The entire arena fell into complete silence.
A few seconds later, a tidal wave of noise erupted from the stands.
âA high-level pet beast defeated a general-level one? Damn, thatâs the first time Iâve seen it live.â
âWhiteplume Goose is simply a disgrace to general-level beastsâŠâ
âLetâs not be too harsh. Whiteplume Goose does have some strength. There are general-level beasts weaker than it.â
âThe real issue is that Steel-Slash Giant Falcon is absurdly strong for a high-level beast. The combo of Air Absorption and Heavy Slam, if used against beasts of the same level, that move alone could end a battle.â
âNo kidding. A normal high-level beast averages around three meters in height, but it shot up to eight meters. Using Heavy Slam gives it a natural advantage.â
âI actually think Whiteplume Goose couldâve still fought, but it looked at its appearance on the virtual screen and seemed to faint from rageâŠâ
âHahaha! I saw that too, Steel-Slash Giant Falcon even pointed it out!â
âI get it now. Steel-Slash Giant Falcon was launching psychological attacks!â
âFrom the moment Steel-Slash Giant Falcon started plucking Whiteplume Gooseâs feathers, I knew this match wasnât going to be simple.â
Then someone suddenly said, âHey, did you guys notice that throughout the whole match, Qiao Sang didnât give a single command?â
Everyone paused for a second, then started responding with surprise: âHoly crap, youâre right! I didnât even notice, she didnât say a word!â
âUsually only those who are super confident in their beastsâ abilities refrain from giving commands. Has she really reached that level?!â
A red-haired man couldnât hold back and spoke up: âHey, hey, donât get carried away. This was a cross-tier battle. No matter how confident you are, you wouldnât just let your pet fight alone. Steel-Slash Giant Falcon, like Steel Guardian Falcon, evolved through a bond evolution. Iâve heard that beasts with bond evolution can communicate mentally. Qiao Sang was probably giving commands through the mind.â
Someone nearby glanced at him.
âHow do you know?â
The red-haired man explained: âMy pet beast identifier can identify the evolutionary path of the targetâs current form. Steel-Slash Giant Falcon evolved through bond evolution.â
Everyone believed him.
There were indeed pet beast identifiers with such functions.
And that perfectly explained why Qiao Sang didnât say a word during the whole match.
âBond evolution, huh⊠I give up. I was planning to contract a Little Steel Falcon for my next beast.â
âYou better do some research on Little Steel Falcon's reputation. Most people wouldnât dare make a contract with that type.â
âTrue. Making one bond evolve is already hard enough. But evolving it through bond evolution twice? Thatâs almost impossible to imagine.â
The conversation shifted from the battle to discussions about the Little Steel Falcon's species.
Even though Steel-Slash Giant Falcon's looks, power, and intelligence were incredibly attractive, the bad reputation of the Little Steel Falcon's and the fact that it had undergone bond evolution made everyone hesitate.
---
Amid the crowdâs chatter, Qiao Sang waved her hand and recalled Gangbao back into the Beast Codex.
The next battle would probably be a tough one
⊠Tao Jun recalled Whiteplume Goose while watching Qiao Sangâs movements, her heart trembling.
To be honest, that previous match had crushed her confidence.
She couldnât even win with a general-level pet against a high-level one. How was she supposed to deal with the other three beasts Qiao Sang had left?
At that moment, a mechanical voice rang out in the arena: â3, 2, 1, battle start!â
Tao Junâs mind went blank. She began forming seals at the fastest speed of her life.
The star array in front of her lit up first.
In terms of seal speed, she was still faster!
Tao Jun felt a flicker of joy and shouted: âPoison Mist!â
âEvil.â
A six-meter tall, deep purple toad-like beast with green eyes and razor-sharp red claws let out a cry and opened its mouth.
A wave of purple poison mist burst from its mouth, rapidly spreading across the arena.
Just as it engulfed most of the field, Lubao appeared on the battlefield.
Snowflakes began to fall.
âQiao Sang has summoned the endangered beast from Blue Star, Ice Aipalu!â The commentator shouted excitedly.
âWill it use the Ice Field Domain once again to end the match instantly?!â
The audience exploded with excitement.
âIce Aipalu! Ice Aipalu!â
âIce Field Domain! Ice Field Domain!â
âCrush Tao Jun! Crush Tao Jun!â
Nearly everyone was hoping to witness a general-level beast unleash a transcendent skill live.
Tao Jun: âŠ
Seriously, I didnât even do anything to you peopleâŠ
Hearing the chants, Tao Jun was speechless.
