Meanwhile, Princess Regina of Augustus sat in her private lounge, her expression composed and her posture dignified.

Her eyes were as calm as a pool of stagnant water that would never ripple.

But no one noticed that her fingers, resting on the sofa, had turned white from gripping, her nails digging deeply into the fabric, almost tearing through the upholstery.

"Regina, what do you think of this Mingxi?"

Lulu Xiu Martin, the head coach of Regina's personal team, sat down beside her. He was not only the leader of the team but also the Vice Commander of the Royal Knights.

However, his loyalty now lay not with her mother, the Empress, but with the current Regent.

In other words, Lulu Xiu was ostensibly there to protect her and help her advance further in the competition, but in reality, he was the Regent’s lackey sent to monitor her.

"Very impressive. Her command ability and mental composure are excellent, and her Transcendent creatures are uniquely outstanding. Kevin losing to her is no injustice."

Regina's tone was very calm, as if she were truly just ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) commenting on a completely unfamiliar and insignificant contestant.

Lulu Xiu Martin smiled upon hearing this. "I thought you'd be upset that Kevin lost.

After all, you spent a great deal of effort and care cultivating those two brothers. If he hadn't met Mingxi, he could have gone much further in the doubles match.

Instead, he was eliminated in the first round, which was both embarrassing and shameful!"

Regina's gaze shifted from the broadcast screen, her deep, empty eyes reflecting Lulu Xiu's sneering face.

Calm, emotionless.

Her direct, unsettling gaze was profoundly unsettling.

"Vice Knight Commander Martin, as a noble knight of the Empire, have you not heard the ancient saying from Dragonflower Country: 'Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war'?

Is losing always shameful and embarrassing?

If you are accompanying me to the Starsea Cup with such a mindset, then, with all due respect, you are probably not suitable to be my team's head coach.

Because I don't want to be mocked as embarrassing and shameful after I lose."

Lulu Xiu Martin's expression changed slightly.

"Your Highness, I absolutely had no intention of mocking anyone; I was merely expressing regret for Kevin."

Regina didn't even twitch an eyebrow; the deep pool in her eyes remained dead still, only her lips moving as she said, "I hope so."

"..."

Facing that face and those eyes, Lulu Xiu couldn't help but feel a chill. As Princess Regina matured, she became increasingly unfathomable.

However, the Augustus royal family now consisted only of the Queen and the Princess. The Queen's health was deteriorating daily, and she clearly didn't have long to live, while the Princess had always resisted marriage and had no offspring to date.

Yet, the Augustus bloodline was of great importance to Light Patrol Country.

Therefore, the Regent could only remain confined to his regency, a position he had held for a hundred years without change.

Lulu Xiu looked back at the screen.

Mingxi...

He had a feeling that Princess Regina regarded this Longhua Country person somewhat differently.

It seemed like she was paying too much attention?

But after testing her just now, he hadn't found anything unusual.

Was he overthinking it?

Saint Shield City was also a globally renowned city that never slept.

Brilliant neon lights spread across the steel forest, like a unique sea of stars.

Even at 2 AM, the streets were still as lively as a party.

There were several more matches to play the next day, so after Mingxi finished her routine debriefing meeting and her regular training in the Time Realm, she went to sleep with Little Silver Flower and the others.

"Drip."

A drop of clear, sparkling liquid quietly dripped from the central air conditioning vent in the bedroom.

It fell to the floor, shattered into a puddle, and then carefully re-formed. It stealthily 'plop-plopped' twice, confirmed no one was around, and no Transcendent creature noticed it, then began to squirm towards the bed.

Step by step, slower than a snail.

So slow that Bright Crystal, whose temper was usually impatient, finally couldn't hold back. Like an enraged lion, it leaped off the bed and stomped its paw onto the water droplet.

"Splat!"

With that, Mingxi and Golden Yuanbao Seven could no longer pretend to be dead. In the darkness, their eyes glowed like colorful lights.

"Black Pearl, turn on the light."

Mingxi spoke, and Black Pearl, who had become even more elusive after evolving to the Emperor rank, immediately complied.

As the light came on, the surroundings became bright.

Mingxi yawned, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and also got out of bed, walking over to Bright Crystal. "Cub, lift your leg so I can see."

Bright Crystal rolled its big white eyes and lifted its little paw.

Revealing the flattened little creature underneath.

Undoubtedly, this water-drop-like entity was a Transcendent creature.

Steel-type, Luanluan Ke.

Yes, Steel-type.

The only Steel-type Transcendent creature recorded by the Alliance that could be gaseous, liquid, solid, and carbonized.

It possessed extremely powerful shapeshifting and camouflage abilities, and after camouflaging, it could perfectly mimic the aura of the disguised object, including humans.

When they disguised themselves as humans, they could even speak human languages, communicating without any hindrance.

Furthermore, they could not be seen through by skills like Eagle Eye or Truth.

It was precisely because of this formidable camouflage ability that the Luanluan Ke species met with a devastating disaster.

Approximately 700 years ago, an ambitious individual assassinated the king of a certain country and had their contracted Luanluan Ke impersonate the king.

This impersonation lasted for a full century without any flaws. During that hundred years, the ambitious individual not only emptied the private and national treasuries of the royal family and the country but also launched aggressive wars against neighboring countries, attempting to seize greater power.

Unfortunately, this ambitious individual did not live in a good era, or perhaps he was overly arrogant and picked a fight with an unprovokable tough opponent!

The neighboring country was not only powerful but also had Beast Tamers who saw through the Luanluan Ke's disguise.

The century-long conspiracy was finally exposed, the ambitious individual was executed, and the Luanluan Ke species, which played a crucial role in this coup, suffered fierce retaliation from various countries, led by that neighboring country.

Mainly, the Luanluan Ke's camouflage ability was too overpowered. Those in high positions inevitably thought more deeply, worrying that someone might exploit the abilities of the Luanluan Ke species like that ambitious individual.

If a country's high-ranking officials were no longer themselves, but rather Transcendent creatures controlled by someone, then the tragedy of that country would likely repeat endlessly.

Luanluan Ke were already rare; with such a purge, they directly entered the countdown to extinction.

Now, the Luanluan Ke, this Transcendent creature, is already on the same legendary level as the Red Jade!

I didn't expect to see one here.

When it entered through the ventilation duct just now, even Lan Yue, who was exceptionally sensitive to auras and smells, didn't detect it.

It was only because Golden Yuanbao, who was on night watch tonight, had been keeping a constant alert with its Heavenly Eye, that it discovered this uninvited guest.

Don't let this Luanluan Ke's current small droplet appearance fool you; its true form is very likely larger than the room they are currently in.

Because it possesses the characteristic 【As You Wish】, similar to Little Silver Flower, allowing it to freely change its body size at will.

"Tell me, who sent you here to assassinate me?"