Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

Asher had been admitted through special recommendation, but that didn't mean he had completely lost contact with his previous classmates or teachers.

For instance, close buddies like Vicky were a given.

Even some classmates he had decent relations with would message him occasionally to chat.

Especially when big news about Asher broke out, they'd curiously ask a few questions or tag him in group chats. Whenever Asher saw these, he'd usually respond with a line or two.

But Old Arthur reaching out?

That was a bit unusual.

Asher opened the message and immediately understood.

[Old Arthur: Asher, are you in NY City recently? If possible, our school is holding a "Hundred Days Oath Assembly." We'd like you to come back and motivate your classmates, as well as the younger students. Do you have time?]

'Hundred Days Oath Assembly?'

Asher thought for a moment. His memory of it was faint, but it was essentially an event to hype everyone up before the college entrance exam.

[Asher: I'm free this week.]

[Old Arthur: It's next Monday!]

[Asher: Alright, I'll return to school the day before.]

[Old Arthur: Excellent, excellent!]

With three days until Monday, Asher wasn't in a rush to deal with it.

He decided to visit President Robb first to discuss setting up his own laboratory.

Given Asher's current status and familiarity with President Robb, he didn't even need an appointment to visit the Beast Taming Alliance. He could just give notice and go up.

"You want to establish a dedicated lab?" President Robb's face lit up with understanding after hearing Asher's intent.

"Haha! Sure, that's no big deal."

"Do you have a new research topic in mind and want to gather a team?"

"Uncle Robb, that's not the kind of lab I want to set up," Asher shook his head. "Not one where people disband after finishing a project and regroup for the next. I want a permanent lab that works for me exclusively."

President Robb: "?"

President Robb silently emitted a series of question marks, his face practically transforming into one big question mark.

"A permanent lab?" President Robb sat up straight, looking at Asher with disbelief. "Nobody sets up something like that."

It wasn't that professors didn't want to stick with the same team for every experiment—it saved time on team building.

The issue was... Projects often spanned two to five years, and after finishing one, the next wasn't guaranteed to start immediately. Professors needed breaks and inspiration for their next projects.

Meanwhile, the research assistants in charge of executing the professor's vision couldn't sit idle waiting for years. To get promoted or gain experience, they had to move on to other projects.

So, when Asher said he wanted to build a fixed lab, President Robb was understandably stunned.

"That's... difficult." President Robb clicked his tongue and detailed the challenges to ensure Asher understood the complexities.

Asher smiled. "Uncle Robb, have you forgotten my circumstances?"

President Robb: "?"

President Robb froze. 'Asher's circumstances...? Oh!'

"Uncle Robb, look at the time. It hasn't even been that long. After discovering the Fire Fox's new evolutionary path, Professor Henry and Professor Marie finished the follow-up. For the Rabbit-Hound's evolution, Professor Hugo is doing the same."

Asher spread his hands. "Forget two evolutionary paths in one year. Even one per year is enough to keep a lab busy for months."

And if a new evolutionary path emerged each year, the lab would have continuous work.

Moreover, even the numbers Asher provided were conservative. He could discover a new path every month if he wanted. The real challenge would be the lab keeping up with his pace.

Realizing this, President Robb: "..."

Silence.

Silence reigned over the bridge of today's conversations.

"This..." President Robb swallowed. He wanted to respond but was at a loss for words.

Asher's tone was too... casual.

President Robb had prided himself on being successful as the NY City Beast Taming Alliance president. But looking at the young and dazzling Asher across from him, the comparison was crushing.

It was so overwhelming that even knowing Asher was NY City's golden child, President Robb wanted ten minutes of solitude to recover.

But Asher didn't give him a chance to breathe. "I'm more worried if I discover two or three new evolutionary paths a year, can the lab verify them fast enough?"

"If not, I'll have to hire more people."

Every word was utterly sincere.

"... Just shut up." President Robb rubbed his temples, waving Asher off. "Fine, fine, I'll approve it."

"Send me your requirements. By the end of the day, I'll post them on the Beast Taming Alliance website."

