Chapter 204: Do You Still Love My Fist? Is This a Serious Discussion?

Yes.

The reason why Asher's expression was so serious and his emotions so complicated was because he had discovered something very important. Silverfang Tiger's evolution might not actually be an evolution.

Whether it was the reduction of the "evolution factor" or other aspects, the evolution path of the Striped Thunder Tiger seemed completely off.

'Eliminate all impossibilities.'

'No matter how ridiculous the final truth might seem, it must be acknowledged as the truth.'

The more Asher thought about his guess and how it conflicted with the current academic research in the pet beast field, the more his head ached.

"I did think about becoming a genius, but I never planned to be this kind of genius."

With a headache, Asher rubbed his forehead helplessly and said, "I really never intended to single-handedly overturn the entire pet beast academic world."

But...

Look at Silverfang Tiger's 'evolution'.

Then look at the Angel inside his phone.

Sigh.

"Silverfang Tiger's situation… rather than calling it evolution, it would be more accurate to say it's going in the opposite direction? Something like that? It's more like a form of degradation."

Sitting in his chair, Asher lightly tapped the table with his fingers, speaking words that were hard to swallow, yet his expression remained calm.

"It's like it's regressing to a more primitive, more feral state," Asher described his thoughts.

At that moment—

The Angel's voice sounded again.

["It's atavism."]

'Hmm?'

'Hmm? hmm? hmm?"

Smart people are smart because even a single word can lead them to connect a lot, a whole lot, of things.

Not to mention, the Angel had already pointed out the most critical clue.

Asher's face lit up with sudden realization.

"Atavism… So that's it! I understand now!", Asher clenched his left fist and hit his right palm as the last unclear part in his mind suddenly became crystal clear.

Unclear?

No, no, no.

His mind had never been clearer.

'Atavism.'

'If that is the case,' Asher released a few of his pet beasts and examined his little companions.

First up was Little Raven.

"If atavism exists, then we can infer that getting closer to mythical creatures and evolving toward them doesn't necessarily mean a higher probability of awakening bloodlines or increasing bloodline concentration."

"On the contrary, the greater the degree of atavism, the more advanced the awakening after evolving in that direction, and the higher the bloodline concentration will be."

As he spoke, Asher hugged Little Raven and ran his hand through its soft, warm feathers.

The smooth, shiny feathers felt like stroking a luxurious silk fabric, absolute top-tier texture.

Little Raven: "…"

Little Raven silently, silently stared at Asher, eyes practically screaming: 'Are you done yet?'

'If you're done, then let go, damn it!'

Asher: "Ahem."

'It really feels too good.'

When thinking, he subconsciously liked to hold something, to touch something. It was just an unbeatable feeling.

"Alright, alright, just bear with it a little longer. I still have things I haven't figured out," Asher looked down and patted Little Raven comfortingly, "Big Sis Raven is the best!"

A moment ago, Little Raven had been very angry.

But now… she was completely immersed in Asher's half-hearted compliments.

Clear-headed?

Hah, as if.

Not even a little.

As for Asher's words… well, they weren't lies. There were still things he hadn't fully figured out.

For example—

Both cases involved atavistic regression. Little Raven's mutation was atavism, and its future evolution path was observable to Asher.

[T/N: Atatvism means reappearance of ancestral charcters in a descendant]

'But why is it that when it comes to Silverfang Tiger, I can't see anything at all?'

'If there has been even a hint earlier, I won't have been so shocked, right?'

'So even if it is the same atavistic evolution… Hmm,' Asher came up with a suitable new name for this evolution.

'What is the difference between Little Raven's and Silverfang Tiger's atavistic evolution?'

"As expected," Faced with one question after another, Asher didn't feel discouraged. Instead, he became more and more excited, his entire being filled with an indescribable passion and energy.

The unknown was fascinating.

Turning the unknown into the known, that was an indescribable joy.

Asher liked it. He thrived on it.

Finally.

After two full days of research—

While others were on vacation, Asher was at the research lab.

While others went out to play, Asher was at the research lab.

While others…

In short, Asher was like a scientific maniac, living a simple two-point daily routine.

And just before the two-day holiday ended, he successfully discovered the key point of atavistic evolution. The relationship between reproduction and bloodline.

The moment Asher realized this critical factor—

He felt as if he heard a crisp crack in his mind.

Asher: "?"

'Is that the sound of my brain breaking?'

'Ahem!'

'Just kidding.'

It was the sound of his innate ability upgrading and evolving again.

This time, the evolution process was a bit long. It would take 72 hours.

"Well, no matter what, it's worth it," Asher calmly accepted reality.

72 hours was just 3 days.

Nothing too serious would happen.

And just in time, he had some clues about Silverfang Tiger's evolution path. The next step was to experiment and verify by letting those fifteen soldiers assist in Silverfang Tiger's evolution.

After two days of emptiness due to the holiday, the research lab was bustling again.

As soon as Asher walked in, he saw them whispering, chatting, and discussing something.

Words like "genius," "provocation," and "Professor Asher" drifted into his ears.

Having heard his own name, Asher: "?"

"After a break, it seems your extracurricular life has gotten quite eventful," Asher took a step forward, smiling, "What are you discussing?"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

At Asher's words, the entire group turned their heads in unison to look at him.

From their gazes, Asher subtly detected a pie chart of emotions. Three parts shock, three parts inevitability, four parts excitement… He instinctively stepped back.

Too late.

"As expected of Professor Asher, you perfectly fit every stereotype I had about you. Love it, love it," Levi gave Asher a thumbs-up.

Asher: "…"

For some reason, his fists clenched.

