Chapter 116

Sitting in the front row of the judges’ panel, Academician Chen Li instinctively straightened his posture, his heart beating a little faster.

As an authority in the field of evolutionary studies, he understood better than anyone what breaking through the limitations of core talent skills truly meant.

Since the first secret realm appeared on this planet, humanity’s exploration of extraordinary creatures’ evolutionary phenomena had never ceased. Among these phenomena, core talent skills had always been one of the most decisive influencing factors.

If a core talent skill could not evolve, the contracted creature itself could not ascend to a higher form of life and complete its evolution.

This was the conclusion reached by countless explorers before him: core talent skills and a creature’s inherent potential complemented each other, forming the most critical key to the path of evolution. No matter how many external factors were added, this invisible shackle could never be broken.

Except for extremely rare absorption-based skills like [Flame Absorption Reaction] or the one-in-a-million Beast Master talents, no one had ever truly found a way to break through the evolution barrier of core talent skills.

But now, the young researcher standing on the podium had presented a complete, reproducible theory.

If this evolution theory truly worked and could be used by all Beast Masters—even if it applied only to dark-type extraordinary creatures—it would be a groundbreaking discovery capable of reshaping the entire landscape of evolution research in the field of Beast Mastery.

“As we all know, many dark-type extraordinary creatures are born from different types of emotional resonance. Depending on their species, they display clear emotional preferences, and some even feed directly on emotional energy.”

“By deepening the emotional bond between the Beast Master and their contracted creature, a strong emotional resonance is generated. At a certain point, the massive amount of emotional energy within the contract can break through the individual contract entropy threshold, allowing the contracted creature to evolve and, in turn, cause its core talent skill to undergo transformation.”

“This is the entirely new evolutionary method we have discovered, which Professor Xie Qingwei has named [Contract Evolution].“

Feng Le displayed charts of experimental results on the projection screen, including the composition of [Contract Entropy], threshold differences across various contracted creatures, and other relevant data.

He turned to look at the black-haired girl behind him. “Next, my junior, Mu Huiyue, a freshman from the Combat Studies Department of Jingzhou University, will demonstrate an example of [Contract Evolution].“

Mu Huiyue stepped onto the podium, standing under the projection screen. She made an inviting gesture toward the space beside her.

The shadow at her feet suddenly extended several times its original length, spreading upward like flowing ink.

In an instant, black mist surged on the podium. A tall, imposing skeleton emerged from the mist, its gleaming white bones wrapped in thorn-like deathly fog. A ghostly blue flame ignited in its right eye socket, resembling a burning rose under a ghostly moon.

The skeleton fully materialized at the spot Mu Huiyue had gestured to, and an invisible aura of intimidation radiated outward from it, scattering some of the swirling black mist around it.

The audience below could feel the faint intimidation emanating from the skeleton, their eyes widening in astonishment.

“Is that a Bone Fang Soldier evolved from a Little Skeleton…?”

“I think I just felt its intimidation aura…”

“No doubt about it. Intimidation can’t be faked—this is a genuine Bone Fang Soldier of the monarch species!”

Even as the monarch species Bone Fang Soldier stood right before their eyes, the audience still felt as if they were witnessing something out of a fantasy.

How could those frail, utterly defenseless Little Skeletons—barely capable of piecing their own bones back together—evolve into a fully-grown, monarch species skeleton with an intimidating aura?

Crossing from a low-level elite species to a monarch species wasn’t just a single step—it was a leap spanning multiple tiers.

The giant projection screen displayed Ellen’s species information, as perceived through the creature encyclopedia.

His core talent skill was neither [Reassembly] nor [Remains], but instead the dark-type B-rank state skill, [Shadow Sneak].

For the Little Skeleton line, their core talent was always [Reassembly]. Upon evolving into a Bone Fang Soldier, it would typically shift between [Remains] and [Reassembly], depending on the individual. But there had never been any case where a Little Skeleton or Bone Fang Soldier’s core talent had any connection to [Shadow Sneak].