Asher: "The candidates should be highly skilled and professional. They don't need to be local to NY City since accommodations are provided. Salaries should slightly exceed the average, with the extra funded from my lab budget."

Asher said this without a hint of guilt.

Unlike other professors who spent millions on resources and materials for years-long projects, Asher's innate ability saved on those costs.

Why not redirect some of those savings into employee benefits? Happy workers wouldn't complain!

Asher: Developing loyal and efficient "tool people" is essential.

President Robb, oblivious to Asher's sinister motives, laughed and tried to dissuade him. "If you allocate funds to salaries, your resource budget will shrink."

Asher waved dismissively. "No problem. As long as they perform well, my rank will rise quickly, and the budget will naturally increase."

Once again, President Robb was struck speechless.

He should've known better than to talk. Giving Asher a chance to show off was a mistake.

President Robb: Lesson learned for next time!

———

[In a Small City, Noctern Province]

Due to the low pollution index and the city's underdeveloped state with no factories, it was recognized as a green city. The evening sky was exceptionally beautiful, prompting passersby to stop and take photos.

However, a particular couple had no mood to appreciate this beautiful scenery.

Their clothing was not considered stylish; upon closer inspection, their coats were outdated and slightly worn. The husband, with wrinkles on his face and a slightly haggard, tired expression, carried a handmade cloth bag.

The wife, whose face also showed signs of age, held onto her husband's arm as they walked toward a small shopping mall not far away, planning their budget as they went.

"We're out of oil and salt at home, there's not much rice left either. Let's just buy a little bit of vegetables and meat... If we can't join a suitable lab soon, we really might have to go find other jobs in a few days." Although the woman was just in her early forties, she looked more than ten years older.

"Let's see... If it really doesn't work out, we can switch to another job." The husband, also in his early forties and in his prime, nodded. "People can't let work suffocate them."

"But if you hang in there a little longer with your qualifications, join a couple more project teams, you'll get promoted…"

As they spoke, the couple sighed simultaneously.

At the age of 22, the year Chase Grammer graduated, he already knew his aptitude was average. At school, he didn't dare to slack off for a moment, and in the end, he barely qualified as a research intern thanks to his solid professional knowledge.

Luckily, he was born in a time of great opportunity. After choosing the specialty of pet beast evolution, he was selected to join a professor's project group upon graduation, becoming a regular researcher under the professor.

He stayed in the project group for three years and met the love of his life—his current wife, Sarah.

For nearly two decades after that, the two devoted themselves to various laboratories.

Though they weren't particularly brilliant, they were honest and diligent, following the professor's lead and working steadily. Their dedication and rich experience made them sought after by professors when selecting their teams.

Within their small circle, the couple had earned a decent reputation for their competence.

With just a little more effort, they could have had a much better life... Who would have thought that in their last lab, they inadvertently offended someone, got blamed for a visible mistake, and were both kicked out before the project even ended?

Half a year had passed, and despite constantly moving between cities and interviewing for multiple new project teams, they hadn't been selected by any.

Such a situation was unheard of before.

When they reached out to their former colleagues, the responses were vague, and no one could tell them exactly what had gone wrong.

Switching careers was suggested. But thinking about how close they were to a promotion made them unwilling to give up.

On the other hand, starting over in a different profession would require learning from scratch. Already middle-aged, they weren't even sure if they could handle it.

Yet, if they didn't switch careers... they couldn't find a project team willing to take them in.

At that moment, a special vibration came from the phone.

Sarah quickly let go of Chase's arm, took out her phone, and logged into the official app of the Beast Master Alliance, which featured all kinds of posts and tasks.

The couple had been closely following laboratory recruitment updates.

Whenever a new research project was established and recruitment was posted, the app would send them an alert.

They hurriedly checked the update.

As they read, identical looks of confusion appeared on their faces.

"Forming a long-term laboratory?" Chase's eyes were filled with doubt. "Is this for real or just a joke?"

"It shouldn't be a joke… right?" Sarah's voice was uncertain. "If it's posted on the official site, it must have passed the review."

The review process included checking the qualifications to establish a laboratory, verifying the credentials of the lead researcher, and other aspects.

