Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

"Could it be a new type of evolution?"

Cheng Yuan watched this scene thoughtfully. It seemed that the dark evolutionary path was not yet widely recognized in this world.

He put away Greymon, and DarkGreymon was retrieved as a data stream.

This action brought a sigh of relief to everyone present.

"As you can see, this is my partner, DarkGreymon." Xu Xin's voice broke the silence. "You are still far from reaching Champion level, so there's no point in saying more. Right now, the most important thing is the Beast Tamer College Entrance Examination."

"By the time of the college entrance exam at the end of the semester, most of you here will have Digimon that have reached the growth stage and will be able to meet the entrance requirements for Tamer University."

"The entrance exam for beast tamers mainly consists of a written test and a battle. The results of the battle will greatly affect the admission outcome."

Cheng Yuan perked up his ears. This was firsthand experience from a professional animal trainer.

"You can only rely on your own efforts for the written exam, but I do have some experience to share for the combat exam."

"During the growth period, the difference in data volume and attribute values ​​isn't as significant as you might imagine. Preparing some advanced resources before the exam, such as attribute cubes, can change the fate of many tamers!"

"But in addition to the amount of data and basic attributes, the number of skills, the level of skill development, and basic qualities will all seriously affect the course of the battle. You need to work hard on these aspects in the next six months."

Cheng Yuan nodded to himself. Wasn't this exactly the direction he had been focusing on to train the little dog beast, which he had recently realized was lacking?

"Besides that, if that's not enough, I can also teach you some tips."

The entire audience immediately fell silent, holding their breath in anticipation—it was a small trick for Xu Xin, but for these newbies, it was undoubtedly a divine skill.

"A Digimon's combat strength depends not only on its own power, but also on the condition of its tamer."

"We must remember that Digimon do not fight alone. The tamer and the Digimon are a whole. The tamer's emotional state will affect the Digimon's state. Whether it is joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, or desire, when the emotion reaches its extreme, it will generate a bonus to the Digimon's attributes."

Cheng Yuan's eyes lit up. Wasn't this the "bond" often mentioned in anime?

“Of course, your experience is still limited, so you can only influence Digimon through extreme emotions.” Xu Xin changed the subject, “but by spending more time with Digimon and establishing bonds that belong to you, you will gradually master the methods of manipulating emotions.”

……

Today, reality and the digital world are merging, and Digimon are integrated into human life and production. While Digimon use their special abilities to liberate human productivity and combat power, powerful professional Digimon trainers also gain many privileges.

Professional animal trainers receive many preferential treatments when starting companies, doing business, accessing public facilities, and allocating resources.

Animal trainers all aspire to become professional-level animal trainers.

Getting into a beast tamer university is undoubtedly a fast track to becoming a professional beast tamer.

Principal Liu felt he was very wise to introduce these novices to professional animal trainers ahead of time, and to the rising stars among them. This undoubtedly broadened their horizons and helped them grow quickly.

After the legendary senior's speech, the students benefited greatly and were discussing it enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, Xu Xin was in the teachers' office, tidying up his temporary workspace. He carefully placed a photograph in a frame; it was a picture of himself with a yellow Agumon with clear eyes.

The phone rang abruptly. Xu Xin glanced at the caller ID and quickly walked to a deserted corner.

The call connected, and a deep voice came from the other end: "Team leader, we have contacted the Pengcheng Public Security Bureau and started a city-wide search. We will receive news as soon as we have any."

"However, we just received intelligence that the Digimon have apparently entered the Qingtian District, because data remnants of Digimon that were devoured by dark forces have been found there."

Xu Xin frowned and said, "Tell the conventional forces not to act rashly. Demonic beasts are not something that conventional physical weapons can handle. Acting rashly will only alert them."

He lowered his voice and continued, "You should know that this demon beast is a special being that can sneak out of the Digital Abyss into the real world. It is no ordinary creature. The fact that the Beast Tamer Association has summoned us back to the real world is enough to prove that it is not easy to deal with."

