101: This evolutionary direction is wrong.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
Mu Tian didn't come for cooperation, the Zhao family's revenge didn't appear, and even Yan Ruyu disappeared for seven consecutive days; every day was a self-study class.
On the contrary, the Houtu Secret Realm was the talk of the town. Rumors were flying not only in Lingnan City but also in Lingnan Academy, where people were constantly heard discussing it.
Xie Ning ignored these reports; at this moment, he was on his way to the Nurturing Academy.
[Name] Xie Ning
[Rank] Elementary Bronze Demon Tamer, Peak Black Iron Ancient Martial Artist
[Cultivation Technique] Divine Sun Canon (Fragmented)
[evolution value] 1425
[Status] Healthy
[Contracted Demon Tamers Beast] Rift Blade War Mantis, Poison Flame White Wolf
During this time in the academy, his ancient martial strength had increased from Advanced Black Iron to Peak.
With his thoughts drifting along the way, he arrived outside a building at the Nurturing Academy, where Mo Yu was already waiting downstairs.
"Master, you're here!" Mo Yu walked up quickly.
Xie Ning put away the Poison Flame White Wolf and smiled, "Yeah. Don't you have classes today?"
"Hehe, I was supposed to, but when the instructor heard that Master needed to use the Nurturing Room, they let me come over." Mo Yu looked at Xie Ning with a grin.
"I see. Let's go up then."
The two of them took the elevator straight to the fifth floor.
Midway, Mo Yu said, "By the way, Master, the instructor gave me a task to help three classmates evolve their Demon Tamers Beasts over the next two days. They are paying with money instead of credits."
"That's good, perform well." Xie Ning replied with a smile.
The elevator quickly reached the 5th floor. When the doors opened, Lu Bingyun and the other two girls were seen chatting.
Seeing Xie Ning, Xiao Ya directly abandoned Lu Bingyun and Lan Yu and trotted over. The latter two looked at each other with helplessness in their eyes and followed closely behind to greet him.
"Sorry for making you wait."
"Hehe~ Not long, not long, we just arrived too." Today, Xiao Ya was wearing a Ming-style jacket and skirt, which, combined with her lively demeanor, made her look like a Ming Dynasty elf who had transmigrated to modern times.
"Then let's begin."
Several people walked toward the wide-open door of the Nurturing Room.
The Nurturing Room wasn't large. Aside from some basic evolution facilities, there was only a pile of spiritual Materials on a round table. The target for today's evolution was none other than Xiao Ya's Thunderclap Rabbit.
While Xie Ning was checking the Materials, Xiao Ya had already summoned the Thunderclap Rabbit.
When the Thunderclap Rabbit learned it was for its own evolution, it immediately turned an expectant gaze toward Xie Ning, holding a giant spiritual radish in its hands.
It looked at Xie Ning, then at the spiritual radish, back and forth several times. Finally, with a leap, it blocked Xie Ning and handed the spiritual radish over with a look of extreme reluctance.
Xie Ning was startled at first, then smiled as he took the spiritual radish. Under the Thunderclap Rabbit's pained gaze, he returned the radish to it. The rabbit was overjoyed and crouched in a corner to gnaw on it.
Seeing the Thunderclap Rabbit's behavior, everyone couldn't help but burst into pleasant laughter.
The meaning of being a Demon Tamer sometimes lies not in evolution or combat; the companionship of a Demon Tamers Beast is also a supreme joy.
As Xie Ning finished checking each material, he handed it to Mo Yu to process—either grinding it into powder, mixing it into juice, or blending it in specific proportions. With her help, Xie Ning saved a lot of time.
In just over ten minutes, a large bag of evolution Materials was concentrated into a deep purple test tube.
"It's starting, it's starting!" Xiao Ya looked at Xie Ning with anticipation, her small hands turning slightly white from tension as she stared intently at the test tube, which held no more than 20 milliliters.
Under Xiao Ya's watchful eye, the Thunderclap Rabbit drank the test tube clean and then stepped into an evolution chamber of less than five square meters.
