https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-181-The-Harsh-Evolution-Conditions/12958329/
Chapter 182: Defect, Human Shadow
Chapter 182: Defect, Human Shadow
Li Qian's guess was correct, as he soon witnessed Sun Hongyi throwing several materials towards the location of the Golden Pearl Bud.
Fortunately, although most of these materials were life-type resources, their rarity was not exceptionally high, and they were still within Li Qian's financial means.
Just as Li Qian thought that the evolution conditions had all been met, Sun Hongyi made another move. He glanced at the Tidal Sea Spirit Ah Hai and beckoned to it.
As he gestured, the Imperial-level Tidal Sea Spirit Ah Hai once again emitted a mournful wailing sound.
Amidst its wailing, a second Golden Pearl Bud suddenly opened its shell and, to Li Qian's astonishment, offered up the golden pearl it had been nurturing within.
The previous Golden Pearl Bud, already glowing with the light of evolution, did not hesitate. It directly consumed the pearl offered by the second Golden Pearl Bud.
After ingesting the second pearl, the changes in this Golden Pearl Bud intensified. Li Qian could see that the light of evolution on its body suddenly became more concentrated.
Witnessing the evolution of the Golden Pearl Bud, Li Qian fully understood why Sun Hongyi had called him over tonight.
It was precisely because he understood the reason behind this that a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.
In his opinion, Sun Hongyi had no need to demonstrate the entire evolution process. In reality, providing him with the evolution data would have sufficed.
After all, this demonstration of evolution consumed a significant amount of resources, especially for the second Golden Pearl Bud that appeared later. Although it wouldn't face life-threatening danger after losing the pearl within its body, a decline in strength was inevitable.
Recovering would likely require a long time.
Unable to figure it out, Li Qian decided not to overthink it. He continued to watch intently without averting his gaze.
In his line of sight, the light of evolution on the Golden Pearl Bud became increasingly concentrated, eventually enveloping its entire body.
The dense light of evolution rapidly expanded, eventually forming a humanoid light cocoon over two meters tall.
The humanoid light cocoon didn't last long and soon disintegrated. As the light of evolution faded away, a second Tidal Sea Spirit appeared on the surface of the small bay.
Li Qian witnessed this scene, slightly bewildered. Although it was within his expectations, seeing it with his own eyes still made it seem a bit unbelievable.
He continued to stare, and upon closer observation, he noticed a subtle difference. This newly emerged Tidal Sea Spirit, in appearance, was slightly different from the Tidal Sea Spirit Ah Hai that Sun Hongyi had contracted. However, the difference was not significant.
Of course, this difference was also within Li Qian's expectations. After all, Sun Hongyi's Tidal Sea Spirit was not an ordinary one; it was a slightly mutated Tidal Sea Spirit.
"As you can see, this is how the Tidal Sea Spirit evolves," Sun Hongyi said with a complex tone after the evolution was complete, turning to look at Li Qian.
Li Qian nodded and took over the conversation, asking, "How long can it maintain this evolved form?"
Previously, Li Qian had only read about it in articles, and he was aware that the evolution of this Tidal Sea Spirit was only temporary. In reality, this kind of evolution was not stable and couldn't be sustained for long.
"I'm not sure," Sun Hongyi sighed, sounding a bit helpless. "It can last for about half an hour at most, or as little as ten minutes."
Li Qian nodded without saying much more. He continued to observe intently.
On the surface of the small bay, both Tidal Sea Spirits remained calm without any excessive movements. Their expressions were peaceful, indicating that they had experienced this situation numerous times.
Time passed slowly, and after about twenty minutes, the later-evolved Tidal Sea Spirit underwent another change.
Its body began to emanate a faint light, which grew stronger until it formed another light cocoon.
Once the light dissipated, the Tidal Sea Spirit could no longer maintain its evolved form and instantly disintegrated, reverting to the Golden Pearl Bud.
The Golden Pearl Bud that had evolved earlier reappeared, and Li Qian raised his eyebrows, quickly noticing that its condition was poor, visibly exhausted.
Li Qian estimated that at this point, its internal energy had been almost completely depleted, leaving it as little more than an empty shell.
"It's a bit of a pity, but from the current situation, the Golden Pearl Bud is probably not far from fully evolving into a Tidal Sea Spirit."
After witnessing the evolution of the Golden Pearl Bud into a Tidal Sea Spirit, Li Qian fell into deep thought. After a moment, he speculated, "I think the reason the evolution failed is likely due to some minor details."
These minor details, while seemingly simple, were not easy to rectify. After all, the evolution process involved numerous intricate details, not just one or two.
Additionally, Li Qian kept a thought to himself, unsure of how to express it. He felt that the Golden Pearl Bud absorbing its companion's pearl to initiate evolution seemed a bit eerie and not like a typical evolution method for companion beasts.
Of course, Li Qian's speculation could be wrong, and the Golden Pearl Bud's evolution might genuinely require the sacrifice of a companion.
This reminded Li Qian of a certain island nation anime from his past life on Earth, where a pair of eyes needed to absorb the power of a close relative's eyes to unlock a higher ability stage.
"What do you think about the defects in this evolution process?" Sun Hongyi asked, following Li Qian's train of thought.
Hearing this, Li Qian, you're giving me too much credit!" Li Qian shook his head with a wry smile, feeling helpless.
It was unrealistic to expect him to pinpoint the evolution's flaws after merely observing the Golden Pearl Bud's evolution into a Tidal Sea Spirit.
"Sigh, I was too hasty in my assumptions," Sun Hongyi sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. This issue had been troubling him for a long time, and he had yet to find a solution.