"If my Greymon hadn't needed a lot of resources to break through recently, and if this Devilmon hadn't smuggled itself into my hometown of Pengcheng, I wouldn't have come back to take on this mission."

"According to the feedback from the Pengcheng Beast Tamer Association branch, the fact that they need to send out professional beast tamers without letting other cities know shows that this demon beast is very special. Even the small F-level mission that I brought back to assess and train the juniors of Pengcheng No. 1 Middle School was just a cover. So we must not let our guard down."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone: "Okay, I'll send you the relevant clues now. Leave the detection and search to me. Once we've located its trail, that's when you, as its core combatant, will step in."

"Hmm." Xu Xin rubbed his temples. "Remember, my identity at the school is only that of an F-level mission to conduct exam training. Don't reveal your true purpose."

After giving a few more instructions, Xu Xin hung up the phone, rubbed his temples, and said, "I hope this fugitive from Digital Abyss doesn't cause trouble in the real world, otherwise the reward will have to be reduced."

Human data resources are far scarcer than those in the digital world, leading to a continuous rise in the prices of special data, chips, and computing power. Even the growth resources for my Digimon when I was in school were half subsidized by the government and the school, and I was responsible for the other half.

The thought of DarkGreymon breaking through its limits, even preparing to evolve into its Ultimate form in one fell swoop, gave him a terrible headache.

Even if the breakthrough resources are gathered, if DarkGreymon, a Virus-type Champion-level Digimon, were to evolve into its Ultimate form, it would most likely evolve into that insane and deranged Virus-type... ZombieGreymon!

Chapter 12, First Lesson of the Intensive Class

After a selection process, the first cohort of members for the senior year elite class at Pengcheng No.1 High School has been finalized.

Thirty boys and girls, along with their various growing Digimon companions, gathered in a spacious and brightly lit dedicated battle training arena.

The air was thick with excitement and tension. These top students from eighteen classes had very different personalities, but their eyes all sparkled with anticipation for the future and a hint of barely perceptible competition.

The list includes almost all known growth-stage beast tamers among the students of Pengcheng No. 1 High School:

Cheng Yuan's snow-white, sacred little dog/beast;

The pangolin with its thick scales and steady gait was shining brightly.

Zhao Lu's gleaming, precisely rotating gear beast;

There are also Digimon such as Flareon, Baloomon, Candlemon, Wormmon, and Orimon... These Digimon, representing different evolutionary paths and functional roles, are all quietly lying or standing beside their respective trainers.

"Squeak-"

The heavy metal door of the training ground was pushed open, the sound of footsteps steady and powerful.

A young figure walked in. He had a neat buzz cut, wore a simple and practical dark gray training uniform, and had a tall and straight posture. His steps were characterized by the competence and composure unique to professional animal trainers.

His sharp gaze swept across the entire field, and an invisible pressure instantly silenced the previously noisy training ground.

"Hello everyone." His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying a calmness that came from real combat experience.

"My name is Xu Xin. I believe you already know me this morning." Xu Xin nodded slightly, his face showing a hint of seniority. "Perhaps you are still relatively unfamiliar with me, but technically I am your senior. I also graduated from Pengcheng No.1 High School and am currently studying at Pengcheng Beast Tamer Technology University. I am now a professional beast tamer. This month, I was invited by my alma mater to return to examine and train you all to help you improve your skills for the college entrance examination. Please guide me in the coming month."

Looking at the humble Xu Xin, Cheng Yuan's curiosity about professional animal trainers grew even stronger.

He subconsciously patted the little dog's head, and the little guy looked up at his new teacher with curiosity in his bright blue eyes.

"Because we've added practical training courses this semester, which are quite demanding, we need to select a new class representative to assist with the work," Xu Xin said directly, getting straight to the point. "Any students willing to volunteer?"

The vast training ground fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Thirty pairs of eyes looked at each other, maintaining a tacit silence. Everyone knew that being a class representative under a professional animal trainer, especially in this elite, elimination-based class, meant more responsibility, more exposure, and also… more “attention” and extra training.

