Chapter 992: Where Competition and Friendship Coexist

Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1 

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The clamor in the arena was instantly silenced, as if someone had pressed a mute button. It was deathly still. Almost everyone’s eyes widened in perfect synchronization. The mechanical pet referee quickly lowered the green flag it hadn't fully raised and vanished from its spot.

"The light of evolution!" About two seconds later, Tian Yiwan snapped out of his shock on the commentary stand. 

He stood up, eyes bulging in disbelief, and shouted excitedly, "It’s the light of evolution! Steel Sword Falcon is evolving!"

Tang Xueran also stood up, her voice cracking with excitement: "This is the first pet to evolve mid-battle in this Regional Tournament! And it is our first time witnessing the evolution of an extraterrestrial pet in combat!"

"Audience members, please allow me a moment to calm my racing heart!" 

Tang Xueran took a deep breath and continued, "Some viewers might not know that Steel Sword Falcon is a brand-new evolutionary form, a galactic first. Its subsequent evolution has never been researched. Right now, at this very moment, we are witnessing a first! This is history!"

Tian Yiwan added passionately, "Friends! The match is not over!"

"Xun xun!"

"Xun xun!"

In the family seating area, Little Treasure finally couldn't help but reveal himself. He snatched the cheering stick from Liu Yao’s hand, waving it frantically while screaming in excitement. 

Most people were still too stunned by the light to notice him, but his cries acted as a wake-up call, cheers surged like a tide, and the arena instantly exploded into a deafening roar.

"Holy crap! It evolved! Steel Sword Falcon evolved!"

"Aaah! I’ve only ever seen this online. I’m finally seeing it in person!"

"Wait, is this Bond Evolution?"

"Definitely. They say the falcon's entire evolution chain is bond-based. Evolving now without any items? It has to be the bond."

"I don’t know, she just got struck by lightning dozens of times. Maybe the condition is getting struck by lightning?"

"...You might as well say that’s how the Thunder-Numb Spirit evolves."

"A galactic first?! Does that mean there’s only one Steel Sword Falcon in existence right now?!"

"Alright, I’m putting this on my resume: Witnessed the evolution of the first brand-new extraterrestrial pet form."

"Bonding all the way to King-level... Heavens, I want to contract one so bad!"

People were chatting fiercely while simultaneously pulling out their phones to record the light. No one wanted to miss a scene that would undoubtedly be discussed for years to come, including Wu Tianjiao’s fans.

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"Xun xun! Xun xun!" Little Treasure was still waving the stick. His little sister had evolved into a King-level! He officially had a King-level subordinate now!

"She evolved? She evolved!" Ye Xiangting was so excited she stood up abruptly. Her hands trembled as she pointed her phone at the field. Liu Yao, having lost his cheering stick, clenched his fists and abandoned his usual composure, punching the air several times. He had thought Qiao Sang had lost, but what a turn of events!

"Evolved... she evolved so quickly..." Mikayla stood up in shock before realizing her gaffe and sitting back down. As an S-rank Beast Master, her perspective was different. She knew the falcon had only stabilized its General-level form a few months ago. To evolve again so soon... the bond between Qiao Sang and her pet must be terrifyingly strong.

"Evolved..." Wu Tianjiao watched the scene with a cold feeling in her heart. In official matches, evolution cannot be interrupted. If the falcon succeeded, she was doomed to lose this round. 

Her plan was to let Thunder-Numb Spirit set up the field for the following rounds, but to lose the point this way felt like a sudden, jarring wake-up call from a beautiful dream.

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"Rumble!"

A massive thunderclap snapped Wu Tianjiao out of her thoughts. Seeing lightning about to strike the evolving light, she shouted, "Defend

"Lei ma!" Thunder-Numb Spirit understood immediately. Despite its own sinking heart, it circulated its energy, fur bristling as it barked at the sky. A terrifying bolt of yellow lightning tore through the clouds, but mid-air, dozens of bolts suddenly swerved, weaving into a massive twenty-meter Lightning Web that hovered above the light of evolution.

Boom boom boom! The violent lightning was blocked by the web.

"Wu Tianjiao has used her Thunder-Numb Spirit’s Lightning Web to block the field’s own attacks!" Tian Yiwan said, moved. 

