Everyone's pupils, facial expressions, and every single strand of hair were filled with shock.
One second, they were worrying if it was too painful for the Ice Lucario to be hit by so many ice spikes; the next second, the light of evolution erupted from its body!
Absurd! This was just too damn absurd!
Although there weren't many of the Ice Lucario species, they were far too familiar to the people of the Ancient Mist region.
Naturally, they knew a thing or two about the evolution conditions for each stage.
For an Ice Lucario to evolve into the high-grade pet Ice Ksylo, it had to experience an unprecedented feeling of happiness in its heart while it was snowing.
So, was the Ice Lucario happy just now?
And an unprecedented level of happiness at that?!
The audience's minds went blank.
The light before them was undoubtedly the light of evolution. Under the collective bombardment of a pile of ice spikes, the Ice Lucario was so happy that it evolved?
The impact of this information was too great, leaving the people of the Ancient Mist region unable to recover for a moment.
On the field.
As the dazzling white light dissipated, a pet appeared before everyone's eyes. It stood over 3 meters tall, with a generally blue body covered in sapphire-colored scales. It had a white crystal-like headpiece and a white circular gem embedded in its forehead. Its four pointed feet were white-tipped, and its tail, covered in blue and white scales, bore purple stripes, with only the final caudal fin composed of water. The entire creature radiated a mysterious aura.
The entire venue fell silent again for a few seconds, and then, the scene exploded.
"Ice Ksylo! Ice Ksylo!"
"Mom! I've seen an Ice Ksylo in my lifetime!"
"Ahhh! I never dreamed in my entire life that I would witness the evolution process of an Ice Ksylo with my own eyes!"
"I get it! I finally get it! Qiao Sang sent out Ice Lucario to fight the Ice Sea Lion specifically to make it evolve!"
"Heavens! I was wondering why Qiao Sang would send out Ice Lucario knowing she was certain to lose! It was for the evolution!"
"Qiao Sang is simply a born Beast Tamer! She understands too much!"
"This Ice Lucario's hobbies are unusual! I wondered why it was smiling so happily while being attacked by a pile of ice spikes! So that's why! So that's why!"
In the 9th row of Section C of the spectator stands, a middle-aged man wearing a black hoodie stared blankly for a long time before finally breaking free from the shock and realizing
"I was wrong. I never considered this way of making an Ice Lucario happy. Every Ice Lucario has a different personality; this one is a masochist!"
A refined young man beside him timely offered some flattery: "As expected of Dr. Jiang, I didn't even think of that point!"
...
In the contestants' area, the topic of conversation was completely different.
After the shock wore off, everyone's mood became incredibly heavy.
"Including this pet, does Qiao Sang now have two high-grade pets..."
"Too terrifying... I remember the records saying Qiao Sang is only 15..."
"Even God Ya didn't seem this overpowered at 15..."
"You're comparing God Ya to her? Are you crazy! There are plenty of Beast Tamers who are monsters early on but fail later. How many can be like God Ya! Wait until she's 18 and see if she can be like God Ya was at 18!"
"Do you think she might be the champion of the high school senior division for this year's National Campus Beast Taming League..."
"Don't say such terrifying things..."
"Doesn't that someone from the Hollow region also have two high-grade pets?"
"You mean Zhao Chuanyu, right? One of his pets was already high-grade when he contracted it. In terms of talent, he's no match for Qiao Sang."
"But that pet is very obedient to him, isn't it? In that case, it's not much different from one he raised; the strength can be utilized regardless."
"And then there's Shan Yongchun from the East Ga region. His ace pet basically settles other people's high-grade pets within half a minute. He's also a top contender for the championship."
"If Qiao Sang actually wins the national championship, our graduating class will lose face big time..."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
This topic couldn't be discussed in detail; the more they talked, the greater the pressure became.
...
On the field.
Qiao Sang, who was causing pressure for all the other contestants, looked completely bewildered.
To be honest, as her strength and experience grew, she hadn't felt this bewildered in a long time.
She had always felt that the evolution condition was too perverse for Lubao's personality to achieve. She didn't expect the condition to be met so abruptly!
Lubao was happy?
Why was it happy just now?
Was it because it learned Ice Flower Seal?
That shouldn't be it. Lubao would be happy to learn that move, but based on her understanding of Lubao, it wouldn't be happy enough to evolve directly!
Looking at Lubao, whose appearance had completely changed, Qiao Sang's brain almost fried trying to figure it out.
"Ice-ke."
As if sensing its Beast Tamer's gaze, Lubao turned its head and let out a cry.
Even its voice had changed... Qiao Sang gathered her thoughts, suppressed her shock and excitement, and turned her gaze toward the Ice Sea Lion.
Lubao was right; the match could continue!
"Freezing Wind!"
"Ice Spikes!"
Qiao Sang and Zhang Xueming shouted simultaneously.
In a match, it was common knowledge that a pet's evolution should not be interrupted haphazardly.
This was a competition, not a blood feud. Interrupting a pet's evolution was considered an inhumane act, and with a crowd of spectators, even those who wanted to interrupt wouldn't do so.
It evolved?! How did it evolve?! The person suffering the most in the entire venue was Zhang Xueming.
She thought she had already won, only for the opponent to pull an evolution?!
Wasn't this a pure test of her mental fortitude!
No words could describe Zhang Xueming's current mood. If there had to be one, it would be—Fuck!
Zhang Xueming exhaled. Once the Ice Lucario finished evolving, she impatiently issued her command.
She couldn't lose!
This match, she absolutely could not lose!
Ice spikes appeared out of thin air. This time, it wasn't dozens, but hundreds!
Looking at the drastically changed opponent, the Ice Sea Lion's expression became exceptionally serious.
As the ice spikes appeared, Lubao opened its mouth.
At that moment, the surrounding temperature inexplicably dropped several degrees, and a freezing chill spread wildly.
When the ice spikes collided with the Freezing Wind, the spikes stopped instantly. Hundreds of ice spikes were encased in a thin layer of ice shell and fell to the ground.
As one wave vanished, another arrived.
In an instant, hundreds of ice spikes appeared again out of thin air and shot forward ruthlessly.
"Water Jet!" Qiao Sang quickly issued the command.
Water Jet was the skill Lubao had the highest proficiency in among its attacking moves. In the past, its power wasn't apparent, largely because Lubao's body was too small.
But now... Qiao Sang looked at Lubao, who stood over 3 meters tall, and felt full of confidence.
"Ice-ke!"
Lubao cried out, and a massive torrent of water instantly enveloped its entire body.
The next second, Lubao shot straight up into the sky, then pivoted and charged toward the position of the Ice Sea Lion.
The Water Jet, like a massive pillar of water, was imposing, smashing the ice spikes in its path to pieces in an instant.
Just as Lubao was only 3 meters away from the Ice Sea Lion, Zhang Xueming's expression became frantic. With a wave of her hand, she shouted
"Freezing Touch!"
ps: It ends tomorrow!
(End of Chapter)