216: Chapter 215 The Myriad-Moth Insects Appear Again
The finals were in three days.
When Lin Fan entered the examination hall, many people were already seated in the circular hall.
The judges' bench was directly in front, and the audience seats were behind the judges, filled with association staff, family members of the contestants, and media reporters.
The contestants' workstations were arranged in a fan shape, from number one to number five, spread out in an arc.
Lin Fan's position was number three, in the center.
Ye Qing was at number four, on his right-hand side.
A person stood in front of workstation number two, wearing a light green qipao, with long hair draped over her shoulders and a tranquil face, looking down at the Materials list on the workstation.
When she looked up, she saw Lin Fan and gave a slight nod; she didn't smile, but her gaze was soft.
The contestant ID on her chest read—Lin Waner, Number 022, Chengchuan City.
Someone from the Lin Family.
Lin Fan was not surprised.
Nanshu University was in Chengchuan, and the Lin Family's Foundation was in Chengchuan.
Her fingers lightly brushed across the workstation, her movements very slow, as if she were stroking a piece of fragile porcelain.
Lin Fan had seen many Breeders, and not a few had steady hands, but there were few whose hands were steady to this degree.
The person standing in front of workstation number one was as eye-catching as his contestant ID.
Xiao Yishan, Number 011, Longjiang City.
He was a head taller than Lin Fan, with shoulders as wide as a door, and the muscle lines of his arms under his white short sleeves stretched the fabric tight.
He was bending over to inspect the Psionic Energy Converter on the workstation, his thick fingers pinching the probe, yet his movements were very light, as if he were afraid of crushing it.
When he straightened up, he saw Examiner Qin Yuan and grinned, though there was no kindness in that smile.
"Second Young Master Qin is here too? Doesn't your Qin Family only fight wars? Since when did you learn to mess around with flowers and plants?"
Examiner Qin Yuan didn't respond; he looked up from workstation number five and gave him a cold glance.
"Xiao Yishan, just mind your own business."
Xiao Yishan laughed and patted his chest, making a booming sound.
"Me? I'm just here to make up the numbers. We Xiao Family members doing breeding is just a hobby in the first place. Your Qin Family is different; don't you Qin Family members have to take first place in everything? If you can't take first place, how are you going to explain yourself when you go back?"
Examiner Qin Yuan didn't speak again, but Lin Fan noticed his jaw tighten.
Lin Waner didn't participate in this confrontation from beginning to end, her gaze always remaining on the Materials list on the workstation.
Lin Fan had an idea—this person was the opponent most worth noting in the arena.
The five people on the judges' bench arrived one after another.
The empty chair in the middle was taken by a white-haired old man, with the association's golden badge pinned to his chest, which had an extra silver border compared to the others.
The person hosting the competition was that woman in her forties; she stood beside the judges' bench, picked up the remote control in her hand, and pressed it.
The large screen behind her lit up, displaying the rules for the grand finals.
"Five contestants, please look at the big screen."
Her voice spread through the entire hall via the microphone, "The grand finals consist of one round with a three-hour time limit. The exam topic—Directional Evolutionary Breeding of the Myriad Elephant Bug."
The big screen switched to a picture, showing a close-up of a milky-white fleshy insect.
Lin Fan's gaze fell on the screen, and his eyes lit up slightly.
Myriad Elephant Bug.
It was actually a Myriad Elephant Bug from the same clan as Tongtong!
This was an old acquaintance.
The host's voice continued.
"Five Myriad Elephant Bugs, all with an initial Aptitude of low-grade mortal spirit, extremely unstable genes, and completely random evolutionary paths."
She paused, as if emphasizing something.
"The assessment content of this grand final is—contestants must breed their chosen Myriad Elephant Bug larvae to their evolutionary form within three hours. The scoring criteria are as follows: first, the Aptitude rank after evolution; second, the rarity of the evolutionary form; third, the rationality and completeness of the evolutionary path; fourth, operational standardization. Rankings will then be based on the total score."
"Before starting the breeding, there is a key step."
The host walked to the area in front of the workstations, where five Psionic Cages had already been lined up by the staff.
"Five Myriad Elephant Bugs, with the same initial Aptitude, but different Aptitude upper limits. Contestants must choose one within two minutes based on their own judgment. The basis of the selection will be included in the total score as the first item of the evaluation. In other words, the competition has already begun from the selection phase."
The five judges on the bench simultaneously raised their scoring boards, which lit up with the words 'Pending.'
Lin Fan's gaze moved away from the screen and fell on those five Psionic Cages.
Five milky-white fleshy insects were curled up in their respective small compartments, motionless, like five frozen silkworms.
Their sizes were similar, colors were similar, even the pale gold luster of their compound eyes was similar.
For an ordinary Breeder using instruments for detection, it would take quite some time to distinguish the subtle differences.
But for his left eye, it only took an instant.
Lin Fan didn't hesitate. He walked toward the five Psionic Cages and glanced at them from left to right.
His left eye lit up, and panels popped up in his vision one after another.
Cage number one, milky-white insect body, curled up and motionless. Panel popped up—Aptitude upper limit: profound spirit mid-grade; evolutionary paths: 7.
Cage number two, slightly smaller in size, with an extra segment at the tail. Panel popped up—Aptitude upper limit: Mortal Spirit superior; evolutionary paths: 5.
Cage number three, the insect body is translucent, and the spiritual energy fluctuations are the steadiest. Panel popped up—Aptitude upper limit: Mystic Spirit superior; evolutionary paths: 7.
Cage number four, the insect body is yellowish, and the compound eyes are dim. Panel popped up—Aptitude upper limit: low-grade mystic spirit; evolutionary paths: 6.
Cage number five, the insect body is well-proportioned, and the spiritual energy fluctuations are the greatest. Panel popped up—Aptitude upper limit: earth spirit superior; evolutionary paths: 17.
His gaze stopped on cage number five.
earth spirit superior, the only one among the five whose upper limit reached the Earth Spirit level.
He didn't look a second time, picked up cage number five, and turned to walk back to his workstation.
From walking over to choosing, it took less than ten seconds.
On the judges' bench, the white-haired old man raised an eyebrow slightly.
Examiner Qin Yuan and the other three were all stunned; they were still observing and hadn't even found a clue yet, while Lin Fan had already made his choice.
Lin Waner looked at Lin Fan, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes; her intuition told her that this person was not simple.
A flash of resentment crossed Examiner Qin Yuan's eyes; in order not to fall behind, he randomly looked around and grabbed cage number two.
Seeing this, a curl appeared at the corner of Lin Fan's mouth; how could someone so impatient achieve anything great?
He quietly exchanged a look with Ye Qing, and Ye Qing followed his gaze, decisively picking up cage number three next to it.
Meanwhile, Ye Wan'er was calm and unhurried; after multiple inspections, she finally chose cage number one, leaving Xiao Yishan with only cage number four.
Once the five of them had made their selections, the judges on the stage picked up their boards and began to record.
The referee also spoke up at the appropriate time.
"Alright, everyone. Since you have made your selections, you may proceed with the breeding. If you need any Materials, just speak up, and I will send someone to fetch them."