66 - I’m Surrounded by My Own Pets!

--- --- [End of the month, please cast your monthly votes, dear readers] Chapter 55: Moonlight Bunny's Final Evolution, Royal Tier!! [Battle concluded, Ghost Orchid Academy victorious] As the blonde girl slowly rose from the battle equipment, the expansive training room was plunged into a silence so profound you could almost hear a pin drop. At this moment, it wasn't just the Ghost Orchid Academy's training room that was in shock. Even the professional commentators in the official live stream were at a loss for words, unable to utter a single sound. After all, she's just an ordinary high-ranking beast tamer. What kind of analysis could be expected from her...? The scene from mere seconds ago, where two deep crimson sun wheels pierced through the map, left an indelible psychological shadow on all the viewers in the live stream. The infant-stage beast combined with her personal participation was enough to secure such a violent victory... It even resulted in the incidental elimination of three of her own team members, including the summoner!!! "Loved it, loved it. Thanks to Little Kui for the draw. From today forward, I no longer need to watch Little Kui's live stream. My life is now devoted solely to the strongest Moonlight Bunny!" "What the heck is Bai Feng Academy anyway? Not familiar. This year, I'm just waiting to see Ghost Orchid Academy lay waste to Bai Feng Academy~~~" "Is Ghost Orchid Academy vying for a spot in the top ten this year? By the way, that sun wheel-type weapon should already be at the commander tier, right...?" "I wanna be the strongest Moonlight Bunny~~~" Little Kui's live stream had already turned an entirely new leaf from the earlier barrage of insults. Though the viewers didn't get to see Captain Aurora take the stage today, after witnessing this duel between inexperienced players, they suddenly felt it wasn't a loss after all...? After a brief shock, Little Kui, who had mentally prepared herself, was the first to react, exhaling a long sigh of relief. That was close... It was only after her impulsive actions that Little Kui remembered an important issue. The captain had previously warned her that if she pulled another stunt before the championship, she'd be stripped of her spot as a main member. Luckily, the strongest Moonlight Bunny revealed its prowess this time!! If she showed this recording to the captain, she might just get off scot-free~~~ Who would've thought Ghost Orchid Academy was hiding such an astonishing secret weapon this year? They would definitely be marked by the fierce competition from Bai Feng Academy during the qualifying stage, right...? "......" "......" "Elder Li, settle the bill!!" Meanwhile, inside Ghost Orchid Academy's training room. After the battle concluded, Chi Yan jogged over to the side of the academy’s headmistress to urge her. Since earlier, the headmistress of Ghost Orchid Academy had maintained a dumbfounded expression with her mouth agape, her eyes fixated admiringly on the blonde girl's alluring legs. It wasn't until her daughter's reminder that she snapped out of it, wearing a wistful expression. What a pity, if only she were ten years younger and didn’t have the 20-person limit on her partners list, she would have secretly sent a couple's request to Lian Xing in the virtual match... "Lian Xing, do you have any thoughts on the academy tournament?" "The vacant captain spot, or the resources and intel needed for pet evolution, whatever you need, the academy will try its best to support you..." Giving Lian Xing five high-tier crystals, the Ghost Orchid Academy headmistress asked directly. As a commander-tier beast tamer herself, she naturally saw the terrifying potential of the Red Prison Palace Lord. Setting aside its comprehensive performance and operation methods, its sharpness alone was enough to tear through the armor of commander-tier pets. If Lian Xing could compete in the academy tournament, reaching the top 16... no, even vying for a place in the top ten might still be a considerable possibility!!! Upon hearing the headmistress's suggestion, Lian Xing blinked thoughtfully. "My conditions...?" "My conditions are simple~~~~" "Just three commander-tier crystals, and I'll help the academy in the tournament without any conditions, sound fair?" "......" "......" "I'll have to think about it..." A moment later, watching Lian Xing turn and walk away, the headmistress and her daughter from Ghost Orchid Academy stared longingly, their gaze following her until she was completely out of sight. It took a long time for the reluctant headmistress to let out a heavy sigh of frustration. Three commander-tier crystals!!? There was no way she could agree to such an outrageous demand right away. After all, even in her capacity as headmistress, her annual salary only amounted to a single commander-tier