Chapter 86 – Evolution of the Earth Spirit

In the dazzling, brilliant light.

The Rock Ghost’s form visibly shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Its height gradually decreased from nearly three meters to about two meters.

Yet the aura it exuded only grew stronger instead of weaker.

A powerful, heavy presence filled every inch of the surrounding space.

The air itself seemed to grow stagnant.

Everyone who witnessed this scene felt as if a heavy boulder had rolled onto their hearts.

They had trouble breathing.

The Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon in battle immediately cast its gaze over, its vertical pupils revealing a human-like wariness and fury.

Meanwhile, in the void before Lin Ze, on the semi-transparent panel, the data changed in an instant.

【Name】: Spirit of the Earth

【Attribute Type】: Earth

【Level】: Tier 6, Stage 5

【Growth Rate】: 0%

【Skills】: Earth Thorns, Boulder Impact, Stone Burst, Rock Guardian

【Divinity Path, next Evolution Form 【Rock God Soldier】, requirements: Growth Rate 100%, Earth Element Source Stone X10, Boundless Earth X1】

Once the Growth Rate reached 100%, the Rock Ghost’s level had already broken through to Tier 6, Stage 5.

And with its evolution into the Spirit of the Earth.

Its level directly crossed an entire major realm, surging to a staggering Tier 6, Stage 5!

Its strength underwent a heaven-shaking transformation.

Before long.

The light dispersed.

The Rock Ghost, or rather the Spirit of the Earth, revealed its form once more.

It still had a semi-transparent quality, a burly body of earthy yellow throughout.

But it was no longer the ferocious ghost appearance from before.

Instead, it had become a tall, stalwart warrior clad in armor from head to toe.

Its entire being radiated an indestructible, heavy solidity like the earth itself.

Liu Man and the others were already dumbfounded.

They all stared blankly at the scene before them, mouths agape, unable to speak.

It wasn’t unheard of for a pet beast to break through its limits during battle and evolve into a new form.

But it was extremely rare—almost like winning the lottery.

However, if that were all, Liu Man and the others wouldn’t have been so shocked.

What truly stunned and astonished them was the fact that it was Lin Ze’s pet beast that had evolved.

They knew this well.

Lin Ze’s earth-attribute pet beast had only just evolved less than a month ago.

Yet in such a short span of time, it had broken through and evolved again.

It was simply inconceivable!

For ordinary pet beasts, evolutions were always separated by months or even years.

A cultivation speed like Lin Ze’s was practically unheard of.

How on earth did he manage it?

Not far away, the members of the Gaoshan Club wore expressions as if they’d seen a ghost.

“To evolve at a time like this… What incredible luck is this?”

“Damn! This kid’s luck is way too good!”

“Wait, something’s not right. I remember Lin Ze’s earth-attribute pet beast only evolved not long ago, didn’t it?”

Someone suddenly exclaimed in shock.

Reminded by this, the others quickly realized it too, all showing expressions of utter disbelief.

For a rising genius freshman like Lin Ze, the Gaoshan Club had naturally investigated his information in detail.

They knew that Lin Ze’s second pet beast was a Stubborn Stone Monster purchased from a shop.

Shortly after, it had evolved.

At the time, many had marveled at it, remarking that Lin Ze had gotten incredibly lucky.

But who would have thought that before even a month had passed, this pet beast would evolve yet again.

This could no longer be explained by luck!

“Unbelievable!”

“How is this even possible?”

“Is this kid some kind of monster?”

All the Gaoshan Club members gasped sharply, their faces filled with barely contained shock and awe.

Luo Han was especially horrified, his expression so grim it looked like it might drip with despair.

He never imagined that Lin Ze’s pet beast would evolve at such a critical moment.

The Rock Ghost had originally been at Tier 5.

With this evolution, there was no doubt it had broken through to Tier 6.

A First Year student who had just enrolled, yet possessing a Tier 6 pet beast.

If this got out, absolutely no one would believe it.

Across the entire Second Year, no one owned even a single Tier 6 pet beast.

Luo Han had originally thought that although he had lost to Lin Ze in the wager duel, the gap between their strength wasn’t that large.

As long as he trained hard, he could one day defeat Lin Ze and reclaim his pride.

But now, looking at the distant Spirit of the Earth, that thought had vanished completely.

A monster with such terrifying talent—let alone surpassing him, even keeping pace with him was nothing but a pipe dream.

For a moment, Luo Han couldn’t help but feel a wave of dejection.

However, a surge of burning jealousy and hatred quickly welled up inside him.

Luo Han had always prided himself on being a genius, born into a prominent family, lacking neither talent nor resources—yet he was being outshone by someone of common origin.

How could his arrogant pride endure that?

At this thought, Luo Han’s gaze toward Lin Ze carried a trace of venomous resentment.

He wished the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon would swallow him whole in one gulp.

Xu Bing beside him was equally stunned, but he recovered far better than the others, quickly suppressing the shock in his heart.

“Stop gawking. Take the dragon egg now while we have the chance!”

Although an unexpected situation had arisen, the current circumstances were actually a good thing for them.

The stronger Lin Ze was, the longer he could hold off the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon.

That would give them ample time to take the dragon egg.

With the Club President giving the order, the others naturally dared not delay and snapped back to their senses.

Luo Han also gritted his teeth and suppressed the fire of jealousy in his heart, leaving the hillside with his companions.

“Roar!”

The Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon raised its head and let out a furious, enraged roar.

Unlike the other little insects, it keenly sensed a powerful threat from the Spirit of the Earth.

This was a formidable enemy capable of threatening its life.

And so, the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon decisively abandoned its other opponents and shifted its attention to the Spirit of the Earth.

With a flap of its wings, the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon charged forward amid a gale, opening its maw to spew a torrent of Dragon Breath.

The Spirit of the Earth had been suppressed the entire time, its heart already brimming with pent-up frustration.

Now that its strength had surged, it was naturally eager to fight back, and it charged forward without the slightest hesitation.

As it strode forward, four stone shields condensed around the Spirit of the Earth.

A dense earthy-yellow glow spread out, instantly enveloping its entire body.

It was the same Rock Guardian, yet the light was at least four or five times more intense than before its evolution.

The defensive power had surged by severalfold at the very least.

The faint black Dragon Breath slammed head-on into the Spirit of the Earth, dimming the earthy-yellow glow slightly before being blocked without a scratch.

At the same time, the Spirit of the Earth took a few large strides forward, clenched its fist, and slammed it hard into the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon’s abdomen.

The size difference between the two was enormous, like a grown man versus a child.

Yet the massive Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon, struck by that punch, reeled as if hit by lightning, letting out a pained howl as it was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the mountain wall not far away.

Boom!

A thunderous roar erupted.

The mountain wall instantly split with dense, web-like cracks.

Countless stone fragments cascaded down.

Liu Man and the other women stared blankly at the scene before them, feeling as if they were in a dream, their mouths agape and unable to speak.