No matter how the situation was analyzed, only one possibility remained:

This Bone Fang Soldier had learned [Shadow Veil] while still in its Little Skeleton phase. During its subsequent evolution, [Shadow Veil] became its core talent skill and further evolved into [Shadow Sneak].

“This Bladefang Soldier, a member of the monarch race, is the first case we’ve encountered that has broken through the limitations of innate core skills and achieved evolution beyond its level,” said Feng Le.

“Student Mu Huiyue and her Bladefang Soldier didn’t even use a [Resonance Crystal]. They relied on the mutual understanding cultivated since its time as a little skeleton and the unwavering emotional resonance between them to surpass the entropy threshold of their contract,” Feng Le explained.

Extraordinary beings of the undead and dark types can feed on emotional energy. The Bladefang Soldier’s robust and healthy bones, along with the dense deathly mist spreading across the entire stage, were undeniable evidence of how much emotional energy it had received from its Beastmaster.

The audience marveled at this being the first Bladefang Soldier to evolve into a monarch race. However, the core of this achievement lay in its Beastmaster.

Mu Huiyue might be the first human Beastmaster willing to dedicate so much emotional effort, energy, and resources to a little skeleton.

As the first round of demonstrations concluded, the Bladefang Soldier melded into the shadows, returning to the shadow of its Beastmaster.

In the research team of Hongzhou University, Yang Lei, a core member of the school team, silently watched the scene unfold.

He recognized this monarch-race Bladefang Soldier. Among the new members joining the school team this year was Fang Xuyang, the star player from Hongzhou Sacred Spring High School.

During the high school league, Fang Xuyang was already a star player. He was expected to make a splash in the national ranking competition and join the Hongzhou University team with the glory of being the champion. However, he was eliminated early.

The one who eliminated Fang Xuyang and his Thunder Roaring Lion was none other than the girl before him, accompanied by her monarch-race Bladefang Soldier.

Yang Lei silently assessed her strength. For a high schooler, this Bladefang Soldier was indeed a formidable opponent.

However, Fang Xuyang’s Thunder Roaring Lion had already undergone a second-tier evolution. In the upcoming [High School Battle Preliminaries], where freshmen would face off, Fang Xuyang was certain to redeem himself and defeat Mu Huiyue and her Bladefang Soldier.

Victory would still belong to Hongzhou University.

At that moment, Feng Le on the stage switched to the next set of experimental videos on the giant screen.

This was the record of Night Shaking Bell evolving into Night Soul Caller.

When the audience saw that Night Soul Caller’s innate core skill had upgraded from the C-level dark-type skill [Bell Chime] to the B-level undead-type skill [Necromantic Summoning], a commotion erupted in the seats.

The [Contract Evolution] that occurs through emotional resonance can not only reverse the transformation of innate core skills but even bypass attribute restrictions, allowing a skill to evolve from a dark-type skill into a higher-tier skill of another attribute!

The emotional resonance between Night Shaking Bell and its Beastmaster stemmed from the loss of a loved one. It deeply longed to bring back the soul of the Beastmaster’s deceased relative, which became the driving force behind its innate core skill transforming from [Bell Chime] to [Bone Specter], and subsequently evolving into [Necromantic Summoning].

Similar to the situation with the little skeleton, as long as a pet learns some skills with higher-level options in advance and forms an emotional bond during the nurturing process, this bond, when it resonates and exceeds the entropy threshold of the individual contract, can trigger the evolutionary energy to reshape its innate core skill.

This is the pet’s own desire and emotion, a resonance and response to the Beastmaster’s deepest emotional connection.

In Feng Le’s explanation, the [Resonance Crystal] acts as a catalyst led by the pet’s wishes, triggering the [Ritual] initiated by them.

Hearing this, many in the audience fell into contemplation. Though both projects were rooted in Beastmaster contracts, Feng Le’s demonstration was completely different from the one previously presented by Professor Yuan Xin of Hongzhou University.

The presentation wasn’t over yet. After showcasing Night Soul Caller’s experimental case, Feng Le adjusted the giant projection screen to display information in an illustrated format.

“Next, you will see the first case of contract evolution completed after performing a [Ritual] using a [Resonance Crystal].”