Xu Xin seemed unsurprised by the silence, her expression remaining unchanged: "So, does anyone have a recommendation?"

He then listed several criteria: "They need to have a certain level of organizational and coordination skills, their physical fitness shouldn't be too poor, their reaction time should be quick, and ideally... a bit clever, able to adapt to changing circumstances, and a bit 'restless' but not inherently bad." He paused, "On the training field, following the rules isn't necessarily a good thing; sometimes you need a bit of the drive to break the mold."

As Cheng Yuan listened, his heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition arose within him.

"I recommend Cheng Yuan!" A clear voice rang out with a hint of sly laughter; it was Zhao Lu. She raised her hand high, and Cheng Yuan glared at her instantly.

"Zhao Lu, please don't hurt me."

"Teacher Xu, Cheng Yuan meets all the criteria you mentioned! He's a gangster, a witty fellow, a goofball, and a sarcastic person, and... well, he's not a bad person at heart!"

Cheng Yuan: "..." Did I think you were praising me?

"Oh? Is that so?" Xu Xin turned her gaze to Cheng Yuan, her expression a mixture of inquiry and understanding.

In the next few minutes, with Teacher Xu Xin's unwavering encouragement that "I have faith in you," Cheng Yuan almost reluctantly accepted his first "class leader" title—representative of the key class's practical training session.

He inwardly groaned: Zhao Lu! This feud is now set in stone! Don't leave after school!

Xu Xin looked at Cheng Yuan, who had a helpless and resigned expression, and her thoughts raced. Was this the tamer who had evolved from a Digimon Egg to a child in just two weeks?

He glanced at the little dog beast and saw that it already had many problems: its basic skills were somewhat weak and its control over energy was quite rough... It had potential, but it needed systematic polishing and refinement.

"Alright, class representatives, return to your positions." Xu Xin composed himself, clapped his hands, and drew everyone's attention back to the main topic. "Now, let's begin the first lesson of our intensive class—the basic operation of the Digivice and survival training for trainers."

His voice suddenly turned serious and cold: "First of all, you need to understand one thing: real-world combat, especially encounters in the wild and in digital space, is not the friendly sparring with protective shields that you see in the arena! There, once your Digimon suffers a fatal attack and its Digicore is shattered, it means—complete disappearance, never to be recovered!"

The cold reality made many students unconsciously grip their Dinobots tighter, and their eyes looked at their companions with more seriousness and worry.

"Therefore, as trainers, your primary responsibility is not to command your Digimon to defeat your opponents, but to use your Digivice to accurately and quickly recall your partners at crucial moments, avoiding irreparable losses!" Xu Xin's gaze swept across the entire arena like a blade. "Remember, the battlefield is not a fair 1v1 duel, but a life-or-death struggle. And trainers are never spectators standing on the sidelines..."

He raised his voice, each word striking the students' hearts: "You are part of the battle! Your positioning, movement, ability to find cover, remote command capabilities... all of these directly determine the life and death of you and your Digimon partner!"

As Cheng Yuan listened, he silently compared this cruel reality with the stark difference between it and the Digimon anime he had watched in his previous life.

In the anime, Tai and the others are blasted away by the skills of mature or even complete stages, but they can just dust themselves off and get back up to continue shouting slogans.

But here, a full-force attack from a growth-stage Digimon is enough to seriously injure or even kill an unprotected human.

The tamer's own survival skills become the most basic yet most crucial element. Failing to protect oneself only makes one a burden to one's partner.

“Therefore,” Xu Xin summarized, “today’s first lesson is the most basic of basics—physical fitness! Without sufficient physical fitness, all tactics and skills are just empty talk. Class representative!” He looked at Cheng Yuan.

Cheng Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a smile and said, "Here!"

"Lead the team in warm-up, then with your partners—a 10-kilometer weighted run! Let's begin!" Xu Xin gave the order that left no room for argument.