One second, two seconds, five seconds... ten seconds... "Why is there no reaction?"
Just as she finished speaking, a 'boom' was heard. An unprecedented thunderlight erupted within the isolation room. A frenzy of purple light and electric arcs jumped before everyone's eyes, so bright that they had to cover their eyes tightly. The dense 'crackling' sounds also made their ears fail, and Mo Yu even let out a cry of pain from the discomfort.
Xie Ning then realized that Lu Bingyun and the other two girls had Cultivation Techniques provided by their families, but Mo Yu did not. Her Physique was just that of an ordinary person. The close-range lightning, even with a barrier, would inevitably affect her.
"Little Mantis, help Xiao Yu!"
A ripple stirred, and a figure broke through space. Circling Mo Yu, its blade-arms danced like swords, causing the space to distort. The electric light was shielded, and the thunder disappeared completely. Mo Yu finally got a chance to breathe.
It was unknown how much time passed—perhaps ten or twenty seconds, or maybe ten or twenty minutes—but when the purple light vanished and the thunder dissipated, everyone opened their eyes.
When they clearly saw the different Thunderclap Rabbit inside the evolution chamber, they were all dumbfounded.
"Is... is this really Little Bucktooth?"
Lu Bingyun looked at Lan Yu, and Lan Yu looked at Lu Bingyun. Finally, they both looked at Xiao Ya with very strange expressions.
Not to mention them, even Mo Yu, who had just regained her senses, saw the new Thunderclap Rabbit evolved with her participation, and her mouth twitched.
This evolution direction is not right.
"...I knew it." Xie Ning directly covered his face with one hand, unable to bear looking. The huge emotional upheaval caused him to ignore even the System's notification sound.
What kind of form was it that caused such a strong reaction from everyone?
In the past, if others' Thunderclap Rabbits were delicate-looking mages, Xiao Ya's Thunderclap Rabbit was a close-combat mage who would charge to the front lines with a staff.
For this evolution, the plan Xie Ning chose for it was biased towards being softer, hoping it could exert the maximum power of the elements.
But looking at the Demon Tamers Beast in front of him, he was once again speechless at the uncertainty of Demon Tamers Beast evolution.
The rabbit in front of them was indeed no longer a Thunderclap Rabbit. It was 3.5 meters tall, with a waist a meter wide. Its muscles were bulging, and through the white rabbit fur, one could see veins coiled like snakes, with occasional electric arcs flashing through.
It had completely transformed from a violent close-combat mage into an out-and-out Berserker.
"Ma... Master, the evolution plan clearly wasn't like this. How did it change?" Mo Yu asked with lingering shock.
Xie Ning sighed and said helplessly, "I calculated the Materials correctly, but I forgot that when a Demon Tamers Beast evolves, it is also influenced by its own will. This evolution fluid, which was meant to be absorbed by the Origin, had at least half given to the muscles. Heaven knows what kind of thoughts Xiao Ya has been instilling in it..."
After thinking for a moment, Xie Ning stepped forward and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, this evolution went wrong. I intended it to evolve into..."
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Xiao Ya's exclamation.
"So... so cool!"
"Huh?" Xie Ning froze, and Mo Yu was dumbfounded.
Lu Bingyun and Lan Yu looked at each other and said in unison:
"You'll get used to it."
Seeing Xiao Ya, who was so excited she had lost herself, touching Little Bucktooth all over, everyone was speechless.
Xie Ning brought up the attribute page and began to look.
[Yao Beast Name] Berserk Thunder Rabbit
[Yao Beast Grade] Extraordinary Medium Grade
[Yao Beast Rank] Bronze Rank 7
[Yao Beast Attribute] Thunder
[Yao Beast Weakness] Earth
[Yao Beast Status] Arrogant
[Yao Beast Introduction] Evolved from a robust Thunderclap Rabbit. Due to its reverence for violence, it gave up part of its use of lightning in exchange for simpler and more direct martial force.