Generally speaking, posts that appeared on the official site were trustworthy and not scams.

Yet, the requirements for recruiting researchers for this laboratory seemed... like a scam.

"All you need is solid professional skills, honesty, diligence, and obedience..." Reading the listed requirements, Chase's face stiffened.

It was unnerving.

Each phrase, taken individually, seemed fine—native language phrases. But strung together, something felt off.

For typical laboratories, professors preferred recruiting fresh graduates.

Why? Because only among university students could they find highly talented individuals willing to work under professors to gain experience.

After a few years, these talented individuals would become professors themselves.

Compared to following others, they would naturally prefer leading their own research projects and forming their own laboratories.

Quick-thinking researchers clearly had better prospects than those who merely worked hard.

Chase didn't aspire to be the former—he simply lacked the talent.

But being the latter at least ensured a high-paying job compared to ordinary professions, along with the joy and sense of accomplishment when a lab achieved results.

Chase didn't mind being a cog in the machine. But he couldn't understand why someone would actively seek out cogs.

This made the "recruitment" announcement seem like a joke.

"Let me see..." Sarah quickly scrolled through the details and spotted something unusual.

"Wait a minute... The person forming this laboratory is... Asher Snow?"

Hearing the name, the couple exchanged a bewildered look, uncertain and doubtful.

At first, they couldn't recall who Asher was. The name seemed unfamiliar, though faintly recognizable.

They were familiar with most of the well-known professors in the field.

Who was Professor Asher?

After a few minutes, realization dawned on them simultaneously.

'Oh, right.'

"Asher... if I'm not mistaken, and it's someone from our field, it must be the one publicly thanked by Professor Damien—a national-level figure—on the Spring Festival Gala, right?"

Living in the southern region, Chase and Sarah had slightly more knowledge about Asher.

The discovery of the honeybug evolution path, the live-streamed academic conference by Professor Iris, the new evolution path for the little fire fox, and the introduction of the "Favorability" concept—these were all events they had followed closely.

Connecting these achievements with the "Professor Asher" on the site, the couple's eyes lit up, but their concerns deepened.

"If I recall correctly, this Professor Asher... is quite young, right?" Chase asked uncertainly.

Sarah nodded. "Not even an adult yet—just a few months away from turning 18."

Chase: "..."

"Stop overthinking. Are you going or not?" Sarah rolled her eyes. "You've confirmed the identity. Why worry about unnecessary details? You might not even be able to afford food soon."

Chase: "..."

'Right, right. Wife is always right!'

———

[NY City]

After Asher's request was posted on the Beast Tamer Alliance's internal website, he received calls daily from two or three people.

But none of the discussions worked out for various reasons.

In the end, not a single person actually showed up.

About this...

Asher didn't care much.

Instead, it was President Robb on the other side who was worrying for Asher.

"I told you earlier that your post was unreliable. There's no sincerity in it at all; it looks like you're just fooling around," President Robb complained. "Anyone who's managed to establish themselves in this circle has real skills. They're not just in it for a meal ticket. The professor's reliability and the research project's credibility are major factors for them to consider."

And then there was Asher...

Reliable?

Without seeing him in person, based solely on the text on the website… Sorry, there wasn't even a shred of reliability to be seen.

But Asher himself didn't seem to mind.

"Take it slow; this is a mutual selection process," Asher said with a broad, tolerant smile.

As for those who were truly ambitious... Asher felt they were unsuitable.

With his golden finger (cheat-like advantage), there was simply no room for those people to shine.

What Asher wanted to find was someone willing to be a humble tool, a mere cog in the machine.

At first, he thought this would be easy to find...

Unexpectedly, everyone turned out to be quite motivated, ambitious, and full of dreams.

Asher: 'No rush. Take it slow. The right person will turn up eventually.'

However...

Before he could assemble the right team for his lab, Asher had something else to prepare for—the Hundred-Days Oath Assembly starting tomorrow.

Asher: "..."

A headache.

He hadn't prepared any speech.

It was only in the morning that he remembered this event.

There wasn't even time for emergency help.

And the headteacher even called to remind him not to forget to arrive at school early.

