"Chickie, let's go—let's head into the city and have some fun! You've never strolled around before, right? This time I'll show you the world!"
"Muu, muu!" (Yeah, let's go out and play together!)
The next day, in the institute dorm room, Jiang Xing stood by the bed, earnestly trying to persuade him.
The Rainbow Dragon Hatchling floated beside him, nodding along in agreement.
On the bed, the blanket bulged into a lump, with only half of a bald chicken butt sticking out.
From under the covers came a muffled cry.
"Cluck cluck!!" (I don't want to go out!)
Because of its past experiences, the Ugly Waterfowl had a withdrawn and self-conscious personality.
This personality made their Friendship easy to raise, but also meant they were easily satisfied.
Take Jiang Xing's contracted Ugly Waterfowl—after this period of close companionship, its Friendship had already reached max value. But instead of becoming more open, it had grown fearful of the outside world and even more unwilling to leave.
All it wanted was to stay in the institute's gentle comfort, quietly living out its life.
This was—
Ugly Waterfowl (Homebody Form)!
"Chickie, you can't stay wrapped up forever without ever stepping outside."
Jiang Xing sat on the bed, gently stroking the Ugly Waterfowl through the blanket as he patiently explained.
"Have you forgotten? You wanted to become something truly dazzling—you wanted to fully unleash your potential. That's why you bravely stepped forward and formed a contract with me—"
"But true beauty isn't just about appearance. It also requires a strong heart."
"If you let inferiority and fear trap you, shutting yourself off in your own little world…"
"No matter how hard I try, I won't be able to help you soar through the sky."
There wasn't a trace of falsehood in Jiang Xing's words.
After proving the Friendship theory, the next step was real evolution experiments.
Considering that the Ugly Waterfowl currently had no established evolution paths, its future was full of possibilities.
He planned to follow the example of the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling's first evolution—raising all the Ugly Waterfowl comprehensively, advancing both Friendship and Beauty stats in parallel, and pushing toward joint evolution.
First, he would explore as many evolution forms as possible.
Then, he would conduct detailed research on each evolution's conditions, set up control groups, and refine the corresponding research topics.
During this process, differences in personality, aptitude, and other factors would naturally lead to different evolutionary tendencies among the Ugly Waterfowl.
Among them, the one Jiang Xing valued most—was "Chickie," the one he had contracted.
Although Chickie wasn't like the Hatchling—who, even back as a Golden-Patterned Koi, was already a famous "fish king," capable of blasting away the jaws of a ferocious combat beast and possessing an innate fearless heart…
It was still the bravest among the three hundred Ugly Waterfowl.
It was the one who took the first step and entrusted its trust to Jiang Xing.
If Beauty evolution required not just a "Beauty" stat, but also inner conviction—confidence, courage, and similar traits—
Then Chickie was the most likely to meet those conditions.
And if there truly existed a composite evolution of [Beauty + Friendship]—
The one to achieve it would definitely be Chickie.
That was its "potential."
"Cluck…"
Under the blanket, the Ugly Waterfowl sensed Jiang Xing's sincerity.
It pulled its butt back inside, turned around, and poked its head out, looking conflicted.
"Cluck cluck…"
It understood Jiang Xing's good intentions…
But going out together with him was still too difficult.
Even now, when it occasionally sneaked out of the institute to bask in the sun, being seen by nearby wild Pet Beasts still subjected it to wary and disgusted looks…
Maybe, because of Jiang Xing's words, those wild Pet Beasts wouldn't attack it anymore.
But such emotions, rooted deep inside, clearly wouldn't disappear just because of a few sentences.
And thinking about the city—
More Pet Beasts, more humans…
Even more looks of disgust…
The Ugly Waterfowl couldn't help shrinking back under the covers, trembling.
"Cluck, cluck!" (I'm not going!)
"…Alright then. Forget it."
Jiang Xing let out a sigh.
Forcing it directly into public exposure really wasn't a good idea.
Training had to be gradual. If he forced Chickie to overcome all its fears at once, it might backfire and cause lasting psychological trauma.
Hearing this, the Ugly Waterfowl suddenly lifted the blanket and sat up, flapping its bald wings.
"Cluck, cluck~" (You guys go have fun—I'll stay and guard the house!)
"But Chickie, even if you stay home, you can't stop training."
Jiang Xing's tone shifted.
"You must start overcoming your fear from now on!"
"You must become someone truly confident—"
"At the very least, you can't keep hating yourself or your own kind."
"A Pet Beast that despises its own appearance and abandons even its own kind will never become something dazzling."
"Cluck…" (Okay…)
The Ugly Waterfowl nodded.
Jiang Xing had put in far too much effort for their sake.
Even if only to avoid disappointing him, it would do its best.
"Good. Since you agree, I'll leave this [Seduction] move manual to you."
"You'll take the other Ugly Waterfowl and study it carefully."
"When I come back, I'll take you out to charm the Pet Beasts around the institute and build your confidence."
"Do your best!"
"Cluck, cluck?!" (Seduction… me?)
The Ugly Waterfowl stared blankly at the move manual in front of it.
It simply couldn't imagine itself striking poses and trying to charm other Pet Beasts…
Wouldn't it get beaten up?!
It definitely would!!!
But seeing Jiang Xing's expectant gaze…
Thinking about how it had already refused once…
Thinking about how wild Pet Beasts had already seen it plenty of times—it was almost desensitized by now…
In the end, it still nodded with effort.
"Cluck!" (Alright!)
Just like the Dragon Ritual Dance move, the Seduction move didn't only include textual descriptions—it also came with demonstration videos for easier learning.
The videos featured beautiful Pet Beasts like the Iceflame Demon Fox and the Hundred-Eyed Peacock performing the move, displaying alluring and captivating elegance.
The move worked by showcasing one's own charm, using enchanting power to reduce an enemy's desire to attack, lowering their strength and accuracy.
Watching the Ugly Waterfowl open the video, studying it earnestly and researching the charm techniques—
A faint smile appeared on Jiang Xing's lips.
If he had directly told the Ugly Waterfowl to learn Seduction, it would have been hard for it to accept.
But if he framed it as going out into the city and facing high-pressure situations—
Then learning Seduction suddenly didn't seem so difficult. In fact, it might even work hard on its own just to avoid being dragged outside…
As for where the Seduction move came from…
Seduction was a "non-attribute move," like Cute Charm—its learning threshold was very low.
And since it wasn't an offensive secret technique, its value was far below something like Dragon Ritual Dance.
There was no need to go to Dr. Xu's library and pay 999 to get membership access.
You could just download a "top-tier Seduction manual" from the Demon Fox clan, and for an extra fee, even sign up for private lessons…
Of course, Jiang Xing mainly intended to use this move to test changes in Beauty, as well as to build the Ugly Waterfowl's confidence and reduce their inferiority complex.
As for directly increasing the Beauty stat—
He had block-based tech for that. No need for these courses.
"Let's go, Hatchling, little Qilin."
Time was about right. Jiang Xing left the institute, sat atop the Auspicious Cloud Qilin, and hugged its fluffy cloud-like fur.
The Rainbow Dragon Hatchling floated beside him, scattering rainbow light as they rose into the sky, heading toward Yuzhong City.
"Moo~" (Time to go out and have fun!)
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