was charred black, while the raincoat beast itself was unharmed!

And the charred marks on the raincoat are visibly decreasing.

"It's no use! Physical and energy attacks are ineffective against it in its ethereal state!" Mei Ning calmly commanded, "Swing the sand hammer!"

The raincoat-wearing beast pulled out a sand hammer-like instrument made of dried plant fibers from somewhere and started shaking it violently!

A muffled and eerie sound wave spread out. This attack was not aimed at the physical body, but rather at the mental level, attempting to interfere with the lynx's judgment.

The lynx felt a slight dizziness and shook its head.

Cheng Yuan frowned slightly; Ghost-type was indeed troublesome.

"Tequila Fist!" Mei Ning pressed her advantage.

The ethereal figure of the Raincoat Beast suddenly solidified for a moment, and a punch was thrown out from a distance. A fist phantom made of ghost energy and exuding a strange wine fragrance smashed towards the Lynx Beast!

This skill has a stun effect!

[Heat-enhancing hair]!

The lynx's fiery mane suddenly exploded, and a surging burst of flames swept outwards from it, instantly dispersing the mental sound waves and incinerating the phantom of the ghostly fist!

The scorching heat even forced the raincoat beast to retreat a few steps, breaking free from its state of nothingness.

"A great opportunity!" Cheng Yuan said.

[Crazy Scramble!]

The lynx lunged forward, its claws covered in flames, transforming into countless red claw shadows that frantically slashed at the raincoat beast!

The raincoat beast hurriedly waved its small sand mallet to block, making a dense "clanging" sound and scattering sparks.

However, it was clearly no match for the courageous lynx and was forced to retreat, its raincoat torn in several places, revealing the dark energy within.

"Cactus Slash!" Seeing that close combat was not going well, Mei Ning immediately changed her strategy.

Suddenly, countless sharp, poisonous thorns hardened by ghostly energy sprouted from the Raincoat Beast's body, spraying out like a torrential rain towards the lynx beast that was right in front of it! At such close range, it was almost impossible to completely dodge them!

The lynx's pupils contracted, and it leaped backward, simultaneously raising its claws to protect itself, forming a fiery shield on its claws.

[Flame Barrier!]

The lynx began to familiarize itself with its body and elemental energy, particularly fire energy, and started applying it to its existing skills.

Chapter 167 That's about enough.

Puff puff puff!

Despite their best efforts to parry and dodge, some of the venomous stingers still pierced through the flames and embedded themselves in the lynx's forelimbs and shoulders.

A sharp pain shot through the area, which quickly turned black and became numb, accompanied by the corrosive effect of ghostly energy!

"Meow!" The lynx growled, its courage supporting it. It shook its head violently, shaking off the shallowly embedded venomous stinger. Flames burned at the wound, barely suppressing the spread of ghostly energy, but its movements were noticeably slower.

The Raincoat Beast once again seized the opportunity to merge into the shadows, entering a state of [nothingness], preparing for its next sneak attack.

The battlefield was briefly locked in a stalemate.

Lynx has an advantage in speed and strength, and its fire attacks are fierce, but the Voidwalker and Ghost-type moves are extremely unpredictable and difficult to deal with. If it is worn down, Lynx may be worn down by poison and corrosion first.

"We must break through its nothingness..." Cheng Yuan's mind raced. "Physical and ordinary energy are ineffective... Ghost-type... we still need holy and light-type..."

"Lynx! Combine Light and Flame!" Upon hearing this, the lynx immediately understood. The flames surging around its body slightly subsided, as if it were brewing something. The sacred halo on the tip of its ear began to light up, gradually becoming dazzling.

The Raincoat Beast seemed to sense the threat, emerging from the void, shaking the Sand Hammer again, and preparing to launch the Cactus Slash to interfere.

But at that very moment, the lynx suddenly opened its eyes!

Its pupils were like burning platinum, filled with holiness and fervor!

The flames around him were no longer simply crimson, but had transformed into incandescent white, shimmering with golden edges, radiating a powerful aura that was both scorching and pure, enough to dispel all darkness and filth!

[Holy Flame Mane] Bursts!

The lynx let out a heart-shaking roar, merging the power of fire, holiness, and light. Platinum-gold holy flames erupted from it like a tsunami, instantly engulfing the entire battle platform!

This flame not only possesses extreme high temperature, but also contains powerful divine purifying power!

"Chirp!!!" The raincoat beast no longer let out a low growl, but a shrill scream as if its soul was being scorched! Its most relied-upon [Void] state was useless in front of the Holy Flame, which directly burned its ghostly essence!

Its raincoat was instantly ignited, revealing a twisted and painful dark energy body beneath, which melted away like ice and snow in the holy flames!

The sound waves from the [Sand Hammer] were also dispersed by the pure holy flame energy!

“It’s over!” Cheng Yuan said firmly.

The lynx transformed into a platinum-gold meteor, instantly rushing towards the struggling Raincoat Beast, its claws covered in holy flames—[Crazy Claw Strike - Holy Flame]!—delivering the final blow!

boom!

The holy flames exploded, completely engulfing the figure of the raincoat beast.

When the light faded, it was already like a mosquito coil, its entire body scorched by the holy flame, and it turned into data and flew back into Mei Ning's arc light machine.

The lynx stood in the center of the arena, its platinum-gold holy flames slowly receding. It was breathing heavily, and the places on its body where it had been hit by the poisonous stings were still throbbing, but its eyes remained sharp and filled with the pride of victory.

Then, the evolution was deactivated, and it regressed back to its Gatomon form amidst a burst of light.

"Meow..." Gatomon meowed, though it was a little tired, it held its head high and chest out.

Silence! Deathly silence!

The audience at the scene and those watching the online live stream were stunned by the spectacular battle that was full of twists and turns and ultimately turned the tide through attribute fusion.

