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

Seeing the lynx's fiery and surging aura, Senior Su Fei's heart, which had just settled, tightened again. She couldn't help but warn, "Mei Ning! Be careful! Its fire attribute might be effective against your plant system!"

Mei Ning pushed up her glasses and calmly analyzed, "Don't worry, Senior Su. My raincoat beast is essentially a ghost-type, a free species. Although it retains some plant characteristics, it is not a pure plant type and is not afraid of fire. Its skills are also more inclined towards the eerie and unpredictable ghost type, and there is no obvious restraining relationship in terms of attributes."

Her tone carried the rigor of a researcher, as if she were completely immersed in analyzing the academic issues of the battle.

At this moment, her interest in Cheng Yuan far exceeded that of the battle itself.

She looked at Cheng Yuan, her eyes burning: "Cheng Yuan... what you just said about ancient digital civilization... that knowledge... if we win, could you... share some with me?"

Her voice carried a subtle hint of longing and pleading.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan's lips curled into a smile: "Oh? Senior, are you looking to make a bet? Since it's a bet, there has to be a stake. My stake is what I know about ancient digital civilization, armor evolution, and those lost technologies. So, what's your stake, Senior?"

Mei Ning asked without hesitation, "What do you want?" To her, the value of that ancient knowledge far exceeded everything else.

Cheng Yuan smiled, his gaze sweeping over the magnificent gates of Huada University, and said in a relaxed tone, "I don't have any unreasonable demands. If I win, senior, during the summer vacation, could you take some time to visit Pengcheng and check out Pengcheng Beast Tamer University? And while you're at it... visit the 'Qilin Group' next to the school, just for a look. How about that?"

This request is surprisingly simple, almost unlike a request.

Mei Ning paused for a moment, then immediately nodded: "Okay! I agree!" It's just a trip to Pengcheng; if it can be exchanged for valuable ancient knowledge, it's simply too good to pass up.

“It’s a deal!” Cheng Yuan’s smile widened. He knew that a pure research talent like Mei Ning would likely be deeply attracted to Pengcheng and willingly stay after witnessing the projects the Qilin Group was undertaking. She was practically handing over top-tier talent!

"The battle begins!" the two ordered almost simultaneously!

The Raincoat Beast launched the first attack. Its figure flickered and became blurred as if it had merged into the shadows. This was the skill - [Void]! Physical attacks were almost impossible to hit it when it was in this state.

Immediately afterwards, it swung the sand mallet in its hand, [Sand Mallet Strike]! A cold, damp energy wave carrying a decaying aura attacked the lynx from a distance.

The lynx reacted extremely quickly, using all four limbs to dodge like a streak of red lightning.

The ground where it had been standing was struck by the damp energy, instantly becoming muddy and even covered with a thin layer of frost.

[Super Flame]!

The lynx opened its mouth and spewed out a thick, extremely hot breath of fire, which shot straight at the raincoat beast!

However, the flames were blocked by the raincoat raised by the raincoat beast. Only the surface of the raincoat was charred black, while the raincoat beast itself was unharmed!

And the blackening on the raincoat is visibly decreasing.

"It's useless! Physical and energy attacks are ineffective against it in its ethereal state!" Mei Ning calmly commanded, "Swing the sand hammer!"

The raincoat beast pulled out a sandbox-like instrument made of dried plant fibers from somewhere and started shaking it violently!

A dull and eerie sound wave spread out. This attack was not aimed at the physical body, but rather at the mental level, attempting to interfere with the lynx's judgment.

The lynx felt a slight dizziness and shook its head.

Cheng Yuan frowned slightly; the ghostly type was indeed troublesome.

"Tequila Fist!" Mei Ning pressed her advantage.

The ethereal figure of the Raincoat Beast suddenly solidified for a moment, and a punch was thrown out from a distance. A fist phantom made of ghostly energy and exuding a strange wine fragrance smashed towards the Lynx Beast!

This skill has a stun effect!

[Heat-Rich Hair]!

The lynx's fiery mane suddenly exploded, and the surging flames swept outwards from it, instantly dispersing the mental sound waves and burning the ghostly fist phantom to ashes!

The scorching heat even forced the raincoat-wearing beast to take a few steps back, escaping its state of nothingness.

"A great opportunity!" Cheng Yuan said.

[Crazy Scratching Attack]!

The lynx lunged forward, its claws covered in flames, transforming into countless red claw shadows that frantically slashed at the raincoat beast!

The raincoat beast hurriedly waved its small sand mallet to block, producing a dense "clanging" sound, and sparks flew everywhere.

However, it was clearly no match for the courageous lynx and was forced to retreat, its raincoat torn in several places, revealing the dark energy within.

"Cactus Strike!" Seeing that close combat was not going well, Mei Ning immediately changed her strategy.

