After evolving into a Dream Butterfly, the little one's perception had skyrocketed, and it sensed no malice from the old man before it. But those eyes, staring straight at it, reminded the Dream Butterfly of a creature called a "pervert." How terrifying~! It hid behind Su Hao. Su Hao was also speechless.
The old man in front of him was clearly a researcher by trade—his messy hair and the scalp exposed when the wind blew gave away his identity. He was probably a Spirit Breeder who had rushed over upon hearing the news. A powerful one at that. But Su Hao politely declined. Doing research? No way. He was still young, and he wanted to keep his hair. Besides, since he was cheating through his own abilities, why would he bother with research!
The old man stomped his foot in frustration. "Oh dear! Young man, why are you so stubborn? You clearly have a gift for Spirit Breeding. Fine, here's a document on silkworm evolution research. I hope it helps you." He shoved a USB drive into Su Hao's hand. "With a new form appearing, the number of papers on silkworm evolution will skyrocket soon. You need to submit yours quickly. And think it over—spirit combat has no future. Your path lies in Spirit Breeding. I'll be waiting for your call!"
The old man was so enthusiastic that Su Hao could only mutter that he'd already uploaded the paper, then fled with the Dream Butterfly and Little Fire Crow.
...
At the entrance of the residential area, the old man stared blankly at Su Hao's retreating figure. "Huh? The paper's already been uploaded? What kind of paper is it?!" He grew anxious again. He couldn't chase after Su Hao to ask, nor could he have the reviewing editor send him a copy—that was against the rules. He had no interest in credit or contributions, nor did he lack that one evolution paper. But after researching for so long, he'd been heading in the wrong direction. Now, it was like having the answer right in front of him but being unable to uncover it. He'd have to wait until the review was complete and the paper was published on the Alliance platform. The old man was frustrated! "How long does the paper review take again? Half a day? A day? No, that's not right..." That was his own upload time. For ordinary people, it probably took five, six, seven, eight, or nine days. He thought for a moment, pulled out his phone, and made a call. "Hey, Xiao Ji? Check right now—see if there's a silkworm evolution paper uploaded this morning or yesterday. What for? Just get that paper approved!"
...
At the Dragon Country branch of the Spirit Alliance building, Ji Xingwen, the editor-in-chief responsible for reviewing papers on spirit evolution, stared blankly at his phone after hanging up. "Master Chen called just for this...? Could it be a paper uploaded by one of Master Chen's students? No, Master Chen isn't that kind of person." Chief Editor Ji was baffled. He could only open the backend and start browsing. Across the entire Dragon Country, countless papers were uploaded every day, even just in the field of spirit evolution. The backlog of papers awaiting review was endless. Most of these didn't require his review—only those uploaded by high-level Spirit Breeders or ones his editors couldn't decide on would land on his desk. Chief Editor Ji quickly found the paper Master Chen mentioned. "On the Third Evolutionary Path of Silkworms..." "Is this the new evolutionary form I heard about yesterday? The author is only LV2? And they used so many uncertain statements..." But as he read through it carefully, over and over, he thought, "I see. So that's it! What a genius idea!" Though the paper's requirements for the new silkworm form were still speculative, points like "Mist Flower can enhance mental power" and "Jade Bamboo pairs better with silkworms" were backed by relevant literature. Chief Editor Ji read and pondered. After a long while, he slapped his forehead. "Ah! I forgot Master Chen wanted me to fast-track the review!"
...
At the Spirit Master Guild, Su Hao received his Spirit Master certificate—Intermediate Spirit Master! In a small place like An City, that already made him a notable powerhouse. At An City No.1 High School, among the teachers, there were only two Advanced Spirit Masters and two Intermediate Spirit Masters. "If I wanted to start a business, being an Intermediate Spirit Master and a Junior Spirit Breeder would be a top-tier start." Unfortunately, Su Hao had no such plans. Nor did he want to. "Anyway, uploading improved techniques and papers earns me money, and it's not hard." Along with his own Spirit Master certificate, he also received identity documents for the Dream Butterfly and Little Fire Crow. There was a minor hiccup when getting the Dream Butterfly's ID—the staff couldn't decide since it had evolved from a silkworm into a Dream Butterfly. Fortunately, the evolution had taken place in a wood-type arena and was properly recorded. After a bit of hassle, the little one got its ID as desired. "Gu-nuo~~ Gu-nuo-nuo~~~" It bit down on the ID card, fluttering lightly, its big eyes curving into crescent moons. Little Fire Crow tilted its head and immediately chirped twice in response.
With the documents in hand and breakfast grabbed along the way, Su Hao leisurely returned to the residential area. When he reached the building, the old man was already gone. "I wonder when that paper will pass review?" Back home, Su Hao turned on his computer. With some free time, he planned to write a few more papers on silkworm evolution theories. Step by step, he'd build up to the example of silkworm evolution and deduce the conditions needed for the Dream Butterfly's evolution. He'd claim the reward for discovering a new evolutionary form! Easy money! Just as he was about to start typing, he remembered the USB drive the old man had given him. After a moment's thought, he plugged it into the computer. "Such detailed data?" Inside were analyses and experimental data on silkworms evolving into Rolling Cocoons and Six-Winged Flying Silkworms, along with theories on a third unknown form. Though the latter was wrong, it wasn't without value. In the hands of any high-level Spirit Breeder, it would be a dream resource. Even for Su Hao himself, it was useful—the notification of increased intelligence points was proof. "With this data, I might be able to finish the full paper sooner. Wait, who was that old man?" Su Hao fell into thought. Casually handing over such data—that didn't seem like something a high-level Spirit Breeder could do. Was it a Master? Master Chen! Su Hao finally remembered who that disheveled old man was. A high-level Spirit Breeder, after publishing enough papers and accumulating sufficient contributions, could be promoted to Master by the Spirit Breeder Association. And Master Chen's contributions to spirit research were immense—he was practically the top figure in the Dragon Country's spirit evolution field. "That Master said he wanted to take me on as a student?" Su Hao had to admit he felt a slight temptation. In terms of status, a Spirit Breeding Master was on par with a Champion-level Spirit Master. Becoming Master Chen's student would ensure a smooth start on the path of Spirit Breeding. But... he couldn't patiently devote himself to research. Nor was he ready to go bald. "Spirit Master is the path I've chosen." Su Hao wanted to explore new worlds, uncover more secrets. He also had to admit that having powerful spirits by his side gave him a greater sense of security. He wouldn't give up the path of Spirit Breeding either. He'd pursue both.
---
PS: About the name of the final evolution form—I initially planned to call it "Butterfly Fairy," but I noticed some readers aren't used to naming patterns like "XX Animal → Animal XX"... I actually like it myself, and there are plenty of such names in *Catch the Spirit*. So, what should it be called? I can still change it later—I'm open to suggestions.
PS2: Spirits theoretically have no gender. You can think of them as either male or female ←_←, or that certain types lean female and others male—it's up to your interpretation. The scientific explanation is that spirits, influenced by humans during evolution, sometimes take on humanoid forms. But humanoid isn't human—they can only be cute, so don't overthink it.