Asher: *Feeling guilty beyond measure.*

But he still braced himself and headed out.

When the ship reaches the bridge, it'll straighten itself out.

Things always have a way of working out.

———

Meanwhile...

When the senior students of Eleventh High learned that a special guest had been invited to the assembly this year, everyone became curious.

"The school actually invited someone to hype us up? Are they sure something's not wrong?"

"This hasn't been a tradition in previous years… Something unusual must be going on."

"So, what's different about this year compared to the past?"

When this question was raised, silence fell over the crowd.

If you said nothing was different...

That couldn't be right.

It was very different.

Because... among the students of this graduating class, there was a legendary figure.

Even if they hadn't met him in person, they'd learned a lot through word of mouth.

For instance... several times in the latter half of last year, NY City's top trending topics had some connection to this person in their grade.

And then there was the Spring Festival Gala.

This person's name also appeared.

"Asher?"

Everyone glanced at each other, all thinking of the same possibility.

Then...

Whether it was Asher's classmates or the ordinary students without Beast Master talent, their eyes sparkled with excitement.

Asher!

This was the Asher!

The one who had already secured admission to Bluewind University as a senior.

Some had even caught wind of an intense online debate between Bluewind University and the TOP2 schools during the Chinese New Year.

It revolved entirely around Asher.

TOP2: "We have valedictorians from across the country."

Bluewind University: "We have Asher."

TOP2: "Our entry scores are the highest; not everyone can get in!"

Bluewind University: "We have Asher."

TOP2: "We've broken new records in Beast Master admissions."

Bluewind University: "We have Asher."

TOP2: "Our campus is full of attractive people!"

Bluewind University: "We have Asher."

TOP2: "…"

It was hilarious.

Because of Asher, the TOP2 universities and Bluewind University had already started a tug-of-war before the college entrance exam even began.

With just one sentence, Bluewind University easily left the TOP2 schools speechless.

The bystanders watching this online were laughing uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, students preparing for their college entrance exams shed tears of envy.

Look at him.

Being fought over by the top universities before the exams even started—what a dream life.

Compared to him...

When they were younger, they too had dreamed about whether to choose Jade Dragon or Flood Dragon University—oh, such tough life choices.

Jade Dragon was great.

Flood Dragon wasn't bad either.

After all, Jade Dragon had the word dragon in its name.

And Flood Dragon sounded so majestic.

Oh, the sweet struggles.

But now, facing the reality of the college entrance exams, they realized neither Jade Dragon nor Flood Dragon was within their reach.

And as they stared at Asher, their envy turned into bitter tears.

If only we had a brain like Asher's.

Before even arriving at school, Asher couldn't help but sneeze:"Achoo!"

He looked around—no danger, no cold.

But he was certain: someone must be badmouthing him.

The ordinary students were increasingly curious about Asher.

Since everyone was still students, the gap between the Beast Master class and the ordinary class wasn't huge. Many who were on good terms with Beast Master classmates boldly asked,"What's it like being in the same class as Asher for two years?"

"Smart? Asher must be pretty smart. He's been in the top three of the whole grade for the past two years, right?"

"But being in the top three and being the youngest genius in pet evolution research in NY City are worlds apart."

"How on earth does Asher do it? If only I had his brain too!"

This sentiment resonated with everyone.

When Asher stepped onto campus, he was met with burning gazes from his classmates.

Asher: "?"

The intensity of these stares made him instinctively take two steps back.

A little scary.

"Bro Ash, Bro Ash!" A bouncing figure waving enthusiastically caught Asher's eye.

It was Vicky.

Upon learning that Asher would return today, Vicky was incredibly excited.

It had been ages since he last saw Asher.

Vicky really wanted to pat his chest and shout at Asher, "My good boy!"

But, well, they were outside.

After some thought, Vicky decided to give Asher a little face.

Asher smiled and waved at Vicky. Just as he was about to walk over, their always mysterious homeroom teacher suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Asher, come to the office with me first."

The teacher placed a hand on Asher's shoulder, turned to wave off the group of students crowding around, and said, "Get back to your classrooms. There'll be plenty to see later."

