Koromon shouted at the top of its tiny lungs—then a pillar of light shot up from beneath its feet, and its small round body was instantly swallowed by the brilliance.
Jing Yuan crossed his arms, smiling softly as he watched. Though he'd already tested this phenomenon during the Six Charioteers Council meeting, seeing it with his own eyes again never failed to impress him. The way that transformation—no, evolution—occurred in mere seconds was far too extraordinary for the real world.
Yanqing, meanwhile, was glancing around in confusion.
Why… was there music in his ears? There were no instruments, no voices—yet some grand, inspiring melody was swelling out of nowhere.
Did my imagination just… compose its own background music?
Sure, he could play the flute—but this level of musical talent was ridiculous!
But the weirdness was only just beginning.
When he focused his gaze on that beam of light, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Within the glow, the small creature's shape was shifting rapidly—limbs, torso, and a head were taking form, transforming into something closer to a living being he could actually comprehend. Though still far from human, it now resembled a creature from his world's logic.
Yet that understanding only made it worse—his scalp tingled as he thought it through.
Yes, insects and amphibians underwent metamorphosis too—but those took months!
For a body to change this dramatically in an instant—its muscles, bones, and nerves twisting and reforming—it had to be unimaginably painful!
He imagined himself crumpled into a ball, or wounded so grievously that only a cursed relic and divine medicine could restore him in seconds. That kind of recovery would be agony beyond death itself!
The thought sent a chill down his spine. He hugged his shoulders reflexively, staring back at the pillar of light with clenched teeth.
It didn't even scream once.
For the first time, Yanqing felt a flicker of respect toward his unexpected new "junior."
If it were him, he wouldn't have been able to endure that level of pain without crying out.
"Koromon, evolve… into Agumon!"
The light faded—and before him now stood a small dinosaur about waist-high.
"Well, Yanqing," Jing Yuan said with a grin. "What do you think?"
"Uh…" Yanqing hesitated, unsure what to say.
He had to admit, the new form was a lot easier on the eyes.
After all, a floating round head with eyes, ears, and a mouth—yet no visible organs—had been downright eerie. Where would its lungs even go? As the saying went, "Even a sparrow, though small, has all its organs"—but at least sparrows weren't just heads!
Agumon, at least, looked like a living creature now.
But still…
Those sharp claws. That oversized head. How in the world was this thing supposed to hold a sword?
A disciple of the General naturally had to follow the way of the sword—or at least some form of martial weaponry.
Yet to hold a blade, one needed hands.
Was it supposed to tie a sword to each claw with rope? Or maybe its finger strength was so absurd that two claws could clamp a blade tight enough to duel with?
That sounded utterly implausible.
"General…" Yanqing struggled to find the right words, glancing uneasily at his master's hands. "You… didn't happen to receive some kind of claw technique from the Curio Trash Can, did you?"
He winced the moment the words left his mouth.
Sure, there were fist techniques and palm techniques—but claw techniques? That was something you saw in a rogue's odd trick, not a complete martial path.
Jing Yuan chuckled and shook his head. "Haha, of course not. It'll learn swordsmanship. You left early that day, so you didn't see what followed—allow me to explain."
He proceeded to tell Yanqing everything about the Digital World and its Digimon.
By the time he got to the part about evolution, Yanqing finally pieced things together.
"So… you're saying it will eventually evolve into a form capable of wielding a sword? That's… promising, I suppose. But isn't evolution rather unpredictable? Isn't it a bit hasty to accept it as a disciple so soon?"
His meaning was clear.
What if, when it finally grew arms, it turned out to have no talent for swordsmanship? A direct disciple of the General with no skill to pass on—it would be an embarrassment to both master and creature.
And besides, in all the history of the Xianzhou, no one had ever taken such a being as a pupil. Critics would seize the chance to gossip—even if their words did no real harm, it would still be an annoyance.
"Do you think your master so reckless?" Jing Yuan smiled faintly.
He understood the unspoken doubts perfectly. Holding up the Digivice, he explained, "Agumon's evolution was achieved by its own strength. But this device—after scanning my data—synchronized that information into Agumon's code, allowing it to evolve further with my essence."
"That's right!" Agumon chirped proudly, waving its tiny arms in the air. "With Jing Yuan's help, I can evolve into something this tall—bigger than this whole building!"
"So, Yanqing," Jing Yuan said with a glint of mischief barely hidden behind his gentle smile, "care to see how strong your junior really is?"
"Of course!" Yanqing agreed instantly—completely oblivious to that subtle shift in his master's tone.
After all, the way Jing Yuan had described it—evolution powerful enough to rival an Emanator, maybe even an Aeon someday—sounded almost divine.
And now that the creature was his junior disciple, Yanqing couldn't help feeling a faint sense of crisis.
No way this little thing surpasses me so easily, right? I've been training for years!
Getting shown up by a one-day-old junior? That'd be worse than losing his sword to Yunli—ten times more humiliating!
"Yanqing, come closer," Jing Yuan beckoned, his smile brightening—perhaps a little too much.
"Yes, Master." Yanqing stepped forward obediently, though confusion lingered in his eyes.
"Yanqing, it seems you still have much to learn." Jing Yuan shook his head with mock solemnity—then suddenly swung his arm down.
THUNK!
"Ah?!"
Yanqing's head snapped forward nearly ninety degrees as Jing Yuan's fist landed squarely on top of it.
"OWWW!" He clutched the fresh bump, realization dawning painfully fast.
Ah… so this is the 'training' he meant. Training my skull's endurance, huh?
Or maybe the lesson was simpler—don't talk to strangers.
"Master, what was that for?!" he asked, voice full of wounded confusion.
Jing Yuan raised his fist again. It was now covered in glowing orange pixel-like particles that flickered in and out of existence.
He sighed. "This Digital World power is impressive, yes—but for some reason, it can only activate when striking a head. I'm afraid you'll just have to bear with it."
Yanqing stared blankly between his master and Agumon.
So… after having a "second child," the "firstborn" was just for testing now?
Agumon… brother, you'd better be worth it.
A strange mixture of resignation and pity clouded his expression.
"Mm. Next month, your allowance will be doubled. Fair trade?" Jing Yuan added, his conscience pricked at the sight of that pitiful face.
"Deal! Absolutely deal!"
Could another punch mean another raise?
Yanqing straightened instantly, all smiles despite the throbbing lump on his head.
This way, he could clear his debts faster—and maybe…
Buy two more swords next month!
He shot Agumon a look of heartfelt gratitude.
Agumon, from this day forth, you're my brother in all but blood!
Jing Yuan led both disciples out to the plaza before the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Placing his glowing hand on the Digivice, he shouted, "Digital Soul—Charge!"
A brilliant beam of light shot from the device, enveloping Agumon completely.
The small dinosaur expanded rapidly—within seconds, it towered over the entire hall, transforming into a mighty Tyrannosaur!
Yanqing craned his neck back, utterly dumbstruck.
He hadn't realized before, but now it hit him—
How did it get that huge out of nowhere?!
No intake of matter, no added energy—it just was.
But the changes didn't stop there.
Metal plates began covering its arms, chest, and head—gleaming like forged steel. Mechanical wings sprouted from its back!
"What in the—?!" Yanqing gasped.
A dinosaur growing wings was one thing—but self-upgrading into cybernetics?! How could that possibly be biological evolution?!
And even then, it wasn't done—
The metallic Tyrannosaur was soon swallowed by yet another burst of light, its frame contracting slightly before reshaping—
Until it finally took on the form of a human.