217: Chapter 216 Thorny Feather Insect
Lin Fan placed Psionic Cage number five onto the workstation, but he was in no hurry to start.
He scanned the Myriad Elephant Bug in the cage once more, deepening the scan depth with his left eye. The information on the panel shifted from brief to detailed.
[Race]: Myriad Elephant Bug
[Rank]: Rank 18
[Aptitude]: low-grade mortal spirit (Upper limit: earth spirit superior)
[Evolution Paths]: 17 paths
Mung Bean Bug (Mid-grade Mortal Spirit), Beetle (Mid-grade Mortal Spirit), Poison Pupa (Mid-grade Mortal Spirit), Thorn-Feather Insect (high-grade mortal spirit), Mystic Crystal Wing Bug (low-grade mystic spirit), Rock Beetle (low-grade mystic spirit), Wind Illusion Butterfly (Mid-grade profound spirit), Sticky-Mouthed Slug (High-grade profound spirit)...
Lin Fan scanned through these evolution paths one by one, and soon, an idea formed in his mind.
If he was going to play, he might as well go big.
Lin Fan mentally reviewed the required Materials and looked up at the referee. "I need Materials."
The referee nodded. "List them."
Lin Fan called out thirteen items.
Qingling Flower pollen, Moonlight Stone powder, Spirit Butterfly scales, Soothing Flower dew, Mind-Clearing liquid, Spiritual Power Stabilizer, Lightning-Struck Wood charcoal ash, Heart of Green Wood...
The entire venue fell silent.
People in the audience leaned over to whisper to one another.
At the judges' table, a white-haired elder put down his pen and leaned forward slightly.
Examiner Qin Yuan was currently scanning his Myriad Elephant Bug with a Psionic Detector. Hearing the list of Materials Lin Fan called out, his hand paused. He looked up, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"To evolve a Myriad Elephant Bug, even if you're aiming for high-grade profound spirit, you wouldn't need ten Materials. You're purely wasting the association's resources."
Examiner Qin Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough in the quiet hall.
Lin Fan didn't even look up. "None of your damn business."
Examiner Qin Yuan's face stiffened.
He was just about to lash out when his peripheral vision caught someone on the judging panel watching him. He gritted his teeth and let out a cold laugh.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'd like to see what kind of thing you can actually evolve."
After speaking, he lowered his head and continued tinkering with his Myriad Elephant Bug, but the data on the Psionic Detector made his brow furrow tighter and tighter.
The cage number two he had chosen had an Aptitude limit of only high-grade mortal spirit.
He began to regret being so hasty in his selection.
He stole a glance at the other workstations—Lin Waner was reporting her Materials to the referee; six items, no more, no less.
Xiao Yishan requested five items. Ye Qing requested four.
He retracted his gaze and, gritting his teeth, requested a few more items himself; he couldn't afford to lose too badly in terms of quantity.
Lin Fan ignored everyone.
He opened the Psionic Cage and lifted the Myriad Elephant Bug out onto a soft pad.
The thirteen Materials were arranged in order on the right side of the workstation, lined up from left to right.
Placing the Myriad Elephant Bug on the pad, he pressed down on its head with his left hand while picking up three items from the material tray with his right—Qingling Flower pollen, Moonlight Stone powder, and Spirit Butterfly scales.
Three items, no more, no less.
He mixed the Qingling Flower pollen and Moonlight Stone powder in proportion. With a pinch of his fingers, he evenly sprinkled the pale gold powder over the bug's back.
Next, he picked up the Spirit Butterfly scales. Instead of sprinkling them, he dipped his fingertip in and lightly tapped the bug's head.
The Myriad Elephant Bug's compound eyes suddenly brightened, shifting from deep gold to pale gold.
Its body began to tremble slightly; its skin changed from a matte finish to translucent, and the flow of spiritual energy within its body became clearly visible.
Lin Fan withdrew his hand.
The whole process took less than two minutes.
The light of evolution flared up within the Psionic Cage on the workstation, instantly drawing everyone's gaze.
At the judges' table, the white-haired elder didn't look up, but his hand stopped over the scoring board, the tip of his pen hovering above the paper without descending.
Before long, the light dissipated.
Lying in the Psionic Cage was a dark purple bug about twenty centimeters long. Several rows of dense, fine spikes grew along its back, their tips a silvery white.
A Thorn-Feather Insect, high-grade mortal spirit.
In the center of the judges' table, the white-haired elder put down his pen and leaned back against his chair, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes.
The Myriad Elephant Bug Lin Fan had chosen was the one with the best Aptitude.
He had thought this young man would produce something different in the finals—at least a Mystic Spirit level creature.
It turned out to be just a Thorn-Feather Insect.
A high-grade mortal spirit was something any contestant who made it to the finals could achieve.
He shook his head, wrote a number on the scoring board, and stopped looking at Lin Fan's workstation.
Ye Qing's heart was also full of doubt, but she quickly looked away and continued nurturing her own Myriad Elephant Bug.
She knew Lin Fan's nurturing abilities all too well; he definitely had another move planned.
Just then, Examiner Qin Yuan suddenly burst into laughter, his voice sounding exceptionally grating in the quiet hall.
"So confident, yet this is the piece of junk you nurtured?"
He glanced at the remaining ten Materials on Lin Fan's workstation and added snidely,
"You asked for so many Materials, yet you didn't use them. Are you planning to take them home with you?"
His peripheral vision swept over the judges' table. Seeing that they didn't show any signs of displeasure, his laughter grew even louder.
Lin Fan picked at his ear and glanced sideways at Examiner Qin Yuan. "Stop barking like a dog, you joke of a person."
Examiner Qin Yuan's laughter was cut off abruptly by these words. His hands remained frozen on his hips, neither comfortable staying there nor being moved.
Finally, he shoved his hands into his pockets and turned away.
Lin Fan looked back at his workstation.
He placed the Thorn-Feather Insect on the soft pad, pressed its head with his left hand, and took two items from the material tray with his right—Soothing Flower dew and Mind-Clearing liquid.
The Soothing Flower dew was dripped onto the head, and the Mind-Clearing liquid was dripped onto the tail. Spiritual power was pushed from both ends toward the middle.
The Thorn-Feather Insect's spikes began to retract, withdrawing into its body one by one, and the dark purple skin began to split from the back.
The old skin curled from head to tail, while the new skin beneath shimmered with a pale purple fluorescence under the lights.
Once the molting was complete, the bug's body had changed from dark purple to pale purple.
Its body size shortened from twenty centimeters to about fifteen or sixteen, but it was more robust, and its six short legs had transformed into slender walking legs.
Consecutive Evolution!
The light of evolution flared up once more.
This time it was even brighter than before. The light spilled out of the cage, enveloping Lin Fan's workstation in a pale cyan halo.
In the center of the judges' table, the white-haired elder put down his pen. When a judge beside him leaned over to say something, he raised a hand to stop them.
The light dissipated.
Lying in the Psionic Cage was a bug fifteen or sixteen centimeters long. Its body was a translucent pale cyan, and a pair of thin cyan wings had grown on its back.
Six slender walking legs supported its body. The tips of its antennae were slightly curled, and its compound eyes had changed from pale gold to deep blue.
A Mystic Crystal Wing Bug.
low-grade mystic spirit.
From high-grade mortal spirit to low-grade mystic spirit.
Two consecutive evolutions in less than an hour.
The white-haired elder at the judges' table picked up the scoring board and immediately used his pen to cross out the previous score.
Then, he looked at Lin Fan with a meaningful gaze.
Since he could evolve the Armor Spirit twice in such a short time, why not do it in one step?
Unless... this wasn't his final goal yet...