Beast Taming Patrol

However, it merely shook its head and completely suppressed the wave of sleepiness.

Qin Nan nodded, her expression growing more solemn, "Are there any other abilities?"

Sleepy Duck shook its head.

"Quack..." (No more...)

"Core Skill Transformation, with spirit attributes, has awakened the spirit-based talent skill Hypnosis." Qin Nan's expression became excited, "Confirmed, it really is a dual-system pet monster of water and spirit."

"Kid, stay right here and don't move; I'll come back to find you in a bit."

With those words, Qin Nan withdrew the Gray Feathered Lion Hawk into the Beast Taming Space and hurriedly left the laboratory.

Lin Su opened his mouth, a touch of confusion on his face.

Where is she headed?

It always felt like the development of events was heading in a direction beyond his expectations.

Shaking his head, he reached out and touched the spiral-shaped tuft of hair on Sleepy Duck's head.

Sleepy Duck's talent skills included three: Dazzling Water Bomb, Water Bubble, and Hypnosis.

Lin Su, holding the standard answers in his hand, was crystal clear about this, but he couldn't just tell Qin Nan outright; he had to let her figure it out herself.

He hadn't even mentioned the breed name Sleepy Duck; as the discoverer of this evolutionary type, he was entitled to name it. When the time was right, he would naturally introduce the name Sleepy Duck; until then, it could only be referred to as a new evolutionary type of Undying Duck.

Among Sleepy Duck's three talent skills, the Water Bubble Skill was a talent skill that Undying Duck itself possessed, Hypnosis was a talent skill newly awakened during evolution, and Dazzling Water Bomb, as Sleepy Duck's core skill, evolved from Undying Duck's core skill Water Bullet.

Each pet beast could only have one core skill, which determined the beast's core power in the future; even evolution could not break this rule, allowing a pet beast to possess two core skills.

As a beast evolved, non-core skills would not be forgotten or changed; they would still be retained, while the core skill would be replaced by a completely new core skill.

Alternatively, describing this process as metamorphosis might be more fitting.

The new core skill did not emerge out of nowhere; it was enhanced based on the original core skill as a template, thus related to the original core skill.

When Undying Duck evolved into Sleepy Duck, the core skill Water Bullet developed spirit attributes and became the core skill Dazzling Water Bomb, now with combined water and spirit damage.

Whether the core skill had transformed was also the most direct evidence to determine if the pet had evolved.

After comforting Sleepy Duck, Lin Su opened his communicator, starting to compile a detailed report on the evolved tactic Deep Sleep and Dream.

Although he didn't know what Sister Nan was up to, he always felt that the ripples caused by the proposition of this new evolved tactic would be bigger than he had imagined, so it was also prudent to prepare in advance.

Even so, Lin Su had no regrets; ensuring Qiuqiu evolved smoothly and went unnoticed on Blue Planet was the only way.

Soon, Qin Nan re-entered, an additional person accompanying her.

That was a bespectacled elderly man with a somewhat scholarly air, white-haired but with a very amiable smile.

This is...

"Director Du." Lin Su only needed one glance to identify the visitor, quickly putting down what he was doing and respectfully bowing slightly to the old man.

He had never interacted with the elderly man before, but he had seen this elder's photo display on the exhibition wall of the first floor of the research institute.

The director of the Evolution Research Institute at Mountain City University, a "Shining Scholar" of the Yan Huang Security Alliance, Du Lan.

He had led and succeeded in countless alliance-level key research projects in his hands, countless contributions of evolutionary paths and teaching skills for the alliance.

He deserved his respect.

Unexpectedly, Qin Nan had directly summoned Director Du here.

"Young man, let's cut the formalities," Du Lan waved his hand as he got straight to the point, "Where is the evolved type of Undying Duck?"

He glanced around and quickly locked onto his target, striding over to the Sleepy Duck and squinting at it for a while before nodding, "Since Qin Nan has already verified it, I won't waste time doing the same."

"Young man, you're Lin Su, right?" Du Lan said with a cheery smile, patting Lin Su on the shoulder.

