197: conversation

Xu Yan seemed somewhat surprised and confused by Kong Ji's assessment of his mentality.

He didn't think he was a bad person, but he certainly wasn't some overly benevolent saint, was he? Why would the other party give him such an evaluation?

Seeing the undisguised confusion on Xu Yan's face, Kong Ji smiled and explained, "This is a conclusion the Coaching Team derived from the information gathered while assessing the results and standards of your Breeder work."

We had brief discussions with President Zheng of the Ning City Breeder Association and some relevant personnel in Mo Yi's Experimental Building. From them, we learned that your personal breeding style places great emphasis on the safety of the experimental spirit beasts, their future growth, and whether any harm inflicted is reversible.

It's not that your emphasis on the life and safety of spirit beasts is wrong, but you seem to place too much importance on it. Some people are worried that your mentality might collapse if an experiment fails and leads to a spirit beast being harmed or even dying.

After this point drew our attention, we compared it with some of your experiences and found that your moral standards in certain areas seem to be excessively high.

Before awakening, your family background, Innate Talent, and studies were all excellent. You were favored by parents and teachers, and no student was foolish enough to provoke you. After awakening, you took the path of a Breeder, and everything has been smooth sailing, with Mo Yi as a powerful backer.

You spent more time in school and laboratories than in the outside world. The Secret Realms you entered were either the Eerie Secret Realm, which only you entered, or a top-tier Secret Realm like the Parasol Tree Realm, which ordinary people cannot access. You haven't experienced any darkness or filth.

The combination of these multiple factors has led you to be overly optimistic, naturally holding a degree of goodwill toward things that haven't occurred in front of you, and appearing somewhat lacking in vigilance.

This mindset is fine while staying within the academy, but once you enter society or some complex Secret Realms, it is highly likely to cause you significant trouble."

Kong Ji's words gave Xu Yan a sense of sudden realization.

When no one mentioned it, he didn't feel anything, but once it was brought up, Xu Yan realized that he seemed to have been influenced by some anime and novels he had watched in his previous life.

Due to his personality, Xu Yan never liked overly dark or tragic films, television, or novels, neither in his past life nor this one. In the films, shows, and novels he had read related to Beast Taming and Elves, whether detailed or not, there was always one or two villainous doctors or evil scientists.

Furthermore, before university, his initial training as a Breeder relied mostly on self-study and online courses, without face-to-face instruction from a teacher. Consequently, he failed to realize that he had been influenced by the cannon fodder villains from films and novels he watched in his past life—characters who barely appeared for a few episodes. He had deliberately warned himself not to become that kind of person, perhaps even overcorrecting in the process.

In fact, how could research involving spirit beasts possibly avoid casualties?

The experimental spirit beasts recruited by Mo Yi's Experimental Building, for example, were all clearly informed of the risks and participated voluntarily. Furthermore, regardless of the experiment's success, a sum of compensation would be given to a designated recipient.

The experimental spirit beasts themselves were aware of the risks and accepted the outcomes, yet he, the one conducting the experiment, was overthinking things and constantly afraid of something going wrong.

Furthermore, there was his concern about reputation; overly pursuing flawlessness had made him timid, hesitant, and constantly worried about every little thing.

As for Kong Ji's points about being overly optimistic, holding goodwill toward everything, and lacking vigilance, Xu Yan thought carefully, simulated potential scenarios, and found that these concepts did indeed exist in his subconscious mind.

Since the problem had been identified, Xu Yan naturally wouldn't resist or deny it. Looking into Kong Ji's eyes, he asked directly, "I didn't realize this before, but now that you've pointed it out, I see that these issues truly exist. Coach Kong, can you teach me how to improve in this area?"

Kong Ji was very satisfied with Xu Yan's reaction—not making excuses, directly admitting the issue, and seeking help.

He had seen too many geniuses who, even when the problem was laid bare, were stubborn and unwilling to change, ultimately forcing reality to teach them. Someone like Xu Yan was simply too friendly for a coach like him to deal with.

In high spirits, Kong Ji didn't beat around the bush and answered directly, "The difficulty in this area mainly lies in whether you agree with what I've said and are willing to make changes. You've already accomplished the hardest part, so the solution is much simpler."

Before meeting you, I spoke briefly with Kui Fang. I learned from him your attitude toward his actions and the lives that died by his hand. From your reaction, we understand that your pure kindness and compassion are selective; you are not someone who loves all sentient beings indiscriminately.

In that case, the most brutal method is slaughter, destruction, and annihilation. The more you kill, the more your mentality will naturally change, and it will simultaneously train the combat experience and killing intent of you and your spirit beasts.

While this method is the most efficient, it is also somewhat extreme. For those whose resolve is not firm, it can easily cause them to swing from one extreme to the other. During practical execution, we will make real-time adjustments based on your performance and mental changes.

Of course, if you don't want to do this, we also have milder methods, though the efficiency might be lower."

Xu Yan did not overly dwell on Kong Ji's suggestion. After a brief thought, he nodded to the other party. "In that case, I will rely on you, Coach Kong."

"It's no trouble at all. This is our job."

Shortly after their conversation ended, the spirit beasts completed their respective tests. Reports were collected by staff members and handed over to Kong Ji.

Kong Ji briefly flipped through the stack of reports in his hand, confirming once again that Xu Yan truly took excellent care of his spirit beasts. These spirit beasts were top performers in their class, regardless of appearance, attribute values, or elemental affinity.

Putting the reports into a storage device, Kong Ji spoke to Xu Yan: "Professional personnel will conduct further analysis of the test results. The first round of 'special training' will be arranged for you within three days. I have scheduled another newcomer for testing and consultation, so I won't keep you any longer."

Xu Yan didn't say much in response. After bidding farewell to the others, he returned to his dormitory via the Teleportation Array, awaiting the upcoming special training.