In the contestant area.
Pirite frowned slightly.
He was worried Qiao Sang might be influenced by the crowd.
Super-tier skills were powerful, but Ice Aipalu, though a general-level beast, had limited energy. Over-reliance on that move wasnât good.
Not to mention, if every battle started with Ice Aipalu using Ice Field Domain, then regardless of the opponentâs strength, Ice Aipalu would only last for one fight. It only had enough energy to use Ice Field Domain once, and couldnât fight another match afterward.
That wouldnât help it grow at all.
---
Slower with the seals againâŠ
Watching the poison mist creeping closer, Qiao Sang felt a little discouraged but quickly regained her focus and called out: âHold your breath.â
Lubao puffed up her cheeks, holding in a breath as instructed.
Qiao Sangâs brain kicked into high gear.
Evilwater Toad, the key danger with poison-type beasts is getting hit with their toxic skills. Even if no further attacks come, youâll keep taking damage over timeâŠ
Lubao did have Healing Light, but if the opponent turned the battlefield into a poison zone, even after healing, just one breath would result in poisoning again.
Lubao would have to keep healing non-stop. But during that time, the opponent would have plenty of chances to strikeâŠ
The match needed to end quickly.
âSeal it.â Qiao Sang gave the order.
At that moment, the thick purple mist filled the entire field, growing denser and completely obscuring the view.
âTao Junâs Evilwater water Toad has taken the initiative with Poison Mist. Ice Aipalu is now trapped!â The commentator narrated the situation.
To unleash a super-tier skill, a general-level beast must use all its energy and maintain intense focus. But with Ice Aipalu inside the poison mist, its condition would worsen and energy become unstable. There was no way it could activate Ice Field Domain in that state⊠This was her chanceâŠ
Tao Jun eagerly shouted:
âToxic Surge!â
Ice Aipalu likely had healing skills and was probably using them now. This was the perfect time to strike!
âEvil water.â
Evilwater Toad opened its mouth wide and sprayed out large amounts of green corrosive toxin. The poisonous liquid cut through the mist and began melting snowflakes on contact, spraying forward toward where Ice Aipalu was.
The audience couldnât see anything clearly through the purple fog, so they turned to each other and began to discuss.
âWhy does it feel like Ice Aipalu hasnât moved at all?â
âYeah, why hasnât it used Ice Field Domain yet? I was waiting for it to freeze the entire field and that toad along with it.â
âYou guys donât get it. Using transcendent skills isnât easy for general-level beasts. They need to be in peak condition. Ice Aipaluâs trapped in poison mist, it canât possibly use Ice Field Domain now.â
âWait, then isnât Ice Aipalu in danger?!â
âAlso⊠has anyone noticed the snowâs getting heavier?â
Everyone looked up at the sky.
Ice Aipaluâs snowy entrance had impressed them before, but now that they were familiar with its snowfall trait, they werenât as shocked as first-time viewers.
Combined with the dense purple fog and the anticipation of Ice Field Domain, most had ignored the snowfall.
But now that someone mentioned it, they finally realized, the snow really was getting unusually heavy.
âI thought snowfall traits were supposed to get weaker over time and eventually fade?â
âMaybe Ice Aipalu has a higher-tier snowfall trait?â
âThe snowâs supposed to peak in the first ten seconds. It shouldnât get heavier later.â
âThen whatâs going on with this snow?â
At that moment, one spectator guessed: âCould it be that Ice Aipalu is using a snow-based skill?â
---
On the field.
A large amount of bluish corrosive venom pierced through the poisonous mist.
The Evilwater Toadâs green pupils contracted now and then, clearly capturing the scene within the purple fog.
Just as the venom was about to hit its opponent, the other party dodged to the side and avoided the attack.
âEvil.â
The Evilwater Toad didnât hesitate. Its limbs tensed, and it leaped dozens of meters into the air.
âPuh puh puhâŠâ
It opened its mouth and continuously spat out glowing green acid bombs toward the ground.
The highly corrosive acid rained down like a torrential storm from above.
In the middle of its barrage, the Evilwater Toad suddenly felt a chill. Its body shuddered involuntarily.
It didnât see that a single ice flower had silently bloomed on the top of its head.
âThe Evilwater Toad has jumped into the air after launching a venom attack and is now continuously unleashing acid bombs!â The commentator maintained his professional tone as he passionately explained the match.