"Rest assured, Uncle San, with Li Qian's help and the combined wisdom of the two of you, I believe it won't be long before we can solve this problem." Sun Ruirui stood by the side, witnessing everything as well. She clenched her fist and made a gesture of encouragement.
"I think so too." Li Qian looked at the charming and adorable Sun Ruirui and chuckled, then agreed.
Sun Hongyi watched the interaction between the two, his mouth twitched, and after a moment of silence, he continued, "You've seen the evolution process of Golden Pearl Bud to the Tidal Sea Spirit. Do you still insist on proceeding with the exchange?"
"We can continue with the exchange, I have no objections," Li Qian said with a smile.
Although he didn't offer any constructive suggestions, his words were filled with confidence.
The implication of his words was that it wouldn't be long before he could make up for this evolutionary defect and fully evolve the Tidal Sea Spirit.
Indeed, at that moment, he only had his two task slots occupied and couldn't initiate a new companion beast research task.
Once he completed one of the tasks and freed up a task slot, he could establish a new companion beast research task and easily complete this highly advanced evolution task with the guidance of the task.
"Ah Hai, you've worked hard today. Take Golden Pearl Bud and head down," said Sun Hongyi, waving his hand towards the Tidal Sea Spirit on the water after receiving Li Qian's reply.
The Tidal Sea Spirit let out a whimper-like cry in response and then led Golden Pearl Bud into the water.
After giving the instruction, Sun Hongyi waited for the Tidal Sea Spirit and Golden Pearl Bud to enter the water before turning his gaze back to Li Qian. "It's already late today. You should go back and rest early. Tomorrow morning, I'll give you the evolution data of the Lava Worm."
Finally, he added, "By the way, after getting the data, don't stay here. Leave quickly."
Li Qian heard these words and glanced at Sun Ruirui beside him. He couldn't help but sigh with helplessness. This guy was obviously treating him like a big bad wolf.
"Uncle San..." Sun Ruirui wasn't stupid and quickly understood the hidden meaning behind his words. After realizing Sun Hongyi's intention, a blush immediately appeared on her face, and she called out to him in a slightly annoyed tone.
Li Qian touched his nose helplessly, wanting to explain that he wasn't some yellow-haired youth messing around in society.
However, it seemed that Sun Hongyi's perception of him was already deeply rooted, and Li Qian guessed that an explanation wouldn't help, so he decided not to say anything.
Having witnessed the evolution of Golden Pearl Bud into the Tidal Sea Spirit, despite the defect and the inability to maintain it, Li Qian still felt that he had gained a lot.
At the very least, at that moment, he was confident about making up for the evolutionary defect and evolving a complete Tidal Sea Spirit. He even felt that completing this evolution wouldn't take too long.
"Li Qian, don't listen to Uncle San's nonsense," said Sun Ruirui as the three of them descended from the Red Bridge. She felt a little embarrassed as she spoke to Li Qian, "Uncle San is just joking with you. You can stay at the Red Bridge Estate for as long as you like!"
Li Qian heard this and glanced at Sun Ruirui, wanting to see her uncle's reaction. When he saw his uncle's meaningful gaze, he immediately felt like backing down.
This guy might be a niece obsessive! The charming and adorable girl in front of him was indeed Sun Ruirui, and she did match his aesthetic, but she wasn't so beautiful that it was tragic.
Li Qian didn't want to be remembered by Sun Hongyi, an Imperial Rank beastmaster, in case he would pull some tricks on him like Xu Yue.
So, on their way back, he spoke up, "Well, I came to Zhonghai City for other matters too. Tomorrow, after the exchange is over, I'll have to leave."
Not far away, Sun Hongyi heard this and glanced at Li Qian, his eyes revealing a "You're smart" look.
Sun Ruirui was a smart girl and quickly realized what was going on. She turned her head to look at Sun Hongyi, who immediately put on an innocent expression.
Li Qian couldn't help but secretly mock him in his heart, thinking that this guy's acting skills might not be inferior to his breeding skills.
As the three of them walked back, it didn't take long before they reached the room where Li Qian was temporarily staying. Sun Ruirui stopped and smiled at Li Qian, "Li Qian, you should get some rest early."
Finally, she added, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Li Qian replied with the same two words and then pushed open the door and went inside.
After sending Li Qian back to his room, the uncle and niece continued on their way back. They still had a bit of distance to cover, and halfway there, Sun Hongyi suddenly asked, "Girl, do you have feelings for him?"
Sun Ruirui was taken aback by the question. After a moment, she smiled and replied, "He's quite an interesting person."
Her words neither denied nor confirmed, but Sun Hongyi, who knew her well, subtly furrowed his brows.
He looked at his niece and spoke gently, "But you know your situation. Before you're cured, you can't live like a normal girl... Sigh!"
Sun Ruirui looked at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, a hint of longing in her voice, "Uncle San, I know my situation. I just have a bit of longing."
Sun Hongyi's face showed concern upon hearing this. He said firmly, "Don't worry, Uncle San will definitely find a way to solve your problem."
When they returned to the room, Li Qian checked the time and realized it was indeed late. It was almost midnight. He didn't delay and quickly washed up before getting into bed. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, a sound came from outside the window, waking Li Qian from his sleep. The sound didn't stop immediately but continued intermittently.
As the continuous rustling sound persisted, Li Qian, still in a daze, seemed to see a figure standing outside the window.
Seeing this figure, Li Qian was startled. The figure stood there stiffly, looking quite scary, and his sleepiness instantly vanished.
What was this? After the initial shock and fear, Li Qian quickly calmed down. After all, this was Sun Hongyi's estate, and there were bound to be companion beasts around.
It seemed normal for some humanoid companion beasts to appear.
(End of Chapter)
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