[Evolution Path] 4
As Xie Ning read out the information of the Berserk Thunder Rabbit, everyone gained a more direct understanding of this evolution.
"Although the appearance is a bit, well, a bit hard to get used to, evolution is a good thing after all." Lan Yu looked at the Berserk Thunder Rabbit with a hint of envy in her eyes.
Xie Ning smiled at the words and took two other sealed evolution agents from the table, handing them to Lan Yu.
"This is..."
"The potential of the Heavenly Star Bird has already been brought out, but it's still missing an opportunity. Take these two first." As he spoke, Xie Ning placed the two evolution agents into Lan Yu's hands.
Lan Yu looked at the two test tubes and asked, "What kind of opportunity?"
"A crisis." After Xie Ning finished, he added, "An explosion within a crisis to stimulate the Star Power hidden in its body. At that time, its evolution will have the maximum effect."
"I understand, I won't let you down!" Lan Yu carefully put away the reagents and said with a serious face.
At this time, Xiao Ya also walked over with the Berserk Thunder Rabbit. Its massive size and robust muscles brought a wave of pressure in this not-so-spacious room, causing the girls to instinctively take half a step back. Mo Yu even hid behind Xie Ning.
"Little Bucktooth, what are you doing? You're scaring people!" Xiao Ya turned her head and slapped the Berserk Thunder Rabbit.
The Berserk Thunder Rabbit let out a wronged cry and then crouched down, not daring to move again.
"Xie Ning, classmate, and Xiao Yu, thank you for helping me evolve Little Bucktooth. I'll transfer the fee to you later." Xiao Ya grinned, clearly in a good mood.
Mo Yu waved her hand and pointed at Xie Ning, "Don't transfer it to me. If you're going to transfer it, give it all to my Master. I'm just here to learn."
Just then, Xie Ning's bracelet gave a 'beep'. He raised his hand to look.
[Advanced Class student Ye Feiyu has issued a challenge to you. Please choose whether to accept within 30 minutes.]
Xie Ning frowned and tapped the 'Decline' option.
To his surprise, as soon as he dismissed it, another prompt popped up.
[Advanced Class student Ye Feiyu... choose whether to accept.]
Again?
He declined again, but the challenge invitations kept popping up relentlessly. The constant 'beep beep beep' attracted the girls' attention.
"What's wrong?" Lu Bingyun asked.
Xie Ning explained the situation of being challenged.
"Holy crap! What kind of person is this? An Advanced Class student challenging a Beginner Class student, he's got some nerve!" Xiao Ya cursed directly, speaking without any politeness.
Mo Yu was also worried: "Exactly! Isn't this just bullying!"
Lan Yu frowned and asked, "Could it be those people you offended recently, like the Zhao family or Fei Shanqiu?"
They didn't notice that when Lu Bingyun learned that Ye Feiyu had come to challenge him, her expression became somewhat complicated.
Xie Ning was about to answer when there was another 'beep'. He looked down and suddenly laughed. "Truly persistent. To get me to accept the challenge, he's even using provocation."
As he spoke, Xie Ning showed the bracelet to the others. There was only one line of text: "Yan Ruyu's student is nothing more than this."
"It seems it might be aimed at your instructor."
"Regardless of who it's aimed at, I can't avoid this challenge. If I decline, there will be a next time. Instead of hiding, I might as well go and see." Xie Ning said, his gaze turning cold.
After speaking, he turned toward the outside, leaped directly over the railing, landed on the first floor, and rode the Poison Flame White Wolf toward the T-Zone Challenge Platform.
The girls were stunned for a few seconds. When they reacted, their expressions changed, and they hurried to catch up.
"Little Bucktooth! Go!" Xiao Ya jumped onto Little Bucktooth's back, and then Little Bucktooth scooped up the three girls with its left and right claws. With a flash of thunder, it charged out. Accompanying the thunder were the girls' screams:
"Ah—Stinky Xiao Ya! I'm going to kill you!!!"