Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 992: Where Competition and Friendship Coexist

The arena's noise died away in an instant, like a switch flipping to silence. It became eerily quiet. Nearly all eyes popped open at the same time. The robotic pet referee swiftly dropped the green flag it had barely lifted and disappeared from view.

"The light of evolution!" Roughly two seconds passed before Tian Yiwan recovered from his daze up in the commentary booth.

He jumped to his feet, his eyes nearly popping out in astonishment, and yelled with thrill, "It's the light of evolution! Steel Sword Falcon is evolving!"

Tang Xueran rose too, her voice breaking from the rush: "This marks the first time a pet has evolved right in the middle of a fight during this Regional Tournament! And it's our initial glimpse of an extraterrestrial pet evolving in actual battle!"

"Folks in the audience, give me a second to steady my pounding heart!"

Tang Xueran drew in a long breath and went on, "Certain viewers may not realize that Steel Sword Falcon represents a completely new evolutionary stage, the very first in the galaxy. No studies exist on what comes next for it. At this exact instant, we're seeing something groundbreaking! This is making history!"

Tian Yiwan chimed in with fervor, "Everyone! The battle isn't finished yet!"

"Xun xun!"

"Xun xun!"

Up in the family viewing section, Little Treasure could no longer hold back and showed himself. He grabbed the cheering stick right out of Liu Yao's grip, flailing it wildly as he shrieked with joy.

Most folks remained too shocked by the glowing light to spot him, yet his shouts served as an alarm, igniting waves of cheers that crashed like ocean surf, turning the arena into a thunderous uproar.

"Damn! It evolved! Steel Sword Falcon evolved!"

"Aaah! I've just read about this stuff online. Now I'm watching it live!"

"Hold on, is this Bond Evolution?"

"Has to be. Word is the falcon's whole evolution path relies on bonds. Evolving without any props right now? Must be the bond effect."

"Not sure, she just took a bunch of lightning hits. Could be that lightning strikes trigger it?"

"...You could just as well claim that's how Thunder-Numb Spirit evolves."

"A galactic first?! So there's only one Steel Sword Falcon in the whole universe at this point?!"

"Fine, adding this to my resume: Saw the evolution of the inaugural brand-new extraterrestrial pet form."

"Bonding straight to King-level... Gods, I crave a contract with one so much!"

Conversations buzzed hotly as people whipped out their phones to capture the glow. Nobody aimed to overlook a moment destined to spark endless talk for years, not even the fans of Wu Tianjiao.

---

"Xun xun! Xun xun!" Little Treasure kept swinging the stick.

"She evolved? She evolved!" Ye Xiangting leaped up in exhilaration. Her hands shook as she aimed her phone at the arena. Liu Yao, now without his cheering stick, balled his fists and forgot his typical poise, jabbing at the air repeatedly. He'd figured Qiao Sang was done for, but this reversal was incredible!

"Evolved... she did it so fast..." Mikayla shot to her feet in surprise, then caught herself and settled back into her seat. As an S-rank Beast Master, she viewed things differently.

"Evolved..." Wu Tianjiao stared at the sight with a chill gripping her chest. In formal contests, no one can halt an evolution. Should the falcon pull it off, defeat in this round was inevitable for her.

Her strategy involved having Thunder-Numb Spirit prepare the terrain for later battles, but dropping the point like this hit like a harsh jolt from a sweet illusion.

---

"Rumble!"

A huge thunder boom yanked Wu Tianjiao from her reverie. Spotting lightning poised to crash into the evolving glow, she bellowed, "Defend!"

"Lei ma!" Thunder-Numb Spirit got the message at once. Even with its own spirits falling, it channeled its power, fur standing on end as it howled at the heavens. A fearsome yellow bolt ripped from the clouds, yet in flight, scores of strikes veered sharply, twisting into a huge twenty-meter Lightning Web that floated over the evolution light.

Boom boom boom! The fierce lightning got halted by the web.

"Wu Tianjiao's Thunder-Numb Spirit has deployed its Lightning Web to stop the field's natural assaults!" Tian Yiwan declared, his voice thick with emotion.

"Beyond just winning and losing on this field, there's camaraderie! Right now, rivalry and bonds walk hand in hand!"