crystal!!! --- --- Once back at her dorm, Lian Xing logged into the virtual battle once more. During the time she was commissioned to participate in the exhibition match, discussions about the First Moonlight Bunny remained highly active on the battle forum. There were players, much like Little Kui, who tied Lian Xing to the jade-hammered Super Golden Wheel based on coincidence. However, lacking any concrete evidence or recordings, these speculations were purely wild guesses with matching name formats and mere figments of imagination. Yet, as soon as Lian Xing logged on, she was dumbfounded. "What the hell?" She muttered incredulously. In her view, thousands of message boxes flooded the screen, almost all of which were couple requests. Since Lian Xing had disabled friend requests, desperate fans found they couldn't message her directly. Instead, they crazily turned to couple invitations. Some even shamelessly invited her to connect for sleep... With a valuable couple spot limited to only 20, Lian Xing obviously wouldn't waste them on unknown strangers. Ignoring the endless couple requests, she directly opened her privacy settings, disabling all means of harassment. After that, Lian Xing discovered her inbox was bombarded with private messages. It was filled with a myriad of scandalous leg photos and pure body art, nearly all proposing themselves as couple and friend candidates. Though she initially intended just to glance and close it, she found herself entranced, inspecting for half an hour before managing to shake off the daze, hurriedly shaking her head to clear her mind of distractions and desire. "No way, no way, it’s not the time to indulge in these things yet. Once it starts, the first time will spiral out of control and seriously delay my pet’s evolution..." "Priority is to evolve Moon Bunny into an ancient type and fulfill the wish from a past life!!!!" After laboriously casting out her wicked thoughts, Lian Xing opened the challenge mode panel. For the current jade-hammered Super Golden Wheel, clearing a dungeon was a far more efficient way to level up than battling random players. This time, however, Lian Xing did not select a dungeon. Her gaze fixed upon a special line of text. [Royal Tier Den—Pet Beast Illustrated Museum, No Record of Completion] [Official recommendation: 10 stars, top-tier visual experience, the only way in virtual battles to see Royal Tier pets, caution advised not to be petrified!!!!] [Rule: Each player can only enter once in a lifetime, and can summon only one pet upon entry] Lian Xing was well aware of what the Pet Beast Illustrated Museum entailed. It is not a typical battle dungeon, but an exceedingly rare reward map. It was only made available during the first anniversary of Evolution Beast Duel. "The jade-hammered Super Golden Wheel is still far from reaching the commander-tier evolution, it's not leveling anytime soon." "So, I guess... it’s about time..." "This will do~~~" With those words spoken, Lian Xing unhesitatingly clicked the challenge button, her graceful form gradually dissipating in a beam of white light. --- --- As a beam of white light flickered, the blond-bun-haired girl's figure slowly materialized within a confined map. From the inside, it appeared as a colossal hall with a pure white motif, styled as a museum. Upon being transported, Lian Xing summoned the Moonlight Bunny without delay, stealing side glances towards the edges of the map. Positioned at the map's peripheries were five awe-inspiring pet beast crystal statues arranged on each side. Ten statues in total, all exuding an aura of fear and awe, inheriting an essence akin to malevolent gods, casting a glance would drastically plummet any pet beast's sanity level. These crystal statues represented Royal Tier pet beasts...!!! Upon the first anniversary of Evolution Beast Duel's launch, every player in the leading bracket, professionals included, found themselves stuck at the commander tier. It’s no surprise, given they thought the player limit topped out at commander tier, witnessing this map induced an enormous shock. Solely based on appearance and aura, these statues impacted players’ mental state in reality, highlighting why Evolution Beast Duel captivated 3 billion players worldwide. Because, in-game pet beasts appeared as if they genuinely existed... To cultivate the ultimate pet within the game, countless fervent players, Lian Xing among them, discarded all possessions in real life— The moment these ten Royal Tier statues came into view, the Moonlight Bunny cowered in fear, trembling within Lian Xing’s topknot, completely unable to hide its panic-stricken emotions. Royal Tier is a massive turning point in a pet beast's evolutionary path. While many commander-tier beasts can raze a city or, like the Red Prison Palace Lord, pierce an island in a heartbeat... A Royal Tier pet beast...