Several seconds passed before the deafening cheers erupted! Comments flooded over a dozen live stream rooms.

"We won! We won again!"

"White flames! So cool! Like a white lion!"

"The lynx is awesome! The Great Demon King is awesome!"

"My palms were sweating from watching the live stream! It was totally worth it!"

Looking at the status of the Raincoat Beast displayed on the Arc Machine in her hand, Mei Ning showed no sign of discouragement at failure, but rather excitement and admiration.

She pushed up her glasses, walked up to Cheng Yuan, and said, "I lost. I will keep my promise and go to Shenzhen."

Then she asked impatiently, "Your armor evolution... can actually regress back? How did you do that? If I'm not mistaken, you have other armor eggs, and you can flexibly choose the evolution form to fight depending on the opponent, right?" Her researcher's spirit was completely ignited.

Cheng Yuan smiled but didn't answer directly. Instead, he said mysteriously, "Senior Sister Mei Ning, you'll probably find the answers to these questions when you get to Pengcheng. I'll be there in about a month."

As he spoke, he proactively took out the arc laser machine, "How about we exchange contact information first?"

Mei Ning quickly took out her own arc light machine, and the two exchanged communication codes.

At this moment, Mei Ning and Su Fei could see more clearly the advanced-looking, clearly custom-made arc laser machine in Cheng Yuan's hand!

Su Fei couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Arc Light Machine?! Cheng Yuan, you...you're already a professional beast tamer?"

Becoming a professional animal trainer before even attending university is simply phenomenal!

Cheng Yuan waved his hand, acting as if it was no big deal: "Oh, this? I'm not a professional animal trainer. It's just a gift from the association."

Su Fei and Mei Ning: "..." A gift? The association is giving an arc light machine as a gift? Isn't this a deposit to invite them to become professional animal trainers?! Their gazes toward Cheng Yuan became even more complicated.

Cheng Yuan felt that his goal had been achieved, or even exceeded—

Not only did it give Hua Da a slap in the face and create momentum for Pengcheng Xun Da, it also provided a free advertisement for the yet-to-be-released "Armored Egg" product with explosive effect!

One can imagine the buzz and anticipation that the term "armor evolution" will generate among beast tamers after today.

He learned from Xu Xin that the association's negotiations regarding armor evolution and X-antibody technology had been completed. The association would become the largest supplier of digital spirit crystals and would issue collection missions through official channels.

As a condition, Kirin Group's products can only be sold to registered animal trainers in Dongda Guo.

The association does not require that the animals be sold only to its own animal trainers. After all, the association represents the entire University of Tokyo. So, whether it is the Hunter Guild or an independent animal trainer, as long as they are officially registered, meet the requirements of the animal trainer profession, and have no criminal record, they are also eligible to purchase the animals.

The association also invested through the Pengcheng Evolution Research Institute, but due to the limited production of digital spirit crystals, armored eggs are destined to be a scarce resource in the short term.

However, Digimon Spirit Crystals can be naturally formed after powerful Digimon die and crystallize, or they can be collected through special collection devices.

To increase the production of digital spirit crystals, Cheng Yuan also collaborated with the Institute of Evolution to develop a digital spirit collection device using the digital spirit collection technology provided by the Dragon Priest in the Time-Space Secret Realm. This device allows for the gradual accumulation of crystals by collecting digital spirit data from the battlefield multiple times.

While not as strong as naturally occurring ones, they are more abundant. They are also easier to collect during large-scale Digimon battles.

The association is the biggest beneficiary of this initiative, as it will improve the overall strength of animal trainers. Naturally, they are happy to see it happen.

Furthermore, Qilin Group and Pengcheng Evolution Institute have received support from the National Digital Archaeology Institute, which will assist in the formation of a digital heritage archaeology team to excavate relevant resources from numerous digital space relics, especially ancient relics related to armored eggs.

This is all because the clues provided by Qilin indicate that ancient ruins may contain a large number of ancient digital civilization artifacts, which are armor evolution eggs left for future generations.

Cheng Yuan has already applied to have Guan Yan, who died alongside him, transferred to his post.

Mei Ning, the woman before us, is simple-minded and devoted to ancient civilizations. She is also a promising young archaeologist.

Cheng Yuan believed that once she went to Pengcheng, she would most likely be willing to be absorbed by the Qilin Group.

Looking at the seemingly harmless Gatomon, which had regressed from a lynx, no one dared to treat it as a cute creature anymore.

Countless onlookers and online viewers were filled with excitement and longing for this "armor evolution" that could bring about a leap forward.

"The trip to Huadu is almost over, and the goal has been achieved. If I keep causing trouble, I guess the old man will come after me," Cheng Yuan thought to himself.

After the battle, Cheng Yuan left gracefully amidst the sigh of relief from Master Hua and the regretful voices of the audience.

The reason was simple: he received a text message.

Xu Xin: [That's enough.]

Cheng Yuan chuckled to himself; it seemed that Lao Xu had been secretly watching the live stream all along.

Chapter 168: Shikoku Island Exchange Students?

For a country to produce a large number of powerful beast tamers, a large population base, abundant digital resources, and advanced technology are all indispensable.

Clearly, Dongda Guo is a perfect fit.

These advantages are highly concentrated in first-tier core cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

They have a larger population, stronger computing power to maintain digital spaces, more advanced technology, better resources, and universities in first-tier cities. They control more digital resources, so they can produce more and better animal trainers.

A good example is the animal trainer universities in Beijing and Shanghai, where many students become professional animal trainers while still in school. The proportion is slightly lower in Huadu, but it is still close to half.

However, in other ordinary schools, such students are extremely rare. For schools like Pengcheng, which hovers after the top ten, having one-tenth of them would be considered good.