Chapter 671: None of Them Are Simple

Qiao Sang opened the door, surprised.

“Vice Principal? Weren’t you supposed to arrive tomorrow?”

Liu Yao stepped inside in a hurry while removing his shoes.

“I rushed over right after disembarking from the starship, so I’m a bit early.”

As he spoke, he looked around as if searching for something.

“Blazing- where’s Fire Qilu?” Liu Yao asked eagerly.

“Let me see it quickly.”

“He’s training at the outdoor training field.” Qiao Sang replied as she led the way.

“I’ll take you there.”

Yabao seemed particularly excited today, having trained nonstop since returning.

Qiao Sang led the vice principal through the living room to the open-air training ground behind the house.

A red figure with flaming wings stood out sharply in the night, instantly catching the eye.

Liu Yao stood frozen, staring at the distant red silhouette like he was mesmerized.

It really evolved

… At that moment, Liu Yao finally felt the reality of Blazing Star Canine’s evolution.

“Yabao!” Qiao Sang called.

Yabao immediately stopped training and happily ran over.

“Yap Yap!”

He looked delighted when he saw Liu Yao, he hadn’t forgotten that the energy pills he used to take came from this human’s formula.

Liu Yao took a deep breath and reached out to touch Yabao’s fur.

Yabao didn’t dodge.

“Tell me again in detail how Blazing Star Canine evolved.” Liu Yao said, still petting him.

“Well, I used a Dream Enlightenment Stone on Yabao…” Qiao Sang launched into a detailed explanation of how she came up with sending Yabao to the volcano to evolve.

“You definitely used that Dream Enlightenment Stone well.” Liu Yao praised.

“Judging by the difference in appearance between Blazing Star Canine and Fire Qilu, it seems likely it picked the path best suited to it from the possible evolution routes.”

He kept talking as his hands moved from one leg to another.

“Yap…”

Yabao was starting to get a bit annoyed at being touched so much, but he held back, remembering those delicious energy pills.

Liu Yao continued, “A pet beast’s body color often reflects its internal attribute makeup. During its time as a Blazing Star Canine, it clearly had more psychic energy. But now, as Fire Qilu, the balance has shifted.”

Qiao Sang nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. All the skills Yabao awakened after evolving were fire-type.”

Then she seemed to remember something and said worriedly, “What concerns me now is that Yabao’s future evolution paths are completely unknown. There are a few possible routes, but I might not encounter another Dream Enlightenment Stone to guide him toward the most suitable form again.”

Liu Yao: …

He just evolved into a General-level, and you’re already thinking about the next evolution into King-level? Isn’t that a bit too early…

Liu Yao almost said that out loud but then remembered how it took only half a year for Blazing Star Canine to become Fire Qilu, and fell silent.

After a while, he said: “For most pet beasts, there are many evolution paths early on, but later these routes usually stabilize into a fixed chain. Once that’s set, multiple evolution forms won’t appear anymore.”

“Fire Qilu is already General-level. In theory, its bloodline should be fully stable, and its evolution chain fixed. So, what you're worried about shouldn’t happen.”

Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s good to hear.”

By now, Liu Yao’s hands had moved from Yabao’s front legs to his hind legs.

Qiao Sang asked, “Since Yabao is now Fire Qilu, is it going to be difficult to study how Flame Hound evolves into Blazing Star Canine?”

Liu Yao thought for a moment.

“It’ll be more troublesome, yes. But not impossible. When I created the energy pills for Blazing Star Canine, I based the formula on its body at the time. I still have those records.”

Qiao Sang considered this and said:

“Why don’t you scan Yabao’s body data now? Just in case he evolves again while you're still researching how Blazing Star Canine evolved into Fire Qilu.”

Liu Yao paused for a few seconds.

“That’s what I was thinking too.”

He no longer dared to view Qiao Sang with the lens of a regular prodigy.

After all, reaching 39% brain activation at age sixteen and evolving the first new-form advanced pet beast into General-level in just six months? That was beyond absurd.

Liu Yao added: “I’ll be staying on Chaosu Star for the next six months. If you need anything, come find me.”

Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up.

“I have something right now!”

“What is it?” Liu Yao asked.

“Yabao’s energy pills.” Qiao Sang said with a grin.

“I haven’t had a breeder customize a new formula post-evolution. I’ve been waiting for you to help.”

“Yap!”

Yabao immediately forgot about being touched for so long. He wagged his tail at Liu Yao, looking at him expectantly.

Liu Yao froze briefly, then smiled.

“Got it.”

---

Inside the house, a stranger had suddenly appeared, and he seemed very close to Qiao Sang. This piqued Gangbao’s curiosity.

