As its appearance changed, Black Pearl's aura also leaped from Emperor-level to Saint-level, and it was even at the peak of Saint-level!

Its entire body's condition was restored.

It could be confirmed that this was an exclusive evolution without a doubt!

Because it was a new evolutionary form, Mingxi, Guangguang, and no one else in this world knew what its current form was called.

But it was beautiful.

A cold, aloof, noble beauty, as if the king who had slept for thousands of years in the sea had awakened.

It gave people a feeling of being unapproachable and beyond admiration.

"Infernal?!"

As a Venerable-level pet, Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard naturally felt threatened by this suddenly surging aura!

One of the competition situations that no contestant, including Mingxi, wanted to encounter was this exclusive evolution.

Especially when they had finally managed to corner the opponent's pet, were about to win and take a round, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ and then the opponent made a sound and underwent an exclusive evolution!

Not only were all previous efforts wasted, but the opponent also gained a significant level!

Who the hell could reason with that?

Chu Kuangsheng used this exact tactic to mess with his opponent's mentality in the last group stage match.

Of course, if the exclusive evolution was on one's own side, then popping champagne midway wouldn't be excessive, right?!

"We absolutely cannot let it counterattack!" Nino gritted her teeth.

She commanded: "Yanwan, Earth Shattering Star, maximum energy!"

"Black Pearl, Burial Sea Elegy."

Mingxi and Nino almost simultaneously shouted their final commands!

Black Pearl floated in the air, her hands held out as if embracing the sorrow and wrath of the entire ocean, and an invisible yet soul-tearing song of lament silently descended, piercing directly into Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard's brain!

Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard, on the other hand, gathered all the energy in its body, compressing the power of the earth and fire to the extreme, forming a giant, lava-burning boulder that smashed towards Black Pearl like a meteor!

Neither side dodged!

No defense!

This was their all-out attack.

It was the final burn!

And also the ultimate collision!

"Boom!!!"

An earth-shattering explosion rang out.

The ultimate collision of mental Impact and physical energy!

A terrifying energy storm swept across the entire arena, and the protective shield flickered violently!

As the light faded... the battle stage was in ruins, strewn with jagged rocks, and dust billowed.

Black Pearl and Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard had both fallen onto the shattered ground.

Black Pearl reverted to its Atonas form, a 'delicate and weak' little mermaid, now on its last breath.

It was wounded all over its body.

Most glaringly, a sharp shard of rock was lodged in its right eye, almost destroying half of its face.

Blood gushed, mixing with sand and ash.

A horrific sight!

But it still kept its left eye, which was also bleeding, fixed on the Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard opposite.

Even though it had undergone an exclusive evolution to Saint-level, directly hit by the Heavenly-Rank skill Earth Shattering Star, which had a large amount of energy compressed, it still couldn't escape unscathed.

And the Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard, which it was staring at, wasn't much better off.

Although Burial Sea Elegy was a mental attack, because it was hit while it was fully using a high-damage, high-burst skill like Earth Shattering Star.

The mental sea was chaotic and backfired, directly causing the energy to riot during its skill release, completely out of its control.

It was equivalent to it also suffering the damage of Earth Shattering Star.

With mental Impact plus self-detonation, its situation was equally dire.

Its whole body was charred, and its scales were damaged.

However, Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard was still standing, although it was swaying and its breath was faint.

But it was still standing!

After all, it was Venerable-level.

Mingxi softly murmured, "Good baby, you've done very well."

Fighting two consecutive battles, undergoing an exclusive evolution, and directly clashing with Earth Shattering Star, an incredible Fish Baby!

She was about to recall Black Pearl.

Suddenly, she noticed that Black Pearl's energy was draining away.

Hmm?

"Clatter."

Black Pearl's tragically beautiful tail weakly slapped the ground.

A wave of energy flowed out with it.

Like a breeze, or like fine rain.

Nino realized something was wrong and shouted urgently: "Yanwan, get out of the way quickly!"

However, Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard, with its heavily injured body and its mental sea still in turmoil, let alone dodging, even standing was already very difficult.

The energy wave quietly and naturally flowed over its body, enveloped it, entwined it, and froze it.

Then, a Curse mark lit up on its forehead.

Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard: "!!!"

