229: Big Shots Watching
The Silkworm Baby's evolution was a success.
Looking at the crimson little dragon before him...
Well, could it be called a little dragon?
Although it still looked like a large insect, it at least possessed the Dragon attribute.
Zhang Hengyu and Duan Long's eyes were fixed.
Duan Long's mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time.
Zhang Hengyu subconsciously took two steps forward, then stopped, fearing he might disturb this newly born life.
"We... succeeded?" Duan Long's voice was airy, as if he were walking on clouds.
Su Ningyu did not answer; deep within his eyes, a faint purple light quietly flowed.
His Spirit Eye activated, locking his gaze onto the Fire Dragon Insect.
Its half-meter-long body was covered in crimson scales that glowed slightly, and its short wings flapped occasionally, each flap kicking up tiny sparks of fire.
[Beast: Fire Dragon Insect]
[Strength: bronze Rank 3]
bronze Rank 3.
Before evolution, it was bronze Rank 1; a single evolution had skipped Ranks 1 and 2, landing steadily at Rank 3.
This kind of leap in strength was considered quite impressive for a cross-sequence evolution.
As expected, when a beast evolves into the Dragon attribute, its life level also increases.
"We succeeded—!"
Duan Long finally snapped out of his shock, letting out a cheer that was almost a scream, and lunged toward the Fire Dragon Insect with open arms.
He wanted to hug his child.
After all, Su Ningyu had promised him.
The credit belonged to Su Ningyu, but the beast was his.
He wanted to take a good look at this insect-turned-dragon beast he had dreamed of; he wanted to—
However...
The Fire Dragon Insect's golden vertical pupils suddenly constricted.
Its personality had shifted instantly after evolution as it looked at the bipedal beast lunging toward it.
It only sensed a biological entity approaching at high speed.
Its post-evolution instincts told it:
Threat. Attack.
"Hiss—!"
The Fire Dragon Insect opened its mouth, and a blast of red-gold flames erupted!
"Holy crap!"
Duan Long's pupils shrank, and his body instinctively dodged to the side.
The flames grazed past his ear and struck the lab bench behind him with a dull thud.
The fireproof coating on the lab bench sizzled and popped, leaving a scorched black patch.
Duan Long touched his hair; luckily, it was still there.
Just a bit more, and his handsome head of hair would have been turned into a hard-boiled egg.
"This... this temper is way too explosive, isn't it?"
Duan Long took two steps back with lingering fear.
"Yeah, its personality changed after evolution. The Fire Dragon Insect clearly has a bad temper."
Su Ningyu glanced at Coal Ball, who was currently absorbing moonlight dew nearby.
"Coal Ball, make it quiet down."
Coal Ball was lying in a corner of the lab bench, his body shrouded in a faint silver-white halo.
That was the sign of the moonlight dew's energy being absorbed by Coal Ball.
Hearing his master's instruction, Coal Ball lazily lifted his head.
He glanced at the snarling Fire Dragon Insect.
Then, he moved.
No sound, no warning.
Coal Ball's figure vanished from the spot and reappeared before the Fire Dragon Insect in the next instant.
Two tails unfurled behind him, with an eerie light flowing between the fur.
An invisible pressure radiated from his body.
It wasn't heavy, yet it carried a suppressive force that low-Rank Dragon-types found impossible to resist.
Coal Ball's Rank:
Silver Rank 1 Peak, just a step away from Rank 2.
While the Fire Dragon Insect had reached bronze Rank 3, it had only just completed its evolution; its energy was unstable, and its spirit was in a fragile phase.
More importantly, Coal Ball contained a sliver of the Fox of Calamity demigod's remnant soul.
For a low-Rank Dragon species that had just stepped onto the Dragon Path, this was a natural deterrent.
The Fire Dragon Insect's hissing stopped abruptly.
Its golden vertical pupils stared at the large black cat in front of it, and its body involuntarily retreated a little.
Coal Ball nodded in satisfaction, withdrew his pressure, and lazily returned to the corner to continue absorbing moonlight dew.