With a crack crack, he flexed his knuckles and smiled at Levi.

One second ago, Levi had been all "love it, love it."

The next second, he instantly chickened out.

"Calm down, let's talk this through," Levi raised a white flag.

"Hahaha!"

The entire research lab erupted in laughter.

Especially Pierce, who laughed the loudest.

Seeing this, Levi "viciously" glared at him, "Just you wait! I'll remember this grudge!"

Pierce: "?"

"Huh?"

"Huh huh huh?", Pierce looked shocked, his laughter abruptly stopping, "Wait, why am I the only one you're holding a grudge against?"

"Everyone else was laughing too!"

Pierce looked around.

Not a single person met his eyes.

Pierce: "…"

Asher patted the young man's shoulder.

'Why just you?'

'Because you look the easiest to bully, obviously!'

Asher skipped over this topic.

The grievances between research institutes should be left to the researchers to resolve themselves. If he got involved, it would only be awkward.

"Go on, why do you all have this inexplicable stereotype about me?", Asher asked, half-annoyed, half-amused, "Tell me, what kind of stereotypes?"

"It's about that recent international exchange conference," Levi, having had enough fun teasing, finally explained things simply.

Because the international exchange conference was about to be held, many geniuses from various countries were emerging.

Whether it was Blue Nation or Island Nation, which were already technological powerhouses. Or countries in the second tier of technology, like Beacon Nation and Eastern Nation, regardless of personal ambition or national interests, the presence of "geniuses" was necessary.

Not only did they serve as proof of a nation's strength,

but they also strengthened public trust. Especially among beast tamers. In their governments, significantly enhancing national cohesion.

"It feels like a giant talent show," Asher commented bluntly.

On that note, he had a sudden thought—

If someone turned this into a talent competition like Genius 101 or Genius Camp, it could be a pretty lucrative business.

Hearing his analogy, Chase, Levi, Eliana, and Pierce: "…"

That was a ridiculous comparison.

They wanted to refute him, but after thinking about it… they didn't know how.

"I'm making perfect sense," Asher spread his hands, seeing their speechless faces, and added sincerely, "I just find it funny that beast tamers' trust in their governments relies on something like this…"

"I mean, isn't there something fundamentally absurd about that?"

The others: "…"

Ahem.

He had a point.

But saying it out loud like this felt a little inappropriate, right?

Asher shrugged.

No big deal.

If it was awkward, they could just move on.

"So, did these so-called geniuses stir up trouble again?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

What kind of trouble?

Promoting their own geniuses was something every country did.

As per tradition, everyone followed an unspoken rule: you praise mine, I'll praise yours, and everyone benefits.

After all—

It wasn't as if every conference coincidentally produced the perfect genius every time.

Some exaggeration was understandable.

As long as the surface looked glamorous, that was enough.

After all, the true focus of the conference was never these so-called geniuses; they were merely political tools.

The real value lay in the technology exchanges and competitions that followed.

Hard scientific results, those were impossible to fake.

But this time, something unexpected happened.

Right at the start of the conference, some fool suddenly popped up, boldly claiming that their country's genius was superior to all others. That they were the one true genius.

That geniuses from other countries weren't even fit to carry their shoes.

Asher: "…"

"Where did this idiot come from?", He asked, genuinely baffled.

To make such a claim at this time and in this setting. If they weren't an idiot, then they were definitely an idiot.

A particularly brainless one.

"Cold and Eastern Nation."

Asher: "?"

'Wait.'

'Having one fool like this is already an anomaly, but two at the same time?'

Cold Nation… Asher searched his memory and finally linked it to a small nation south of the Pacific Sea.

A tiny country.

If ranked internationally, it barely made the fourth tier, lumped together with a bunch of other small nations.

Any lower, and it wouldn't even qualify as a legitimate beast-taming nation.

As for Eastern Nation… oh.

That one didn't surprise him.

Some countries, no matter what world they were in or how things changed, always retained certain… qualities.

Asher remained perfectly calm.

The only thing he couldn't wrap his head around was, "Cold Nation stepping up voluntarily. Isn't that just asking for a beating?"

Sure, this so-called "Genius Camp" was just for show, not the main event.

But that didn't mean that the countries being insulted would just let it slide.

Taking action against Eastern Nation was a bit tricky. It was still in the second tier of technological nations, and its overall strength was solid.

It couldn't compete with Soren or Eastern Nation, but it was leagues ahead of the smaller countries below.

If they really did have a genius and wanted to flaunt them on an international stage, it was understandable.

Maybe their "big brother" nation would even help cover for them, and the whole thing might just blow over.

But now…

Hmm.

It wasn't just Eastern Nation or just Cold Nation, both had jumped in together.

Now the situation was getting complicated and interesting.

Asher, relishing the gossip, stroked his chin with a gleeful expression, "Now this is getting good."

The others nodded fervently.

Absolutely—this was great entertainment.

Conflicts between nations were rare to witness firsthand.

The entire internet was watching, tracking updates, and preparing for some top-tier drama.

But Asher hadn't forgotten his original question, "Wait—then why did you guys bring up my name?"

"Professor Asher, you truly never lose sight of what's important. Your memory is amazing," Pierce gave him a thumbs-up.

Then, in a small voice, he added, "Actually, some online gossipers were discussing… If we had to pick someone who could truly crus—cough, outshine all these so-called geniuses, it would definitely be you, Professor Asher."

"If you were willing to step forward, no one else would stand a chance."

"Whether it's achievements, research contributions, pure genius or even looks."

Asher: "…"

Asher really wanted to ask—

'Is this conversation even serious?'

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