He looked toward Mu Huiyue. The black-haired girl stepped forward again, and before her, a summoning array with five layers of contract seals appeared.

As the radiant glow faded, an unfamiliar yet breathtakingly beautiful wolf-type extraordinary creature appeared on the stage. Its long fur shimmered like pure moonlight, exuding a soft and gentle glow. Its tail, longer than its body, flowed behind it like clouds drifting along the edge of the moon.

When it lifted its head to gaze down from the stage, a chilling frost swept over everyone present. In that instant, it felt as if they had been transported to the icy tundra beneath a polar night, causing an involuntary shiver.

This was more powerful than ordinary intimidation—an aura of a superior intimidation skill.

The white wolf before them, draped in moonlight and exuding an air of cold elegance and beauty, undoubtedly possessed the lineage of a high-tier monarch race.

On the giant projection screen, its name was displayed: a dual-attribute dark and ice high-tier monarch race, the Frost Night War Wolf.

This was the latest species information from the Bureau’s bestiary database. Some audience members, holding outdated bestiaries, couldn’t even retrieve data about it.

This was a brand-new evolutionary form in the lineage from Cloud Pup to War Wolf!

Gasps of astonishment echoed from the audience below—a dual-attribute high-tier monarch race!

Even a decade ago, when the legendary Mu Tong of the Great Yan Empire bred the Sunflare War Wolf, an advanced emperor race that shook the nation, the Cloud Pup’s first-stage evolution into the Dawn War Wolf hadn’t reached this terrifying level.

The Frost Night War Wolf’s innate core skill was the A-level dark-type skill Polar Night Echo—an independent A-level skill with no prerequisite or subsequent skill trees. This upper-domain skill was nearly impossible to master through external means, except for a rare few dark-type species.

Even if it could no longer evolve further, the Frost Night War Wolf would still be an exceptionally rare and outstanding pet beast.

However, based on the research findings presented in this lecture, even though the Frost Night War Wolf’s innate core skill, Polar Night Echo, lacks an advanced skill path, it still holds the potential for further evolution.

By leveraging the foundation of a dual-attribute high-tier monarch race to push for evolution, if successful, it would undoubtedly step into the realm of emperor races.

Perhaps even becoming a dual-attribute high-tier emperor race with advanced domain skills—both dark and ice attributes.

The very thought of this possibility filled the audience with anticipation for the Frost Night War Wolf.

After so many years, was the Cloud Pup lineage finally about to produce its second emperor-race evolution form?

Interestingly, the girl on stage who had contracted the Frost Night War Wolf also bore the surname Mu. Could she be related to the legendary Mu Tong?

“The Frost Night War Wolf achieved its evolution by using a Resonance Crystal to surpass its individual contract entropy threshold and then completing the Ritual,” the presenter explained.

“Before this, it was already an exceptionally well-raised Cloud Pup, but due to the limitations of its innate core skill, it had always been unable to undergo first-stage evolution.”

On the giant projection screen, data about Bai Ya during its Cloud Pup stage appeared, followed by the moment it completed the Ritual, defeated Director Hailin’s Eight-Trigram Jade Spirit Frog, and leaped toward its Beastmaster, completing its evolution.

The audience erupted into discussions. A dark-attribute Cloud Pup with the innate core skill Howl, which couldn’t even evolve into the officially documented dark-attribute evolution, Shadowbane War Wolf, was now unexpectedly the foundation for the entirely new evolutionary form, Frost Night War Wolf.

It had chosen battle as its evolution ritual and completed its transformation the moment it achieved victory.

This was not just a manifestation of its own desire but also a way of proving itself to the Beastmaster who had chosen it during its Cloud Pup stage, nurtured it with care, and fought alongside it.

Even without witnessing the battle firsthand, the audience could feel the emotional resonance flowing through the contract between the two at that pivotal moment.

This is the groundbreaking achievement of the Dark Attribute Research Institute at Jingzhou University: a revolutionary evolution theory, Contract Evolution, which transcends the limitations of innate core skills by harnessing the power of the contract’s bond!