73: Cram before the exam

“Shouldn’t it be Dual-Bladed Warrior? What in the world is a Dual-Sword Dancer?”

He could completely understand Leaf Blade and Leaf Slash merging into Leaf Aura; after all, Leaf Slash, limited by its original form, might become a long-range sword qi if its proficiency were to upgrade further.

But what was going on with the dual blades in his hands directly turning into dual swords? Only the Tree Emperor might be able to answer this question for him.

“An Elf, but not a Flower Bud Dancer. This is ridiculous, another completely new evolution path.”

Lin Yan exclaimed, “I don’t know how to comment on you anymore. If you researched a new path, I would congratulate you, but for your pet to evolve into a completely new form…”

“I must warn you: do you have a definite research path for continued evolution? It’s normal to want your pet to be special, but you must consider its future.”

Li Wen said sheepishly, “Yes, I plan to evolve Ya Bao in a direction different from the other two paths.”

“That’s good. Don’t make your pet suffer just for your pursuit of uniqueness.”

His senior brother had been silent for a long time before speaking.

“Teacher, you’ve worn out this lecture. If you ask me, the pet’s uniqueness is Li Wen himself. Compared to that, I’m more interested in what you plan to name this form.”

Hearing this, Li Wen had to think carefully. After all, the owner of the first pet with the previous new form wasn’t him; this time, the naming rights were entirely his.

Calling it Dual-Bladed Warrior didn’t fit Ya Bao’s image, but if others repeated the ritual after calling it Dual-Sword Dancer, they wouldn’t achieve Ya Bao’s effect, as Ya Bao’s evolution was unique.

First, the life leaf must be from the Tree Emperor; only his leaves possess the authority of life, and even other life leaves with authority wouldn’t work.

Then, the pet must possess an explosive ability that can absorb energy. If it weren't for Deceiving the Heaven and Earth, Ya Bao would have no way to absorb these energies, let alone endure Li Wen’s ability assistance.

The last point is that the Beastmaster must also have the talent to assist in evolution and nurturing; otherwise, the final result would also be an evolution failure.

Weighing his options, to exclude this unreplicable aspect, Li Wen still decided, “Let’s call it Dual-Bladed Warrior.” Anyway, if there were special circumstances, he could just water down a part of it slightly, and Ya Bao would be legitimate.

“Two weapons, that name is indeed reasonable.”

He patted Li Wen’s shoulder and prepared to leave, saying, “I’ll go back and finish up the experiment, then I’ll return to school. Remember to notify me after the article is published.”

After confirming the evolution results, everyone dispersed.

Li Wen also received his first formal research topic from Lin Yan: Ya Bao’s third-stage evolution… After the last group activity before the College Entrance Examination, others still needed to return to school for continued cramming, but for Li Wen, it was entirely new free time.

Ya Bao had completed its evolution and only needed to continue improving step by step, so during this cramming period before the College Entrance Examination, Li Wen planned to go to other places to find opportunities for evolution.

Yuan Wang’s goal was relatively clear: just add more Slimes to the secret realm, expanding the population size. With Yuan Wang’s trait and Leader’s Aura, evolution would be no problem at all.

As for Qing Yan, her goal was still somewhat unclear and would only be visible after the illusionary ritual was completed to see the specific evolution requirements.

So, the first thing Li Wen did upon returning home was to enter the secret realm.

As soon as he entered the secret realm, he saw that internet-addicted old worm.

Ever since Li Wen left him a phone, Mind Emperor had become addicted. Among his many pets—Ya Bao, Qing Yan, Yuan Wang—none were addicted to the internet; only this old geezer became obsessed with games.

However, it might also be because the types of games they encountered weren’t quite right. If Ya Bao played insect-killing cleaning games, Qing Yan encountered games that could be cashed out, or Yuan Wang encounteredCultivation and management games, it might be different.

At first, he could only play single-player modes, but Mind Emperor, using some unknown method, managed to get internet in this secret realm, which then led to the scene Li Wen saw before him.

Mind Emperor: “No, buddy, what on earth are you playing?!”

Teammate: “As if you’re playing well! You try to take on three by yourself!”

Mind Emperor: “I * your * big * *, if you * * again, believe it or not, I’ll follow the internet cable and get real with you, * a *.”

Li Wen: Holy cow, a perfect fill-in-the-blanks.

“Mind Emperor, no need, no need. Just swear on the game; I’ll get you a computer another day so you can play more comfortably.”

Li Wen had to stop this immediately, because when others said such things, it was just talk, but Mind Emperor could genuinely do it.

Mind Emperor also calmed down. He wasn’t really that kind of violent pet; otherwise, Eastern Splendor in ancient times would not have allowed him to stay here.

“Li Wen, the people online are too infuriating. Why don’t you come and play ‘Pet Battle Royale’ with me?”

How could Li Wen dare? You can’t vent your anger online, but I’m right next to you.

He quickly shook his head and refused.

“Forget it, I’m quitting internet addiction.”

“Otherwise, I’ll find you some other pets as playmates. If you dislike their low intelligence, you can train them yourself.”

Hearing this reply, Mind Emperor returned to his uninterested state and started another game.

“Alright then.”

“Qing Yan, prepare.”

After Li Wen’s command, he began preparing Qing Yan for her final, and most crucial, evolution ritual.

[Evolving...]

[Time Limit]

[03:56:59]

[Completion]

[7 / 8]

Li Wen was now extremely excited about the Illusion-type Skill. As long as he casually learned a Skill from Hundred Transformations Worm, its utility and combat power would be maximized.

However, things did not go as he wished. It was neither the versatility of [Form Switch] nor the functionality of [Clone], but rather a Skill with immense growth potential.

[Skill: Enter Dream]

[Skill Level: High-tier Skill]

[Skill Type: Active Skill]

[Skill Introduction]:

This Skill can be used while intensely focusing on observing other pets. After use, one can enter a dream and play their role, experiencing the opponent’s Skill moves. After sufficient practice in the dream, there is a chance to learn their Skill.

(Note: The higher the level, the lower the proficiency, and the lower the probability of learning the Skill.)

(Note: Can learn across species limitations.)

From a developmental perspective, this Skill was completely on par with those two Skills. The most important thing was that it could cross species.

Given enough attempts, he could even steal both of Mind Emperor’s Skills.

Qing Yan, having just acquired a new Skill, was eager to try it out. She immediately used Enter Dream on Mind Emperor, and then tragedy struck.

“Ying~”

“Ancestor, I didn’t mean any harm. It hurts so much, so much.”