Suddenly, countless sharp, poisonous thorns hardened by ghostly energy sprouted from the Raincoat Beast's body, spraying out like a torrential rain towards the lynx beast that was inches away! At such close range, it was almost impossible to completely dodge them!

The lynx's pupils contracted, and it leaped backward, simultaneously raising its claws to protect itself, forming a fiery shield on its claws.

[Flame Barrier!]

The lynx began to familiarize itself with its body and the elemental energy, fire energy, and started applying it to its existing skills.

Chapter 167 That's about enough.

Puff puff puff!

Despite its best efforts to block and dodge, some of the venomous stingers still pierced through the flames and embedded themselves in the lynx's forelimbs and shoulders.

A sharp pain shot through me, and the spot that was stabbed quickly turned black, accompanied by a numbing sensation and the corrosive effect of ghostly energy!

"Meow!" The lynx growled, its courage supporting it. It shook its head violently, shaking off the shallowly embedded stinger. The flames at the wound burned, barely suppressing the spread of the ghostly energy, but its movements were noticeably slower.

The Raincoat Beast once again seized the opportunity to merge into the shadows, entering a state of [nothingness], preparing for the next round of sneak attacks.

The battlefield was briefly locked in a stalemate.

Lynx has an advantage in speed and strength, and its fire attacks are fierce, but Raincoat Beast's Void and Ghost-type moves are extremely strange and difficult to deal with. If it is worn down, Lynx may be worn down by poison and corrosion first.

“We must break through its nothingness…” Cheng Yuan’s brain raced. “Physical and ordinary energy are ineffective… Ghostly energy… we still need divine and light energy…”

"Lynx! Combine Light and Flame!" Upon hearing this, the lynx immediately understood. The flames surging around its body slightly subsided, as if brewing something. The sacred halo on the tip of its ear began to light up, gradually becoming dazzling.

The Raincoat Beast seemed to sense the threat, emerging from nothingness and shaking the Sand Hammer again, preparing to launch the Cactus Slam to interfere.

But at that very moment, the lynx suddenly opened its eyes!

Its pupils were like burning platinum, filled with holiness and heat!

The flames around him were no longer a simple crimson, but had transformed into a white-hot color, with golden edges, radiating a powerful aura that was both scorching and pure, enough to dispel all darkness and filth!

[Holy Flame Mane] Bursts!

The lynx let out a heart-shaking roar, a fusion of fire, holiness, and light. Platinum-gold holy flames erupted from it like a tsunami, instantly engulfing the entire battle platform!

This flame not only possesses extremely high temperature, but also contains powerful divine purification power!

"Chirp!!!" The raincoat beast no longer let out a deep roar, but a shrill scream as if its soul was being burned! Its most relied-upon state of [nothingness] was useless in front of the holy flame, which directly burned its ghostly essence!

Its raincoat was instantly ignited, revealing a twisted and painful dark energy body beneath, which melted away like ice and snow in the holy flames!

The sound waves of the [sand hammer] were also dissipated by the pure holy flame energy!

"It's over!" Cheng Yuan said firmly.

The lynx transformed into a platinum-gold meteor, instantly rushing to the struggling Raincoat Beast, its claws covered in holy flames—[Crazy Scratch - Holy Flame]!—delivering the final blow!

Boom!

The holy flames exploded, completely engulfing the figure of the raincoat beast.

When the light faded, it was already like a mosquito coil, its entire body scorched by the holy flame, and it turned into data and flew back into Mei Ning's arc light machine.

The lynx stood in the center of the arena, its platinum-gold holy flames slowly receding. It was breathing slightly, and the places on its body where it had been hit by the poisonous stings were still throbbing, but its eyes remained sharp and filled with the pride of victory.

Then, the evolution was deactivated, and it regressed back to its Gatomon form amidst a burst of light.

"Meow..." Gatomon meowed, though it was a little tired, it held its head high and chest out.

Silence! Deathly silence!

Those watching the live stream were stunned by the thrilling battle where the final twists and turns, culminating in a dramatic reversal of the tide through attribute fusion.

Several seconds passed before a deafening cheer erupted! Comments flooded over a dozen live stream rooms.

"We won! We won again!"

"White flames! So cool! It looks like a white lion!"

"Lynxes are awesome! The Great Demon King is awesome!"

"My palms were sweating from watching the live stream! It was totally worth it!"

Looking at the status of the Raincoat Beast displayed on the Arc Light Machine in her hand, Mei Ning showed no sign of defeat, but rather excitement and admiration.

She pushed up her glasses and walked up to Cheng Yuan. "I lost. I will keep my promise and go to Pengcheng to take a look."

Then she asked impatiently, "Your armor evolution... can actually regress? How did you do that? If I'm not mistaken, you have other armored eggs that can flexibly choose their evolutionary form to fight depending on the opponent, right?" Her researcher's spirit was completely ignited.