Suddenly, as if he had spotted something, his eyes widened, and an excited expression appeared on his face. His voice surged with genuine excitement: âAn ice flower has appeared on the Evilwater Toadâs body! No, within just a moment, itâs completely covered in ice flowers! It seems that Ice Aipalu unleashed an Ice Flower Seal within the poisonous mist!â
In the wide-angle view, snowflakes fell in clusters, and the Evilwater Toad, which had leaped high into the air, was now entirely covered in delicate ice flowers.
It looked just like a piece of ice sculpture artwork falling vertically from the sky.
Boom!
A loud crash echoed as purple mist surged.
âHoly crap! I was wondering why the snow was falling so heavily, it turns out Ice Aipalu used Ice Flowers Seal!â
âThis move is a total kill when paired with a pet beast that has snow-producing traits. You canât even tell itâs happening!â
âActually, the move can be identified. All pet beast skills have activation gestures, itâs just that the poisonous mist blocked the view.â
âTsk, but if you canât see it clearly, youâll end up like this Evilwater Toad,rushing straight into the snowstorm.â
âIf it had stayed down on the ground, it might not have been sealed so fast. After all, the poison mist is still corrosive.â
âJudging by how quickly the ice flowers covered it, this skill has to be at least mastered, or even at the ultimate level.â
The crowd buzzed with lively chatter, voices overlapping and noisy.
Tao Jun felt her heart sink completely.
She hadnât expected that, besides its Ice Field Domain, Ice Aipalu had another high-proficiency move, Ice Flower Seal.
Stay calm, itâs not over yet. The poisonous mist hadnât completely dissipated. It should still be able to corrode the ice flowers a little. Plus, she had drawn a spirit rune on the Evilwater Toad that, when the creature was in an abnormal state, would automatically channel energy to its tongue to stimulate saliva secretion.
..
Tao Jun took a deep breath and calmed herself a bit.
To be honest, she had drawn that rune after learning the opponent was Qiao Sang.
Of all Qiao Sangâs pet beasts, the one she remembered most clearly was Ice Aipalu.
That rune had been designed specifically to counter Ice Aipaluâs ice-type skills, and now it had truly come in handy.
Purple mist swirled around the ice-flower-covered Evilwater Toad. Though it hadnât dispersed, it had thinned significantly.
Inside the ice flowers, the Evilwater Toad maintained a spitting posture, completely frozen in place.
No one noticed a droplet of corrosive saliva dripping from the corner of its mouth.
When the saliva touched the ice flowers, it immediately melted a small section, leaving corrosion marks behind.
Just then, a massive ice spike, shaped like a small mountain, suddenly appeared above the Evilwater Toad.
BOOM!!
The giant ice spike slammed down violently, shattering into countless shards of flying ice.
Yet the ice flower imprisoning the Evilwater Toad remained intact.
The purple mist finally cleared.
It revealed Lubao, cold-faced but faintly exuding purple mist.
Still got poisonedâŠ
Qiao Sang saw Lubaoâs state and instinctively tensed.
âLu AiâŠâ
Unlike past matches, Lubao didnât immediately take the chance to heal. Instead, she gave a single cry.
In the next second, another mountain-sized ice spike appeared above the Evilwater Toad.
BOOM!!
The ice spike crashed down again.
And then, yet another one formed in the exact same spot.
Tao Jun: !!!
This is way too brutal!
BOOM!!!
With another huge crash, a fourth massive ice spike appeared.
Audience: !!!
Tao Jun was numb.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One giant ice spike after another smashed down.
No one knew how long it continued before the chaos finally ceased.
The camera zoomed in for a close-up
At that moment, the ice flowers on the Evilwater Toad had completely shattered, and its eyes were closed, it appeared to be completely unconscious.
The commentator swallowed hard and said, âAfter being hit by continuous massive ice spikes, the Evilwater Toad seems to have fallen into a deep coma. Is the match over?â
As he finished speaking, a mechanical-type referee beast approached the Evilwater Toad, observed briefly, and then blew the match-ending whistle.
âLetâs congratulate contestant Qiao Sang for winning this match!â
âLu AiâŠâ
Lubaoâs expression didnât change much, but she finally relaxed on the inside.
She had seen it very clearly, despite being sealed, the opponentâs dripping saliva had managed to melt part of the ice flower.
Thankfully⊠thankfully I have other offensive moves nowâŠ
Just then, her Beast Masterâs voice rang in her ear: âHeal yourself quickly!â
âLu AiâŠâ
Lubao finally realized that something was wrong with her condition.
She let out a call and her forehead gem began to glow.
A blue light enveloped her body.
Soon, the light faded and Lubao stood tall and refreshed, looking just like she did at the start of the match.