However, she simply observed silently from the sidelines, making no sound.

That was, until the stranger looked directly at her.

“What’s this pet beast?” Liu Yao asked after scanning Yabao and noticing the other creature watching him.

“Steel Guardian Falcon. I contracted it on Chaosu Star.” Qiao Sang replied.

Liu Yao froze upon hearing that.

He’d been so preoccupied with Blazing Star Canine’s evolution that he’d nearly forgotten Qiao Sang had already contracted a fourth pet beast…

He looked at Gangbao.

Gangbao looked at him.

They stared at each other for a moment. Then Gangbao stepped forward and cried out with a “Gang Guard!” -asking if she could also get a custom energy pill formula.

She observed everything. This human was clearly more skilled than the one who’d checked her body before, after all, he gave Yabao such a high-level checkup. Plus, since he was close to their master, he seemed trustworthy.

“She wants you to check her body and make a formula too.” Qiao Sang translated, a bit surprised.

Uh?

Liu Yao paused before answering:

“It’s not that I don’t want to help. It’s just that there are breeders on Chaosu Star who specialize in Steel Guardian Falcons. They’d be better suited to crafting an energy pill for it.”

Qiao Sang grinned.

“No worries. She’s a bond evolution, first of her kind on Chaosu Star.”

Liu Yao: …

He’d been so focused on Fire Qilu that he’d completely forgotten…

Now that he thought about it, Qiao Sang had mentioned that before…

What a pity it wasn’t a Blue Star-native beast. otherwise, it could’ve been another research project…

Liu Yao thought with slight regret.

He composed himself, smiled at Gangbao, and beckoned:

“Come on. Let me take a look.”

“Gang Guard.”

---

The villa had plenty of rooms, so Qiao Sang let the vice principal stay over.

Liu Yao had come to Chaosu Star primarily because of Yabao, so he didn’t stand on ceremony and picked a first-floor room.

Around midnight, he heard a noise and got up to check the living room.

In the dim space, the computer screen’s glow immediately caught his attention.

There, he saw Ghost Ring Phantom floating in front of the computer, its claws tapping furiously on the keyboard, manipulating three-dimensional shadows in dark energy mode.

Liu Yao instinctively rubbed his eyes.

Realizing everything in front of him was real, he stood there in shock for a long time.

---

Early the next morning.

Qiao Sang saw the vice principal standing before her with huge dark circles under his eyes.

“Didn’t sleep well?” She asked, concerned.

“Probably couldn’t adjust from all the time spent on the starship.” Liu Yao replied wearily.

“Lubao, Healing Light.” Qiao Sang said at once.

The vice principal had been helping with both Yabao and Gangbao. If he got sick, she’d feel terrible.

Without hesitation, Lubao activated the gemstone on her forehead. A soft blue light bathed Liu Yao.

When it faded, the dark circles were gone, and Liu Yao looked calm and mature again.

“Feeling better?” Qiao Sang asked.

So this is what it’s like to be healed by a super-level skill…

Liu Yao had a very complicated expression.

He suddenly realized, even without Fire Qilu, none of Qiao Sang’s other pet beasts are simple…

“I feel great now.” Liu Yao steadied himself.

“I’m heading out to buy materials for energy pills. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Let’s go together.” Qiao Sang said.

“I’ve familiarized myself with 1st District these past few days, I know where to get what we need.”

That had actually been her plan for the day: Show him around.

“No need.” Liu Yao declined.

“You just focus on your work. I’ll handle the pills.”

He couldn’t bear to let a genius like her waste time running errands for him.

Seeing how serious he looked, Qiao Sang didn’t insist. She nodded.

“Alright then.”

She then gave him the house’s passcode.

---

Since the vice principal didn’t need her and Little Treasure didn’t place top three in the contest, Qiao Sang resumed training at the clubhouse as usual.

As soon as she walked in, she noticed that the receptionist and a few guests in the lobby were giving her strange looks.

Qiao Sang didn’t think much of it, until she saw Coach Elma giving her the same kind of look.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

“Why is everyone staring at me like that?”

Elma hesitated before asking, “You went to the ghost-type pet beast negative energy gathering contest yesterday, right?”

Qiao Sang blinked.

“How do you know?”

Elma gave her a complex look.

“You’re in the news.”

???

Qiao Sang was full of question marks. She immediately pulled out her phone and checked the trending searches.

“There’s nothing there.” She said while scrolling.

“Search the keyword: ‘Rare Appearance of Blue Star Ghost-Type Pet Beast.’” Elma said.

“Xun~”

Little Treasure immediately perked up.

That was clearly about him!

He floated over to Qiao Sang’s side and stared at the screen, eager to see what the news said about him.