Chapter 13 Arc Light Tyrannosaurus Rex

"Ten kilometers?!" Cheng Yuan almost bit his tongue. "Teacher Xu, a Digimon running ten kilometers is fine, but for a trainer..."

Xu Xin smiled slightly: "Class representative, set an example and add two kilometers, making it twelve kilometers."

Cheng Yuan: "......"

This blessing came too suddenly!

A wave of despair swept across the training field. Zhao Lu winked at Cheng Yuan with glee, but her joy quickly turned to sorrow the next second—

“Zhao Lu looks very energetic, so let’s add two kilometers.”

Zhao Lu's smile froze on her face instantly, and the gear beast on her shoulder snapped into place with a "click".

"Everyone, line up!" Cheng Yuan forced himself to walk to the front of the line, mentally cursing Zhao Lu a thousand times over. As he turned, he whispered to the little dog, "Little dog, slow down later, let's save our energy..."

“The class representative is leading the way in slacking off, so add another kilometer.” Xu Xin’s voice floated down from behind.

Cheng Yuan nearly stumbled: "Teacher, do you have mind-reading abilities?!"

“No,” Xu Xin pointed to her ear, “it’s because you’re talking too loudly.”

I'd give you 99 points on this listening test; I'm leaving 1 point so you won't get too cocky.

The little dog covered its face with its paws, its tail drooping: "Master... please be more careful, woof..."

With the sound of a whistle, the grueling training for the elite class officially began.

Thirty boys and girls, each with their own Digimon, began running laps around the playground.

At first the team was fairly organized, but after three laps, the gap gradually widened.

Kang Zhaodi's burly figure took the lead, with the pangolin following beside him like a small tank. The two of them ran with great speed and agility.

Although Zhao Lu complained, her physical condition was surprisingly good because she had been influenced by her father, the sheriff, since she was a child. The Gear Beast followed closely behind, its metal body spinning.

And our class representative...

"Huff...ha...this track...is...is a passage to hell, isn't it..." Cheng Yuan was panting like a panting rag doll, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead.

The little dog beast, however, had an unexpectedly easy time. Its small size and speed made it easy to deal with the situation, only being held back by Cheng Yuan.

"Hold on... just eight more laps... If only I could fly." Cheng Yuan's vision was already blurry, and in a daze, he seemed to see the gates of heaven—within them, Taiyi was waving at him with a sacred plan in hand: "Go for it, Cheng Yuan Beast! Cheng Yuan Beast, ultimate evolution... BGM starts playing..."

"Cheng Yuan! Wake up!" The little dog jumped up and down anxiously. "Teacher Xu is watching you!"

Cheng Yuan snapped out of his daze and met Xu Xin's ambiguous smile.

The professional animal trainer had somehow gotten to the inside of the track, holding a timer and calmly watching their disheveled state.

“Class representative, your physical fitness is even worse than a baby Digimon.” Xu Xin shook his head. “Looks like we’ll have to give you a private stove.”

"It's perfectly reasonable for a tamer like me to be physically weaker than a Digimon!" He didn't actually say those words, but instead shouted, "Wait, teacher! I'm about to evolve... oh no, I'm about to unleash my inner power..."

After five laps, Cheng Yuan was in a mysterious state—his body was moving mechanically, while his soul floated in mid-air, contemplating life.

He stared at Kang Zhaodi's burly back ahead, and suddenly a thought struck him: "Big guy... wait for me... let me grab your pants... and run with me for a bit!"

Kang Zhaodi didn't even turn his head: "Get lost."

"What happened to the...care and concern from the classmate next door?"

"When you invited me to supervise Lin Meng and the others running ten laps last week, why didn't you mention the care and concern shown by their classmates?"

Cheng Yuan: "......" Is the ship of friendship really so fragile that it can capsize at any moment?

Just as Cheng Yuan was considering whether to lie down and wait for the ambulance, an unexpected savior appeared—Zhao Lu had slowed down at some point and was running alongside him.

"Oh, class representative, are you done?" Although Zhao Lu was also covered in sweat, she could at least still say sarcastic words in a complete sentence.