Nino: "!!!"

Mingxi: "..."

Looking at Black Pearl, who completely fainted after its perfect move, Mingxi had a feeling that her own child had finally turned 'dark'.

"Thud."

Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard, which was already hanging by a 'thread', finally collapsed, and Black Pearl's inspired Curse became the last straw that broke its back.

Even if it didn't erupt in this round, it would become a shackles restricting its actions in the next round, rendering it completely useless.

"Both pets have lost their combat ability, score 1:2."

The second round ended in a draw. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The entire arena was silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous applause!

This applause was not only for the two Beast Tamers, but also for Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard and Black Pearl, who underwent an exclusive evolution during the match.

Especially Black Pearl.

It fought two consecutive rounds, and both were against higher-level opponents.

One round it defeated a Saint-level, and one round it drew with a Venerable-level.

With such a record, calling it the MVP of this Starsea Cup wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"Black Pearl!"

"My little Mermaid Prince, my beautiful husband who usually can't take care of himself but can beat up Venerable-levels in battle!"

"Black Pearl! I want to have your babies!"

The audience was going wild.

On the command platform, Nino Abby stared blankly at the fallen Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard, then looked at Atonas, which Mingxi carefully recalled into her Pet Space.

The nameless stuffy in her heart was hard to articulate.

Did she... lose to a 'Curse' again?

A bitter smile.

It really was... unfortunate.

She silently recalled Infernal Flame Dragon Lizard, her gaze towards Mingxi extremely complex, containing unwillingness, indignation, and also a hint of imperceptible relief.

Mingxi noticed her gaze, but this time she said nothing.

What's wrong with Black Pearl pulling a fast one on the opponent at the end?

Curse is its skill.

There's no reason to demand it not use it, right?

Moreover, it was able to use Curse in that situation, precisely grasping the timing and cleverly using the opponent's psychology.

(๑`▽´๑)۶

Her Black Pearl was simply an extraordinary little genius!

The third round, and possibly the final round, began in this eerie atmosphere.

As always, both Beast Tamers summoned their pets.

"Go, Bright Crystal!"

A flash of light, and a small figure, about half a person tall with a three-head-tall body, appeared on the arena.

Its single eye sparkled, and it wore a red soul tuan made of ordinary fabric.

It looked harmless, even a little cute.

But when its feet landed, there was a dull thud, indicating that its weight far exceeded its appearance.

【Note: The red soul tuan is an item and is not allowed in competitions. If discovered, it will be considered cheating, and in severe cases, the contestant's qualification will be revoked. Therefore, during the competition, the red soul tuan, Sea God's Artifact, etc., were all put away by Mingxi.】

Opposite, Nino's pet had also appeared.

"Whoosh—!"

An unpleasant smell, a mix of strange sweetness and burnt odor, spread out.

Appearing in the arena was a bizarre Transcendent creature.

It seemed to be a humanoid figure woven from twisted, dark purple flaming vines and pale bones.

It had no distinct face, only a hollow area like a melted mask, with an eerie purple flame flickering at its center.

Its arms were two winding, fiery tentacles with scorpion-like stingers at their tips, and its lower body was a shimmering purple fire cloud, moving silently and scattering corrosive ashes.

Blazing Demoness, a Saint-level Fire and Poison dual-element Transcendent creature!

Due to Nino Abby's fire affinity constitution, almost all of her contracted pets were fire-elemental, and many had extraordinary origins.

For example, this Blazing Demoness is said to be the product of a failed ancient alchemy experiment, where during the experiment, the rare fire and poison dual-element energy went berserk, causing the laboratory to be blown up, and the researchers and experimental subjects inside all perished.

Only the berserk entity remained.

It was forcibly sealed in a glacial lake by a god who descended the mountain at the time, ah no, by a passing Beast Tamer's pet.

Thousands of years later, due to crustal movements and other reasons, that glacial lake evolved from a perennial cave lake into a three-eyed water cave that combined ice, fire, and poison.

Which is now the famous tourist attraction Qingchi Three Eyes on Lingyuan Star.

And Nino Abby obtained the Blazing Demoness in Qingchi Three Eyes. It is said that her process of obtaining this pet was also very bizarre.