Cheng Yuan smiled but didn't answer directly. He said mysteriously, "Senior Sister Mei Ning, you'll probably know the answers to these questions when you get to Pengcheng. I'll be in Pengcheng in about a month."

As he spoke, he proactively took out the arc laser machine, "How about we exchange contact information first?"

Mei Ning quickly took out her own arc laser machine, and the two exchanged communication codes.

At this moment, Mei Ning and Su Fei could see more clearly the advanced-looking, clearly custom-made arc laser machine in Cheng Yuan's hand!

Su Fei couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Arc Light Machine?! Cheng Yuan, you...you're already a professional beast tamer?"

Becoming a professional animal trainer before even attending university—that's simply phenomenal!

Cheng Yuan waved his hand, as if it were no big deal: "Oh, this? I'm not a professional beast tamer. It's just a gift from the association."

Su Fei and Mei Ning: "..." A gift? The association is giving an arc light machine as a gift? Isn't this just a deposit for the beast tamer?! Their gazes toward Cheng Yuan became even more complicated.

Cheng Yuan felt that his goal had been achieved, or even exceeded—

Not only did it give Hua Da a good slap in the face and boost Peng Cheng Xun Da's momentum, it also provided a free advertisement for the "Armored Egg" product that had not yet been released!

One can imagine the buzz and anticipation that the term "armor evolution" will generate among animal trainers after today.

He learned from Xu Xin that the association's negotiations regarding armor evolution and X-antibody technology had been completed. The association would become the largest supplier of digital spirit crystals and would release collection missions through official channels.

As a condition, Kirin Group's products can only be sold to registered animal trainers in Tokyo.

The association does not require that the animals be sold only to its own trainers. After all, the association represents the entire University of Tokyo. So, whether it is the Hunters Guild or an independent trainer, as long as they are officially registered, meet the requirements of the trainer profession, and have no criminal record, they are also eligible to purchase the animals.

The association also invested through the Pengcheng Evolution Research Institute, but due to the limited production of Digital Spirit Crystals, Armored Eggs are destined to be a scarce resource in the short term.

However, Digimon Spirit Crystals can be naturally formed after powerful Digimon die, or they can be collected using special collection devices.

In order to increase the production of digital spirit crystals, Cheng Yuan also collaborated with the Institute of Evolution to develop a digital spirit collection device using the digital spirit collection technology provided by the dragon priests in the Time-Space Secret Realm. This device can gradually accumulate crystals by collecting digital spirit data from the battlefield multiple times.

While not as strong as naturally occurring ones, they are more abundant. They are also easier to collect during large-scale Digimon battles.

The association is the biggest beneficiary of the overall improvement in the strength of animal trainers, and is naturally happy to see it happen.

Moreover, the Qilin Group and the Pengcheng Institute of Evolution have received support from the National Institute of Digital Archaeology to assist in the formation of a digital heritage archaeology team to excavate resources in the ruins of the unloading space, especially ancient ruins of armored eggs.

This is all because the clues provided by the Qilin indicate that ancient ruins may contain a large number of ancient digital civilizations, which are armor evolution eggs left for future generations.

Cheng Yuan has already applied to have Guan Yan, who died alongside him, transferred to his position.

The woman in front of us, Mei Ning, is simple-minded and devoted to ancient civilizations; she is also a promising archaeological talent.

Cheng Yuan believed that once she went to Pengcheng, she would most likely be willing to be absorbed by the Qilin Group.

Looking at Gatomon, who had regressed from a lynx and seemed harmless, no one dared to treat it as a cute creature anymore.

Countless onlookers and online viewers were filled with longing for this "armor evolution" that could bring about a leapfrog improvement.

"The trip to Huadu is almost over. We've achieved our goal. If we keep making a fuss, some old geezer will probably come and deal with us," Cheng Yuan thought to himself.

After the battle, Cheng Yuan left gracefully amidst the sigh of relief from Master Hua and the regretful voices of Guan Yu.

The reason was simple: he received a text message.

Xu Xin: [That's enough.]

Cheng Yuan chuckled to himself, realizing that Lao Xu had been secretly watching the live stream all along.

Chapter 168 Shikoku Island Exchange Students?

For a country to produce a large number of powerful beast tamers, a large population base, abundant digital resources, and advanced technology are all indispensable.

Clearly, Tokyo University fits the bill.

These advantages are highly concentrated in first-tier core cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

They have a larger population, stronger computing power to maintain the digital space, more advanced technology, better resources, and universities in first-tier cities. They control more digital resources, so they can produce more and better animal trainers.

A good example is the fact that in Beijing and Shanghai, many students become professional animal trainers while still in school. The proportion is slightly lower in Huadu, but it is still close to half.

However, in other ordinary schools, such students are extremely rare. For schools like Pengcheng, which hovers outside the top ten, having one-tenth of them would be considered good.