"On this field, there is more than just victory and defeat, there is friendship! At this moment, competition and friendship coexist!"

Tang Xueran added, "True Beast Master spirit is about respect for the opponent. I believe Steel Sword Falcon will complete its evolution smoothly, undisturbed by the weather!"

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On the field, the white silhouette expanded. The purple feathers scattered across the ground flew up, spiraling into the light. Qiao Sang watched, feeling a sense of finality. This matched the prophecy: the lightning weather, the hovering web, and most importantly, the scattered purple feathers.

The white light expanded to roughly twenty meters before finally dissipating. Everyone’s gaze converged.

A giant pet appeared, approximately twenty meters tall. Her body was covered in hard purple armor with silver turbine-like devices on the upper part of her wings. Silver stripes decorated her body, and her head armor featured a conical protrusion. She had a silver-white metallic bridge on her nose, dark red irises, and purple pupils.

Just by standing there, she exerted an unprecedented pressure.

"The evolution is a success!" Tian Yiwan shouted. 

"Friends, the match continues!"

"Withdraw!" Wu Tianjiao shouted, reacting quickly.

Gangbao turned her eyes and looked at the Thunder-Numb Spirit. The spirit flinched, its fur bristling as it dashed away to create distance before finally daring to drop the Lightning Web. It had faced King-level pets before, but never one this massive. Is this really just King-level? it wondered.

Lightning continued to strike from the black clouds, shaking the air with its power. Bolts rained down on Gangbao, but she stood proudly, seemingly feeling no pain. She didn't even use Iron Defense.

"It doesn't hurt at all..." Qiao Sang was surprised and delighted. Her shared defense had increased significantly! Then if she was struck by lightning in the future, would it not hurt either? 

Amidst her flickering thoughts, she saw the lightning blast craters into the ground and immediately dismissed the idea of finding an electric-type pet to test it out. She was living well, she'd rather not be struck by lightning.

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"Gather!" Wu Tianjiao grit her teeth and shouted.

"Lei ma!" The spirit barked.

"Gang Zhan." Before the needles could even fire, Gangbao gave a short cry of apology. She shook her body, and her feathers erupted in a purple glow, raining down like divine blades toward the spirit. Qiao Sang understood; Gangbao felt bad because the spirit had protected her earlier, but a match was a match.

"Lei ma!" The spirit’s pupils shrank. Its instinct screamed: Dodge!

The instinctive physical reaction was faster than the thought. Just as those words appeared in the spirit's mind, it had already retracted its needles and turned into yellow lightning, racing across the field. 

To the audience, it was just a blur of light. But to a King-level pet, that speed was no longer enough. Gangbao’s eyes tracked the movement perfectly.

Suddenly, Gangbao turned into white light and appeared two hundred meters away. Almost the instant she stopped, the yellow light of the spirit came charging straight at her position. The spirit tried to swerve, but the suffocation of Air Absorption hit it again.

Before it could even register the pain, the rain of purple blades caught up from behind, striking it fully.

Bang bang bang!

The blades slammed into the Thunder-Numb Spirit until its eyes went vacant. Once the attack finished, Gangbao spread her wings, and the purple feathers flew back, re-attaching to her body. 

The spirit lay fainted on the ground. Throughout the entire ordeal, lightning had been striking Gangbao, but her expression never wavered, as if the bolts were mere raindrops.

"I lost..." Wu Tianjiao’s heart sank. The defense of this King-level form was terrifying. If Qiao Sang kept her on the field, she could likely stall until the Lightning Field expired. Her chances of winning the overall match had just dropped from 70% to 1%. She only had two King-level pets, while Qiao Sang had three.

"Thunder-Numb Spirit is down!" Tian Yiwan announced.

Tang Xueran sighed, "The gap between King and General levels is vast. Even a newly evolved King-level is beyond a General-level's reach. Before evolving, she couldn't track the spirit’s movements; now, it’s a different story."

The mechanical referee observed the spirit for two seconds and waved the green flag toward Qiao Sang. On the giant virtual screen, the spirit's portrait turned black and white.

"Let’s congratulate Qiao Sang for winning the first round of the semi-finals!"

"This will be one of the most memorable matches of this tournament." Tang Xueran concluded as deafening cheers shook the arena.

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T/n: Our smart Gangbao evolved!!! Lezzgoooo

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