218: Chapter 217 Continuous Evolution
After the light of evolution flashed twice in succession, Lin Fan's workstation fell silent for a brief moment.
The Mystic Crystal Wing Bug lay prone in the cage, its thin cyan wings trembling slightly, and its compound eyes glinting with a deep blue luster under the lights.
Lin Fan did not continue immediately; he leaned against the side of the workstation, glancing at the time and then at the other contestants.
Fine beads of sweat had already seeped out on Examiner Qin Yuan's forehead.
The Myriad Elephant Bug he had chosen finally lit up with the light of evolution, but the light was weak and grayish-white, like a candle about to go out.
After the light dissipated, a grayish-white moth lay in the cage with dark brown markings on its wings, short and thick antennae, and a body size a circle smaller than a Thorn-Feather Insect.
Camouflage Moth, high-grade mortal spirit.
Examiner Qin Yuan's expression was even uglier than his moth's; he stole a glance at the Mystic Crystal Wing Bug in Lin Fan's cage, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Results were also emerging on Xiao Yishan's side.
His Myriad Elephant Bug's evolution light was yellowish; once it cleared, a dark red aphid lay in the cage.
It had a bloated body, a pair of vestigial transparent wing buds on its back, two short antennae on its head, and pale yellow mucus constantly seeping from its tail, emitting a scent similar to sandalwood.
Incense Aphid, high-grade mortal spirit.
Xiao Yishan scratched his head and grinned, seemingly not surprised by this result.
He glanced at Examiner Qin Yuan's Camouflage Moth, then at his own Incense Aphid, and shook his head with a smile without saying anything.
But anyone with a sharp eye could see that although the Incense Aphid was also a high-grade mortal spirit, it was still a bit inferior to Examiner Qin Yuan's Camouflage Moth.
Furthermore, one had to keep in mind that the upper limit of Xiao Yishan's Myriad Elephant Bug's Aptitude was low-grade mystic spirit.
Taking everything into consideration, his score would definitely be lower than Examiner Qin Yuan's.
The situation on Lin Waner's side was completely different.
Her evolution light was purplish; after it faded, a dark purple spider lay in the cage with eight long, slender legs, six black compound eyes on its head, and silver-white web patterns on its abdomen, its body size a circle larger than an adult's fist.
Compound Eye Spider, profound spirit mid-grade.
Lin Waner's expression did not change at all; she looked down at the spider in the cage, reached out to close the lid of the Psionic Cage, and picked up a wet wipe from the workstation to wipe her hands.
The initial Aptitude limit of her Myriad Elephant Bug was only profound spirit mid-grade, so she had clearly pushed it to its absolute limit.
Ye Qing's evolution light was golden; after it dispersed, a yellow-and-black striped bee lay in the cage.
It was nearly ten centimeters long with six slender legs, and the venomous stinger on its abdomen glinted coldly under the lights.
Honey Flower Queen Bee, profound spirit mid-grade.
A smile appeared on Ye Qing's face, and she turned to look at Lin Fan, wanting to say something, but she swallowed her words when she saw him staring at the Mystic Crystal Wing Bug in his cage.
Though also a profound spirit mid-grade, her Myriad Elephant Bug's initial Aptitude limit was profound spirit high-grade.
Therefore, in terms of nurturing techniques, she was still somewhat behind Lin Waner.
On the judges' panel, the five judges were scribbling on their respective scoring boards.
The white-haired elder was no longer looking at the other workstations; his gaze remained fixed on Lin Fan.
By this time, Examiner Qin Yuan's expression could no longer be described as merely ugly.
He looked at the grayish-white Camouflage Moth in his cage, then at Lin Waner's Compound Eye Spider, and then at Ye Qing's Honey Flower Queen Bee, his fingers digging a shallow nail mark into the edge of the workstation.
He was a member of the Qin Family, taught since childhood that 'either do not compete, or if you do, compete for first place.'
Now, he couldn't even break into the top three.
He looked up toward the judges' panel.
"Judges, the time is almost up. Shouldn't it be time to score?"
He deliberately kept his voice steady, but the irritation in his tone was still audible.
Just then, Lin Fan suddenly spoke up.
"Wait. Who said it's over?"
Examiner Qin Yuan whipped his head around, while the corners of Ye Qing's mouth curled up.
She knew that Lin Fan would never disappoint.
Xiao Yishan straightened up from his workstation and folded his arms, looking very interested.
Lin Waner also looked at Lin Fan with a slight look of surprise.
Elder Zhou's hand paused above the scoring board, hovering for a few seconds before slowly lowering it.
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his glasses, and the corner of his mouth twitched imperceptibly.
As expected.
Lin Fan first recounted the remaining seven Materials on the workstation.
Then, he mixed the Soothing Flower Dew and the Heart-Clearing Liquid in a three-to-one ratio; the medicinal liquid turned from colorless to pale gold as he dripped it onto the insect's head.
The Mystic Crystal Wing Bug's compound eyes changed from deep blue to light purple, its body shifted from pale cyan to silver-white, and the thin wings on its back folded tightly against its body like two closed shells.
He dripped Spiritual Power Stabilizer onto the insect's tail and sprinkled Star Sand over its back.
The thin cyan wings reopened, and the silver-white patterns on the wing surfaces went from blurred to clear, and from sparse to dense.
The insect's color changed again from silver-white to deep purple, and the patterns on the wings flowed slowly under the light.
He mixed Nightmare Flower Powder with the juice of the Heart of Green Wood, using spiritual power vibrations to fuse them into a deep purple gel, which he coated over the insect's entire body.
Finally, he added Lightning-Struck Wood Charcoal Ash, sprinkling the grayish-black powder on the insect's back like a handful of stardust scattered from the night sky.
The insect's body shuddered violently.
The light of evolution exploded.
This time, the light was different from the previous two; it didn't overflow from the cage but exploded from within the insect's body, like a flower blooming in an instant.
The light was emerald green, and a pillar of light rose from Lin Fan's workstation, piercing through the hall's dome and bathing the entire judges' panel in a faint emerald hue.
Someone in the audience stood up, followed by even more people.
The sound of camera shutters clicking became a continuous wave.
The light of evolution dissipated.
An emerald green moth lay inside the Psionic Cage.
It was nearly thirty centimeters long with a wingspan exceeding forty centimeters; the wing surfaces were not powdery scales but a semi-transparent emerald green membrane, with golden veins extending from the base to the tips like a leaf magnified countless times.
The antennae on its head were slender and branched at the ends; its compound eyes were emerald green, with pale golden points of light slowly rotating deep within the pupils.
Its six legs were long and powerful, with fine downy hair at the tips that glinted with a silver-white luster under the lights.
A faint green halo surrounded its body, making it look full of vitality.
Green Wood Healing Moth.
earth spirit superior.
Wood attribute, auxiliary healing type.
The silence in the hall lasted for about three seconds, followed by deafening applause.
Lin Fan calmly wiped his hands with a wet wipe and leaned against the workstation; all thirteen evolution Materials were used up completely without any waste, every step according to his calculations.
From low-grade mortal spirit, to high-grade mortal spirit, to low-grade mystic spirit, to earth spirit superior.
In less than three hours, he had completed three evolutions, ultimately nurturing a Myriad Elephant Bug with only low-grade mortal spirit Aptitude into an earth spirit superior Green Wood Healing Moth.
Ye Qing looked at Lin Fan, who was acting all calm and collected, and shook her head with a smile.
"What a show-off."