"Yes, Director Du." Lin Su even felt somewhat flattered.

"Good, a fine young man indeed." Du Lan nodded, his face full of smiles, "Qin Nan told this old man that you might have discovered a brand new Spirit-Type evolution technique, is that so?"

"Director Du, here's the report." Lin Su breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he had prepared it just in time, and quickly brought it up for Du Lan to review.

After browsing through it for a while, Du Lan nodded slightly, "The principle makes sense. I must admit, I'm embarrassed I never connected dreaming with the Spirit. My mind certainly doesn't turn as fast as the younger generation's."

"I see in your report that other Sleepy Ducks have learned this evolution technique as well, and your own beast has learned it too. Could you let them demonstrate it?" Du Lan asked softly, his voice filled with a hint of anticipation.

"Certainly." Lin Su nodded without hesitation.

The proposal of an evolution technique couldn't just be an isolated case.

If other Sleepy Ducks could learn this skill, it indicated that the skill could be taught en masse through a standard teaching method, and if Qiuqiu could learn this skill, it meant that not only could Sleepy Ducks learn it, but other types of beasts might also be able to learn it, proving its versatility.

Both aspects were indispensable.

Soon, Qiuqiu and another Sleepy Duck that had mastered Deep Sleep and Dream stood together on a specific detection device and entered into Deep Sleep and Dream.

To the untrained eye, the two beasts seemed to be merely sleeping, but the detection device recorded special brainwaves proving that the beasts maintained stronger mental fluctuations in their sleep than when awake; it was not merely sleeping, but a new evolution technique.

"Good, very good," Du Lan nodded vigorously, overwhelmed with joy to the point that his body began to tremble from the intense emotions. Qin Nan, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to support him.

"This old man's bones aren't that easily shaken," Du Lan waved off Qin Nan's support, looking solemnly at Lin Su, "Lin Su, considering your outstanding performance in the Divine Light Butterfly new evolution research project, Mountain City University's Evolution Research Institute is pleased to officially invite you to join as a full researcher. Would you like that?"

How did the subject of the previous Divine Light Butterfly research project come about?

Lin Su was a bit stunned and glanced subconsciously at Qin Nan.

Seeing Qin Nan giving him encouraging gestures to accept quickly, Lin Su decided not to linger on the question.

His previous status as an assistant researcher was akin to an intern; becoming a full researcher would mean official employment, higher salary and benefits, and the chance to apply for his own projects. Either way, it was a good thing.

"I would certainly like that," Lin Su nodded emphatically.

"Qin Nan, your earlier proposal, I accepted it," Du Lan said, humming a tune and exiting the institute with his hands behind his back, his mood visibly buoyant, "Tonight, this old man should have a couple more drinks."

"Director Du, you might want to drink less; later, I'll still need to ask Mushroom Baby to treat your liver," Qin Nan hurriedly said.

"Hahaha." Accompanied by hearty laughter, the elderly man left the lab completely.

Lin Su looked slightly baffled, "Um... Qin Nan, aren't you supposed to explain to me what's going on? How did it come to startling Director Du and having him personally come over to make me official..."

"Oh Lin Su," Qin Nan smiled and gestured at Lin Su, "Congratulations, you're about to become famous throughout the entire Yan Huang Alliance."

Lin Su: "..."

"Because of the new evolution technique?" he asked in disbelief, "Is it really that significant?"

"Is it really?" Qin Nan shook her head, "You still don't quite understand what a brand-new evolution technique means."

"In evolution research, all researchers are groping in the dark—one beast at a time, one evolution technique at a time, one evolutionary resource at a time. But a brand new evolution technique, especially a Spirit-based one that conflicts with no other attributes, means..."

"That nearly eight hundred contractible beasts now have a new line of evolutionary research, leading to a burst of project applications in the short term. Even if only one-tenth of these succeed, that's still a whopping eighty new evolution types!"

"Eighty new evolution types!" Qin Nan said, her voice rising with excitement, "Not even all the research institutions in the Yan Huang Alliance discover that many new evolution types in a year!"

Lin Su: "..."

Listening to this, had he perhaps gone too far?