Zhang Hengyu watched this scene and took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound normal: "I'll tell the teacher the good news. Our Tenglong Sequence has gained a new member."
He pulled out his phone and quickly composed a text message.
Duan Long, meanwhile, squatted cautiously next to the Fire Dragon Insect.
He had learned his lesson this time and didn't approach recklessly, just staring at it from a distance with sparkling eyes.
"So beautiful... truly too beautiful..."
He murmured to himself like a child who had just received a favorite toy.
"By the way, Su Ningyu, you've already named this new beast. Fire Dragon Insect—yes, very appropriate."
Su Ningyu smiled and didn't disturb them.
However, what he didn't expect was that Zhang Hengyu's text message would summon a crowd of people.
...
Meanwhile, in the conference hall of the Breeder Association, a debate over whether the World Breeder Competition should be held in East County or Xiling was in full swing.
"I maintain that it should be held in Xiling!"
An elderly man with white hair but a vigorous spirit slammed the table.
His voice was booming. "Our Xiling has a long history and a deep cultural foundation for Breeders. We recently even bred a new sequence like the Flame Armor Battle Dog.
In terms of strength and seniority, Xiling is well-deserved!"
The East County representative sitting opposite showed no weakness.
"Listen to yourself. Do our East County Breeders have no results? How long has it been since the Sunlight Flower's new sequence was registered?
A cross-sequence evolution from the Grass attribute to the Blazing Sun Sequence—can you do that in Xiling?"
"That was just good luck!"
"Luck is also a part of strength!"
Both sides went back and forth, neither yielding to the other.
Xiao Yixun sat in the main seat, resting with his eyes closed, appearing deaf to it all.
Chi Wansheng sat beside him, listening to the arguments with a blank expression.
In his heart, he was already thinking about what to have for dinner.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
Chi Wansheng looked down.
It was a text from his student, Zhang Hengyu.
[Teacher, it's a success. Su Ningyu really researched the Silkworm Baby's cross-sequence evolution. Tenglong Sequence, a new beast. Come and see quickly!]
Chi Wansheng's eyebrows shot up, and the fatigue on his face vanished instantly.
He stood up and said to the still-arguing crowd, "Continue for now. My student has produced some results; I'm going to take a look."
After saying that, he walked out without looking back.
Xiao Yixun opened his eyes.
He knew what kind of research Chi Wansheng's student and Su Ningyu were working on.
Now they said there were results?
That could only mean it really worked?
"Wait."
Xiao Yixun stood up. His aged voice wasn't loud, yet it silenced the entire hall. "I'll go take a look as well."
The representative from Xiling,
Yan Qiuhua, gave a cold snort: "Changing the subject again? Fine, let's all go see.
I want to see just what kind of extraordinary beast Chi Wansheng's student could have bred."
Though he spoke mockingly, his feet were already moving.
And so, a text message that Zhang Hengyu had intended only to inform his teacher of the good news turned into an on-site inspection by a "group of big shots."
...
When Xiao Yixun, Yan Qiuhua, and over a dozen Advanced Breeders from both East and West filed into the lab, Duan Long was squatting next to the Fire Dragon Insect, cautiously feeding it.
"This is... the new sequence beast?"
Yan Qiuhua was the first to speak, his gaze falling upon the half-meter-long crimson creature.
He circled the Fire Dragon Insect twice, his brow furrowing and relaxing alternately. "A new evolution form for the Silkworm Baby? Cross-sequence evolution into the Tenglong Sequence?"
Duan Long hurriedly stood up, wanting to explain something, but Yan Qiuhua had already crouched down to observe the Fire Dragon Insect closely.
"Hmm... Fire and Dragon attributes, complete scale structure, and while the Dragon Might is faint, it definitely exists."
He stroked his chin, his tone shifting from initial skepticism to seriousness. "Interesting. Crossing from the Insect attribute to Fire and Dragon—that's no small leap.
What about the breeding method? What Materials were used? How was the guidance process designed?"
He was full of curiosity.