Reluctantly, the students dispersed.

The teacher took Asher away.

But the gossiping passion among the students remained alive.

"It's been a month or two since I last saw Ash, and I feel like his whole vibe has changed." Vicky, sitting at his desk, slapped his thigh as he excitedly chatted with his usual group of friends.

What Vicky said about Asher's changed aura wasn't baseless.

When a Beastmaster contracts with a beast, their aura begins to merge with the beast's.

While the beast's personality subtly aligns with the Beastmaster's, the Beastmaster's demeanor also shifts to reflect the traits of their beast.

The higher the mutual understanding and compatibility between the two, the stronger the shared resemblance becomes.

"I wonder how powerful Little Raven has become. After going through that hellish training Asher set up for me, my Little Drogo finally broke through to Tier Four! Tier Four!" Vicky was visibly ecstatic, waving his arms like he was about to cry tears of joy. "Do you know how hard it was for me?"

"I never thought I could actually help Little Drogo break through Tier Four a hundred days before the college entrance exam…"

It felt like a dream.

Honestly.

This entire period felt like living in a dream.

Every day was exhausting.

Incredibly exhausting.

If it weren't for the belief in growing stronger, Vicky would've given up long ago.

He wanted to grow stronger.

He wanted to attend the same university as his good brother.

Vicky: 'I can do it! I'm capable!'

"Hmph~ Now that Little Drogo is at Tier Four, it can't possibly be a one-sided battle when fighting against Ash's Little Raven, right?"

Vicky raised his head and said proudly, "This time, I'm going to reclaim everything I lost."

His honor!

His status!

'Asher must acknowledge me as his "good boy!"'

'And we'll decide it through a battle between our beasts!'

Classmates: "…"

"Vicky, aren't you in the second year of middle school? Not the third year of high school? Your chuunibyou hasn't improved yet?"

"Humph!" Ronnie happened to walk by, snorting heavily when he heard this. "He's not chuunibyou; he's just got brain issues. It's untreated, and now it's gotten worse."

Vicky immediately glared at Ronnie, slamming his desk as he shot up. "Watch your mouth, kid. Who are you calling brainless? I think you're the one with the brain problem!"

"All you do every day is talk trash. What else can you do?"

Vicky was a troublemaker.

But Ronnie wasn't someone who would back down either.

Although this time, it was Ronnie who couldn't resist starting the quarrel, there was no way he'd apologize or admit fault.

"Am I wrong? You think you're Asher's bro, but did you see if he even looked at you? He didn't even glance at you before heading off with the homeroom teacher. What do you think you are to him?" Ronnie said with his neck stiff, a look of disdain on his face. "You really think you're his good bro? You're not even worthy!"

What Ronnie didn't expect was…

After hearing this, Vicky surprisingly didn't argue back.

Instead, he gave Ronnie a strange look.

Ronnie: "?"

"What's wrong with you? Brain really broken? Don't give me that creepy look. It's gross; I'm about to throw up," Ronnie said, frowning in disgust.

Vicky nodded.

Vicky: "Got it. Got it."

"You used to talk bad about my Ash, but now you don't anymore. Guess you've been won over by my Ash's irresistible charm."

"I knew it. Nobody can resist Ash's awesomeness."

"From what you just said, it sounds like you think I'm not worthy of being bros with Asher."

"But guess what? Your opinion doesn't matter. My Ash sees me as his bro." Vicky said, spreading his hands and flashing a mischievous smirk. "Heh~ You mad?"

"Even if you are, it doesn't matter. Your words, whether to me or to Asher, are as worthless as farts. Nobody cares about them~"

Ronnie: "…"

The surrounding classmates: "…"

'Wow.'

'Trash-talking is truly an art form, and you, Vicky, are the master.'

Looking at Ronnie's face, which was now a mix of red, green, and blue, it seemed he was only a breath away from an aneurysm.

Ronnie opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately turned and stormed off angrily.

"Heh heh~" Vicky chuckled smugly, "Look at him, exposed and too embarrassed to stay."

"What are you guys talking about? Seems lively." Just then, Asher's voice came from behind Vicky as he casually patted Vicky's shoulder.

