45: Chapter 45 Evolution, Rock Dragon Lizard!
Lin Fan ignored the rest and returned to the cage in the corner with the Materials.
He opened the cage door, but instead of grabbing it forcefully, he gently placed a Rock-Heart Fruit at the cage entrance.
The little lizard watched vigilantly, but the pure Earth-element energy emitted by the Rock-Heart Fruit held an instinctive attraction for it.
It hesitated for a moment, slowly inched forward, snatched the fruit quickly, and retreated to nibble on it with its small mouth.
Lin Fan waited patiently.
Seeing it finish one, he noticed the "Slightly Alleviated" tag appear after the 【Severe Malnutrition】 status in its information panel, so he placed the second one inside.
After consuming three Rock-Heart Fruits, the little lizard's shriveled abdomen slightly bulged, and the fear in its eyes diminished, replaced by a touch of curiosity.
Next, Lin Fan mixed some Rock Ganoderma powder into a small cup of clear water and pushed it over.
The little lizard licked it, and quickly finished the water.
The powder had a gentle effect of strengthening its foundation and nourishing its essence, which could regulate its weak body and lay the groundwork for bearing the power of the Earth Marrow Crystal.
By the time this was done, twenty minutes had passed.
Many contestants had already begun processing their Materials and preparing for the evolution ritual, filling the hall with energy fluctuations of various attributes.
Only then did Lin Fan pick up the Earth Marrow Crystal.
He circulated a wisp of Spirit energy, wrapped it around the crystal, and slowly moved it in front of the little lizard.
The dark golden light inside the crystal brightened, emitting a heavy and pure aura of the earth.
The little lizard's amber pupils suddenly contracted, and its body trembled violently; this was not fear, but a palpitation and longing stemming from the depths of its Bloodline.
It hissed lowly and actually moved forward on its own, pressing its forehead against the crystal.
"Hiss."
The Earth Marrow Crystal melted at a rate visible to the naked eye, turning into a stream of dark golden light that seeped into the little lizard's body through its forehead.
In an instant, a faint earthy-yellow halo emerged on the little lizard's dull, grey surface.
It let out a painful grunt, its thin body began to writhe unnaturally, and specks of grey-black Impurities seeped out from the gaps in its scales.
Lin Fan observed the information panel with full concentration. The words 【Hidden Bloodline Not Activated】 were flashing violently.
Following the prompts, he probed a wisp of Spirit energy into the little lizard's body, following the Bloodline Power that had been stirred by the Earth Marrow Crystal and was lying dormant deep within.
He carefully guided it toward the atrophied meridians of its old injury on its right hind leg.
"Roar!"
A low, resonant roar, completely inconsistent with its size, was squeezed out of the little lizard's throat.
It kicked its right hind leg violently, and the originally slender leg muscles swelled, while the pale scales became thick and took on a grey-brown luster like rock.
The earthy-yellow halo grew brighter and brighter, gradually enveloping it completely and forming a light cocoon.
From inside the light cocoon came a tooth-aching "crack" sound; its bones were reshaping, and its size was increasing.
An aura, far steadier and heavier than a normal mortal spirit rank evolution, faintly radiated out, causing several nearby busy contestants to look over in surprise.
Judge Zhou had wandered nearby at some unknown point, his gaze falling on the earthy-yellow light cocoon, a trace of imperceptible surprise flashing in his eyes.
The fluctuations of the light cocoon lasted for nearly ten minutes before slowly calming down and fading.
When the light dissipated and revealed the figure within, even though Lin Fan was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but feel a flash of amazement in his eyes.
The originally skin-and-bones, dull, grey little lizard had vanished.
In its place was a lizard-type Armor Spirit, nearly a meter long, with strong and powerful limbs.
Its head had become angular, and two small bumps slightly protruded from its forehead.
The scales covering its entire body were a heavy dark brown, with edges gleaming with a metallic luster, as if it were wearing a suit of rock armor.
Most eye-catching was its tail; thick and powerful, with a hammer-like end, it looked as if it contained terrifying power.
【Race】: Rock Dragon Lizard (Mystic Spirit High Rank)
【Rank】: Level 18
【Attribute】: Earth
【Status】: Healthy, Bloodline Awakening, Full of Strength
【Skills】: Rock Armor (Passive), Heavy Tail Hammer, Earth Spikes Assault (Slight Dragon Might Enhancement)
It lifted its head, its amber pupils now deep and sharp.
When it looked at Lin Fan, however, it lowered its head submissively.
It gently rubbed its rough head against Lin Fan's palm, emitting a "purr" of affection from its throat.
Lin Fan smiled and stroked its hard scales. It was a success, and a hidden evolution far beyond the norm.
Just then, the bell signaling the end rang out.
"Time is up! All contestants, stop what you are doing, bring your evolved Armor Spirits, and come to the front for evaluation!"
Judge Zhou's voice echoed through the hall.
Lin Fan withdrew his hand, and the Rock Dragon Lizard, as if sensing something, rubbed his palm again before quietly lying down at his feet.
In the center of the hall, fifty contestants each brought their evolved Armor Spirits, waiting for evaluation.
Judge Zhou walked with his hands behind his back, examining them one by one, starting from the first contestant.
"Flame Fox evolved into Flame-Tail Fox... Hmm, the color of the flame tail fur is not bad."
"But there were fluctuations in the Spirit energy transmission during the evolution process, and one scale at the tip of the tail didn't fully transform. What a pity."
The first contestant's face stiffened, and he nodded awkwardly.
Judge Zhou continued walking forward, his critiques becoming more scathing with each one.
"Giant Rock Turtle evolved into Bedrock Turtle? The turtle shell pattern isn't dense enough; it's obvious there was an issue with the Materials ratio. You added an extra half-portion of turtle shell powder, didn't you?"
The contestant was dumbfounded.
"How... how did you know?"
Judge Zhou snorted coldly, ignored him, and walked toward the next one.
Soon, he stopped in front of Zhou Yuan.
The Flame Fox in front of Zhou Yuan had already completed its evolution.
Its body was fiery red, its fur as dazzling as flames, and the most eye-catching part was its tail.
It was fluffy and huge, with a ring of golden fur at the tip of the tail.
【Race】: Flame-Tail Fox (Mystic Spirit Low Rank)
【Status】: Perfect, abundant Fire-element Spirit energy.
Judge Zhou's eyes lit up.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He said the word 'good' three times in a row and crouched down to examine it carefully.
"Flame-Tail Fox, with golden fur at the tail tip—this is the mark of a perfect evolution! The Fire-attribute Spirit energy is abundant, the fur's luster is excellent, and not a single bit was wasted."
He stood up and looked at Zhou Yuan.
"Are you from the Zhou family?"
Zhou Yuan bowed slightly.
"My father is Zhou Jiesen."
The judge nodded.
"No wonder. The Materials ratio was precise, the Spirit energy transmission was steady, and the excess flame power was sealed at the tail tip, forming this ring of golden fur. Beautiful!"
He patted Zhou Yuan's shoulder.
"Although the evolution is very perfect, it is, after all, only evolving a mortal spirit rank Armor Spirit to a low-grade Mystic Spirit Rank. I'll give it 95 points; you must continue to work hard."
The corners of Zhou Yuan's mouth curled up slightly.
"Thank you."
Several contestants nearby were so envious their eyes were about to pop out.
95 points!
Such a score would have been first place in previous years.
Judge Zhou continued walking forward.
Walking up to Ye Qing, he stopped again.
The Moonlight Marten in front of Ye Qing had now completely changed its appearance.