Tang Xueran chimed in, "The real essence of a Beast Master shows in honoring the foe. I trust Steel Sword Falcon will finish evolving without weather interference!"

---

Out on the field, the white outline grew larger. Purple feathers strewn across the dirt lifted off, swirling into the radiance. Qiao Sang observed it all, sensing closure. This fit the foretold signs: the stormy lightning, the suspended web, and above all, those drifting purple feathers.

The white glow stretched to about twenty meters wide before fading away at last. All eyes locked on the spot.

A colossal pet emerged, standing around twenty meters high. Tough purple armor sheathed her form, with silver turbine structures on the top sections of her wings. Silver lines accented her frame, and her head armor sported a pointed spike. A silver-white metal bridge crossed her nose, her irises gleamed dark red, and purple filled her pupils.

Simply by existing there, she radiated an unmatched aura of dominance.

"Evolution complete!" Tian Yiwan bellowed.

"Viewers, the fight goes on!"

"Withdraw!" Wu Tianjiao called out, snapping into action.

Gangbao shifted her gaze toward Thunder-Numb Spirit. The creature jolted, fur spiking as it bolted back to gain space before at last releasing the Lightning Web. It had tangled with King-level pets in the past, but none this enormous. It pondered in bewilderment.

Lightning kept slamming from the dark clouds, rumbling the atmosphere with raw force. Strikes poured onto Gangbao, yet she held her stance tall, showing no sign of discomfort. She hadn't even activated Iron Defense.

"It doesn't hurt a bit..." Qiao Sang felt both stunned and overjoyed.

In the midst of her racing mind, she noticed the lightning pummeling pits into the earth and quickly scrapped any notion of grabbing an electric-type pet for a trial. Life was good; she'd pass on getting zapped herself.

---

"Gather!" Wu Tianjiao clenched her jaw and commanded.

"Lei ma!" The spirit yipped.

"Gang Zhan." Even before the needles launched, Gangbao let out a brief apologetic note. She quivered her frame, and her feathers blazed purple, cascading like holy swords down at the spirit. Qiao Sang got it; Gangbao felt guilty over the earlier safeguard, yet battles demanded focus.

"Lei ma!" The spirit's eyes widened in alarm. Its gut yelled:

The body's reflex outpaced the mind. The very moment that idea flashed through the spirit's head, it had pulled back its needles and morphed into yellow lightning, streaking over the terrain.

To spectators, it blurred as mere light. But against a King-level pet, such velocity fell short. Gangbao's eyes followed the path without flaw.

In a flash, Gangbao became white light and materialized two hundred meters distant. The second she halted, the yellow streak of the spirit barreled right into her spot. The spirit attempted a dodge, but Air Absorption's choking grip struck once more.

Before pain even registered, the purple blade shower overtook from the rear, hitting it square.

Bang bang bang!

The blades pounded the Thunder-Numb Spirit until its gaze dulled. When the barrage ended, Gangbao unfurled her wings, drawing the purple feathers back to embed on her body.

The spirit collapsed unconscious on the ground. All through it, lightning had battered Gangbao, but her face stayed calm, treating the strikes like simple drizzle.

"I lost..." Wu Tianjiao's spirits plummeted. This King-level version's toughness was horrifying. If Qiao Sang left her out there, she might drag things out until the Lightning Field wore off. Her odds of taking the full match had plunged from 70% to a mere 1%. She commanded just two King-level pets, against Qiao Sang's three.

"Thunder-Numb Spirit is out!" Tian Yiwan proclaimed.

Tang Xueran breathed a sigh, "The divide between King and General ranks looms large. Even fresh off evolution, a King-level outstrips what a General-level can handle. Pre-evolution, she couldn't follow the spirit's speed; post-evolution, everything's changed."

The robotic referee scanned the spirit for two seconds and swung the green flag Qiao Sang's way. Up on the huge virtual display, the spirit's image shifted to grayscale.

"Congratulations to Qiao Sang for claiming victory in the semi-finals' opening round!"

"This battle will rank among the tournament's most unforgettable clashes." Tang Xueran wrapped up as roaring applause rocked the arena.

------