The once-proud Vicky jumped like a frightened rabbit.

When he turned and saw it was Asher, he clutched his chest with a startled expression, complaining, "Ash, you scared me half to death!"

Asher calmly replied, "You've got a big heart. You'll live."

Instead of feeling ashamed, Vicky looked smug. Hooking an arm around Asher's shoulder, he played up their camaraderie.

"You're back already? Shouldn't you be preparing a speech with Old Arthur for the ceremony?"

"I even got my recording equipment ready. I was planning to capture your final high school speech."

"When you become famous, I'll sell it for a fortune."

Asher: "…"

Classic Vicky.

"The homeroom teachers will need a bit more time to prepare. I'll head out with you all later," Asher explained briefly.

How to put it?

The Hundred-Days Oath Assembly was originally just an event designed to motivate students preparing for the college entrance exams.

The speeches weren't particularly important.

The reason the school invited Asher back to participate in the event was that, in less than a year, Asher's identity had undergone a rapid transformation beyond their imagination.

The current students might not fully realize it yet, but Asher was already a legend.

However, just based on their curiosity about Asher, the school believed this was a great opportunity to help students gain a clearer understanding of the outside world in advance.

With a deeper understanding, they would know what direction to strive for next.

College had never been the end of life's journey.

College was just the starting point.

And after that starting point, there were still many roads for them to walk.

Using Asher to inspire the students and show them a glimpse of the outside world through him was an excellent opportunity.

Fortunately, Asher was willing to cooperate with the school.

Hearing this, the surrounding classmates curiously gathered around.

"Asher, how does it feel not having to attend school? Isn't it awesome?" A boy who didn't have a particularly close relationship with Asher asked curiously, his eyes filled with envy.

"An entire year's worth of free time. Just thinking about it makes me so jealous."

"If it were me, I'd be gaming at home nonstop."

Before Asher could reply, Vicky rolled his eyes and jumped in first: "Seriously? You're comparing yourself to my boy Ash? What are you even comparing? With what?"

"Who are you, and who is my Ash?"

"Even without school, Ash drives himself so hard that he practically burns out, alright?"

"Our Ash is already an official Beastmaster!"

The boy who spoke: "..."

The boy gave Asher a complicated look, as if he were looking at some heroic figure.

"Not to mention the admission requirements for Bluewind University's Beastmaster program, where the minimum threshold is to be an official Beastmaster, in addition to the academic scores." Asher explained with a smile, "Even though I was granted a direct recommendation, it's better to avoid special treatment whenever possible."

"An official Beastmaster... that's so hard…" Several classmates sighed like struggling students.

Hard.

Really hard.

Whether it was contracting two beasts and nurturing their strength to mid-tier Stage Three or advancing one beast's strength to Stage Four, it wasn't an easy task for them, who had contracted extraordinary creatures for less than a year.

Asher spread his hands: "For top-tier Beastmaster universities, this is basically the requirement. Being an official Beastmaster is just the starting threshold."

"The harder part comes at graduation, where you're expected to be at least a Stage One Beastmaster."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

It was like special effects in an anime.

Asher seemed to already see a group of people turning into statues, ready to crumble into pieces with a gust of wind.

"Seriously?" Asher said, perplexed, "Didn't you all already know this?"

'The homeroom teacher must have mentioned it.'

And there had always been related enrollment requirements online.

"They're just being optimistic," Vicky said, chiming in sympathetically, "Holding onto hope, thinking things aren't as bad as they seem."

Asher sighed helplessly: "You're overthinking it."

Classmates: *Heart shattered.*

"Asher, you've got such a sharp tongue. I'm just now realizing how brutally honest you can be," a classmate complained.

Asher shrugged: "It's not me being harsh—it's just reality."

As Beastmasters, universities were no longer ivory towers for them.

To graduate smoothly, they had to contract beasts, train them in battles, and strengthen their abilities… Every aspect required careful planning by the Beastmasters themselves.

Accepting this harsh reality sooner was better.

The disheartened classmates decided to skip the topic.

