The room was far too quiet, and when Dr. Xu spoke, it was completely sudden.
Jiang Xing almost misheard it as, 'Crown Prince, when do you plan to ascend the throne?'
He blanked out for a moment before snapping back to his senses.
"I haven't even obtained the Researcher title yet. Talking about becoming a doctor is way too early…"
"Not early at all."
"Let's set aside the research topic on the Death Secret Realm for now. How long has it been? Not only did you complete the Personality Hypothesis, you were even able to immediately propose—and prove—an entirely new type of Pet Beast data…"
"At this rate, it won't be long before I can congratulate you on becoming a doctor."
Dr. Xu looked emotional, his tone completely free of teasing—
If the Personality Hypothesis could be attributed to Jiang Xing's luck—his raised Golden-Patterned Koi just happened to serve as evidence…
Then Friendship was something Jiang Xing had entirely relied on his own ability to explore and discover—a completely new field!
One had to understand: the times had changed.
Decades ago, when Pet Beast research had just begun, there were unexplored fields everywhere.
Back then, the researchers, as the first pioneers, could propose any theory or conduct any study, and it would be highly pioneering and innovative.
However, as Pet Beast research developed, most common fields had already been thoroughly explored.
Later researchers, while able to stand on the shoulders of their predecessors, were often constrained by those same achievements, only able to study derivative theories.
Under such circumstances, opening up an entirely new field was undoubtedly extremely difficult.
But Jiang Xing had done it!
Although the Friendship Theory he had proposed was still immature—
It had only corrected the effect error of the "Training Power" move and proven the existence of an emotional energy called Friendship—
It was still, undeniably, the discovery of a brand-new island on the edge of a continent that had already been explored by countless people!
Faced with such a groundbreaking result, as a researcher from the pioneering era, Dr. Xu would never rashly conclude that it was merely a narrow little island…
On the contrary, he had a vague premonition.
What lay hidden behind Friendship was not just an island.
It might even be an entirely new continent!
If that were truly the case…
Then forget becoming a Beast Taming doctor—Pet Beast research as a whole would usher in a second knowledge explosion!
"That's a bit exaggerated, isn't it…"
Jiang Xing scratched his head.
He had originally thought that merely correcting a move's effect and proposing the existence of Friendship might not attract much attention…
It seemed he had underestimated a doctor's keen intuition.
From a single clue, one could infer the whole picture. Having only just understood Friendship, Dr. Xu had already grasped its importance.
"Exaggerated?" Dr. Xu chuckled. "Putting on an act in front of me—you're still too green for that. Since you've presented this paper, you should already have an idea for your next research topic… Is it the hypothesis and proof of Friendship as an evolution condition, or the hypothesis and proof of other emotional energies?"
"…It's Friendship evolution."
Since his teacher had already seen through him, Jiang Xing didn't bother hiding it.
He laid everything out and revealed his next research topic.
Dr. Xu nodded. "Good. Compared to proving the existence of more emotional energies, evolution conditions are what you should prioritize—"
"As long as you can prove that emotional energy is a necessary condition for evolution."
"Then the value of this entire line of research will rise accordingly."
"At that point, you'll be able to attract more scholars to invest in research in this new field—and as the results accumulate, your status as the founder of this field will only grow higher."
As Dr. Xu spoke, a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.
To be honest, when Jiang Xing first enrolled at Yuzhong University two years ago, Dr. Xu had thought this new student was somewhat "slow," not as sharp as his senior students.
Looking back now, it seemed he had misjudged him.
Jiang Xing might very well become the first among his many students to obtain a doctoral title.
After thinking for a moment, Dr. Xu spoke again.
"Researching a brand-new evolution field requires more Pet Beast knowledge."
"I'll inform the puppet butler—whenever you come here in the future, you can go directly to the library section to consult materials."
"In the library's Pet Beast training section, there are detailed records of various training methods, as well as move manuals and the like. You can browse them as needed—just remember to return them afterward."
"Thank you, Teacher!" Jiang Xing was overjoyed.
Dr. Xu had spent decades researching Pet Beasts, completing countless projects and acquiring an unknown number of move manuals and training methods.
All of it had been placed in the Xu Hai Research Institute's library—representing the accumulation of his lifetime of knowledge!
Previously, when Dr. Xu taught Jiang Xing, he had only treated him as a regular student, imparting standard Pet Beast research knowledge.
Now, opening the library to him undoubtedly meant he fully recognized Jiang Xing—treating him as a true successor!
…
After parting with Dr. Xu, Jiang Xing eagerly entered the library.
As soon as he stepped inside and saw rows upon rows of neatly arranged bookshelves, he was completely stunned.
They contained not only detailed training methods and observational data for various Pet Beasts, but even move manuals related to top-tier attributes such as time and space!
Any one of those move manuals, if taken outside, would be priceless.
Not only that, many of the Pet Beast research books also contained Dr. Xu's annotations and thoughts—insights from a top scholar, which were the truly invaluable knowledge.
After browsing for a while, Jiang Xing didn't choose any move manuals. Instead, he took down Habitats of Common Water-Type Pet Beasts and The Influence of Environmental Factors on Pet Beast Evolution, then left the library.
After all, he wasn't a Beast Tamer. His need for move manuals wasn't that high.
At most, some research topics might require them, and he could borrow them when needed.
Moreover, training Pet Beast moves required a great deal of time and energy.
And right now, what he lacked most was precisely energy.
Taking two Pet Beast research books to study slowly was more than enough.
'Still, Teacher ultimately underestimated me.'
On his way back to the research institute, Jiang Xing recalled his conversation with Dr. Xu and couldn't help but smile.
Admittedly, Dr. Xu had guessed that his next research topic would be Friendship evolution…
But he would never imagine that Jiang Xing could go even further—simultaneously advancing Beauty Theory, Beauty Evolution, and even the derived Charm Theory!
This was also an entirely undiscovered new field!
This was precisely why Jiang Xing chose to publish The Hypothesis and Proof of Friendship instead of hiding it until he had proven Friendship evolution and releasing everything at once.
He had too many research topics on hand, and training Pet Beasts required time—there was no way one person could handle it all.
Better to publish the paper directly, allowing more scholars to participate and help analyze additional Friendship evolution forms.
It was the same principle as when Dr. Ail published the Personality Hypothesis.
After returning to the institute, Jiang Xing uploaded his paper to the Beast Tamer Association's academic database.
Once it passed review, he opened his social media account, posted the link, and added a caption:
[Paper approved. Another project finished—finally time to take a break. (Sticker: exhausted baby dragon collapsing)]
The post went live, and a storm began to brew.
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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
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