Two days earlier than she'd expected, seems like Little Treasure caught quite a few ants today.
Qiao Sang thought to herself as she added points to its level status: Beginner (992/1000)+
Little Treasureâs hypnosis technique had now reached mastery, so it was time to prepare for his evolution.
âXun!â
At that very moment, Little Treasure in the courtyard, busy hunting for ants, felt a surge of energy well up inside him.
Before he could think much about it, a slow-moving ant caught his eye not far away.
âXun!â
Little Treasure squealed in excitement.
Found you!
---
The Next Day
In the courtyard, Qiao Sang held up her phone to record Little Treasure.
âXun.â
In the video, Little Treasureâs face suddenly filled the entire frame.
âDonât get so close, just keep doing what you were doing.â Qiao Sang said, gently moving its head away from the camera.
âXun?â
Little Treasure spirit tilted his head, curious.
Whatâs this all about?
âMy intuition says youâll evolve today, so I wanted to record you as you are now, then we can watch it back later.â Qiao Sang explained.
Evolve?! Today?!
âXun xun!â
Little Treasure froze in surprise, then broke into a wide grin, spinning excitedly in the air.
The next second, he teleported in front of Yabao, who was preparing to summon a shower of Ember.
âXun xun!â
âYap!â
Yabao jumped, startled, causing the energy he had just gathered to dissipate.
âYap yap!â
Yaba looked at Little Treasure, ready to assume the
big brother
role and lecture him, when he suddenly remembered what Little Treasure had said.
âYap?â
Yabaoâs eyes widened, showing a
Really?
expression.
âXun!â
Little Treasure nodded solemnly.
Absolutely true!
His Beast Tamer would never be wrong!
âYap yap!â
Using telekinesis, Yabao pulled Little Treasure over and patted his head, imitating Qiao Sangâs usual affectionate gesture.
Not bad, kid! Youâre actually about to evolve!
âXunâŠâ
Little Treasure quickly teleported to the side and pouted.
Big bro, do you even realize your paws are covered in dirt?
Before Yabao could respond, Little Treasure teleported next to Lubao, who was floating in the pool, doing a backstroke.
âXun xun!â
Lubai opened one eye to glance at Little Treasure, then closed it again, unimpressed.
âXun Xun!â
Unwilling to give up, Little Treasure repeated what he had said.
âLu lu.â
Without even opening her eyes, Lubao let out a perfunctory congratulatory sound.
âXunâŠâ
Little Treasure's excitement faded.
Why didnât she react at all to the news of my evolution?
âXunâŠâ
He pouted, teleporting back to his Beast Tamerâs side.
Unbeknownst to him, after he left, Lubao opened one eye, sneaking a quick glance.
---
âWhatâs wrong?â Qiao Sang noticed Little Treasure's downcast expression and asked.
âXun xunâŠâ
Little Treasure, still young and unable to hide his emotions, eagerly recounted everything that had just happened.
He couldnât understand why Lubao was so indifferent to his evolution news.
Qiao Sang glanced over at Lubaoâs direction.
Caught peeking, Lubao froze and quickly closed her eyes again.
Qiao Sang smirked softly and said, âI can guarantee that when you actually evolve, Lubao will be far from as calm as sheâs acting now.â
âXun?â
Little Treasure looked doubtful.
Really?
âReally.â Qiao Sang chuckled.
âWhen you evolve, Iâll record her reaction so you can see it yourself.â
Although she hadnât known Lubao as long as she had known Yabao and Little Treasure, Qiao Sang had come to understand her character pretty well over time.
Lubao usually kept a cold facade, except when it came to Yabao. Beneath her indifferent exterior, she had a slightly prideful, soft-hearted side.
âXun~â
Hearing her words, Little Treasure chuckled, covering his mouth with one hand as he nodded.
With one hand holding the phone, Qiao Sang used her other to gently pat Little Treasure's head and said softly, âIn the end, whether Lubai is calm or not isnât that important. You wanted to evolve and grow stronger for me, didnât you?â
âYouâve done it. Thatâs enough, right?â
âXunâŠâ
Little Treasure stared at his Beast Tamer in amazement, recalling his original intentions and remembering why he had started training so earnestly.
âXun!â
He nodded enthusiastically.
In the next instant, a bright white light enveloped his entire body.
Whoa! Evolution light!
Is he actually evolving right now?!
Itâs still morning! Based on the progression rate, it shouldnât have evolved until tonight!
Caught off guard by the sudden evolution, Qiao Sang was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered.
She adjusted her emotions, stepped back, and found the perfect angle to keep recording.
Yabao rushed over to watch, while Lubao swam to the edge of the pool, her eyes gleaming, never looking away from Little Treasure.
Qiao Sang noticed Lubaoâs reaction and remembered her promise to Little Treasure.
She quietly switched to wide-angle mode, zoomed in on Lubaoâs position, and captured a close-up of her expression.
As the white light began to fade, Qiao Sang quickly refocused the camera on Little Treasure.
The light dissipated.
What appeared on screen was a small creature, mostly gray with striking golden-yellow eyes.
His hairstyle resembled a flickering ghostly flame, trailing behind with tips matching his golden gaze. Each ear sported a gold hoop earring.
The golden earrings and fiery hairstyle gave the newly evolved Little Treasure-Seeking Demon an air of nobility.
But the noble aura didnât last long.
âXun xun!â
Little Treasure cheerfully floated over to Qiao Sang and began rubbing his face against hers.
âHold on!"
Qiao Sang finished the recording and slipped her phone into her pocket, grabbing Little Treasure to examine him closely.
âXun?â
He blinked, confused.
âWhy do you look half a size smaller than before?â Qiao Sang hesitated.
Little Treasure's evolution should have doubled his size, but now he looked even smaller than before.
And alsoâŠ
âYour hair color doesnât look right either.â Qiao Sang looked puzzled.
Sheâd done her research on the Treasure-Seeking Demonâs appearance. Its overall look was as expected, but the hair tips were noticeably different.
The typical Treasure-Seeking Demonâs hair tips were bronze, but his were a brilliant gold that shone in the sunlight.
This change was⊠so cool!