"Asher, is researching beast evolution hard?" Jenny stepped forward, blinking her bright eyes curiously as she asked in a soft, gentle voice, "…I've been self-studying a bit and find it interesting. Could you give me some advice?"

As she spoke, Jenny seemed a little shy, lightly biting her lower lip with her pearly white teeth as she gazed at Asher.

The surrounding classmates immediately started teasing.

A handsome guy and a beautiful girl—how could they not tease a little more?

Jenny didn't stop them, and Asher didn't comment on the teasing either.

There was no budding romance between them.

Asher had already figured out that Jenny was just trying to leverage her charm to get some reliable advice from him.

After all, while the college entrance exam was one thing, choosing a major for university and future career prospects was another.

People feared entering the wrong field or choosing the wrong profession.

Although one could still find good opportunities even after making a wrong choice, it was better to avoid those pitfall majors from the start… right?

"Advice, huh…" Asher pondered for a moment, looking a bit troubled.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help his classmates.

It was just that his personal experience wasn't exactly replicable.

Who else could do what he had done?

Seriously, who?

The golden finger of the chosen wasn't just for show.

Asher thought for a while before asking: "This depends on many factors. First of all, it's obviously a popular major—no need to elaborate; everyone knows that."

The classmates all nodded.

Right, right, right.

They all knew that.

If they could qualify, many of them would choose this major too.

"Talent, strength, brilliance, and effort all influence the final outcome," Asher continued. "Oh, and if you want to become an outstanding professor in beast evolution, the most important factor isn't effort but brilliance."

Asher spoke with a calm tone, devoid of any hint of boasting.

But his classmates: "…"

Jenny: "…"

Fortunately, Jenny had a good temperament and didn't lash out at Asher's unintentional humblebrag.

Perhaps it was also because she knew she wasn't a match for him.

"Brilliance… What exactly qualifies as brilliance?" Jenny pressed on, unwilling to give up.

If effort and diligence were the standards, Jenny had confidence in herself.

But this sudden "brilliance" metric from Asher… Before achieving any results, who could dare claim to be a genius?

Oh.

Asher could.

Because Asher truly was a genius.

So genius, in fact, that even if you didn't understand what he had researched, you could still feel the overwhelming aura of brilliance emanating from it.

For a brief moment, Jenny doubted if she had asked the wrong person. Maybe Asher really couldn't give her the reasonable and satisfying advice she sought.

Then she heard Asher continue: "For example, deducing a new evolution path for an beast by analyzing its personality traits and elemental attributes, hypothesizing its potential characteristics, skills, and abilities after evolution."

"And then reverse-engineering this hypothesis, utilizing various means and resources to narrow down and pinpoint the correct evolution path among countless possibilities."

"For instance, your Blue Jade Flower Beast—what new evolution paths do you hypothesize for it, excluding its current options?" Asher casually offered an example.

After finally digesting and comprehending this long explanation, Jenny: "…"

Her face paled.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Hypothesize?

Hypothesize what?

Her mind was utterly blank.

It was as if her brain screamed, "Who am I? Where am I? What did I just hear?"

Not understanding was not something she could fake.

Thankfully, Jenny quickly recovered from the blow. She tossed her hair and smiled sincerely. "It seems this major really isn't for me. I'll pass. I still have a hundred days to figure out a more suitable major for myself."

Jenny was clear about what she wanted.

She knew when to let go.

Her interest in beast evolution research was partly due to Asher and partly because the field was undeniably hot.

Graduating in this field offered excellent prospects, whether as an accomplished Beastmaster or securing a stable government job.

But after this conversation, Jenny realized that while the field was excellent, it wasn't suitable for her. Adjusting her goals early was a form of self-care.

The other classmates, listening to Asher and Jenny's exchange, finally realized something too.

Oh.

They knew absolutely nothing about choosing college majors.

It was almost like picking blindly.

But now that Asher was here, they could ask him.

Hadn't he already spent several months at Bluewind University ahead of time?

Don't miss this golden opportunity.

In the blink of an eye, Asher was surrounded by a crowd of classmates. Before he even realized what was happening, he had become a college major consultant.

Asher: "?"

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