During a family trip, she accidentally fell into Qingchi Three Eyes.

Before she could freeze to death, be poisoned to death, or be burned to death, her affinity constitution once again proved its worth, awakening the sealed Blazing Demoness, which at the time had its strength degenerated to elementary level due to the seal and other reasons, and looked exactly like an ordinary fire-elemental Transcendent Fire Spirit Treasure. This Fire Demon saved her.

At that time, Nino Abby naturally didn't know the special nature of this 'Fire Spirit Treasure'. She contracted with it out of gratitude for saving her life. Only when the Fire Demon evolved into a Forbidden Demon did she realize that the pet she contracted was never an ordinary Fire Spirit Treasure.

Similar experiences formed Nino Abby's entire life.

So, was she really unfortunate?

In Mingxi's opinion, all the hardships that fate gave her seemed to be to make her stronger.

She had the aura of a beautiful, strong, and tragic character.

In short, Blazing Demoness is somewhat different from ordinary pets. Its flames possess both high temperature and potent poison, capable of burning flesh and eroding the spirit.

It can release Poison Mist that causes hallucinations and extreme pain.

Its very existence is like a living Plague.

According to Blazing Demoness's performance in Nino's several matches, it also possesses the characteristics of 【Ignition】, 【Corrosive Poison Flames】, and 【Phantom Pain Field】.

Moreover, no one can guarantee that one day, in one battle, it won't go berserk again.

"Match start!"

Almost at the instant the command was given, Nino launched her offensive: "Yanbao, Poison Mist, Ghost Fire!"

The flames in Blazing Demoness's hollow face flickered, and large patches of thick, colorful, eerie Poison Mist spewed out, quickly enveloping half the arena, while countless ethereal purple Ghost Fires moved and flickered within the Poison Mist as if alive, making them impossible to guard against!

This combination skill was extremely malicious, capable of eroding stamina and inflicting burn status!

"Flying Sand and Rock, Firm Wall." Mingxi quickly responded.

Bright Crystal's small face tightened, and its short arms swung violently, stirring up a powerful sandstorm out of thin air, attempting to disperse the Poison Mist.

At the same time, its body glowed with a rocky luster, increasing its defense.

The sand and Poison Mist mixed, emitting a sizzling corrosive sound. Although they couldn't completely disperse it, they effectively slowed its spread.

A few Ghost Fires that passed through the sand extinguished upon hitting the Firm Wall.

Nino calmly commanded: "Submerge into the Poison Mist, Pain Infusion."

Blazing Demoness's form merged into the Poison Mist, seemingly disappearing.

The next moment, several fiery tentacles suddenly extended from the shadow beneath Bright Crystal's feet, coiling around it!

This was not a direct attack, but rather began to drain its stamina and energy, while simultaneously injecting intense pain directly into its flesh, nerves, bones, and cells.

This was Pain Infusion.

It is a relatively rare skill that only affects the senses.

It doesn't actually cause any damage itself, but it magnifies pain infinitely within the body.

This skill was often used to punish war criminals and for interrogation during ancient chaotic times and eras of warring states.

And for Transcendent creatures with weak willpower, poor pain tolerance, and sensitive pain nerves, this skill is far from ordinary.

It can even change the entire battle situation.

"Break out!" Bright Crystal cried out in pain, feeling its body go limp, its head and limbs throbbing as if pricked by needles!

Fortunately, its willpower was not weak at all, its pain tolerance was even better, and its pain nerves were not very sensitive.

For the little old man, this pain was nothing; it just gritted its teeth and endured it.

"Violent Headbutt!" Mingxi roared.

A fierce glint flashed in Bright Crystal's eye, its small head suddenly tilted back, then slammed forward with force.

Its head, covered in rock energy, accurately struck the fiery tentacles!

"Bang!"

The tentacles were smashed apart, but quickly reformed in the Poison Mist.

"Poison Liquid Spray!"

Mingxi continued to counterattack.

Bright Crystal opened its mouth, and a scorching stream of purple poison liquid shot out like a high-pressure Water Gun towards a certain direction in the Poison Mist!

"Flame Vortex!" Nino's response was equally swift.

Blazing Demoness appeared, spinning its body to form a fiery tornado that sucked in the poison liquid and burned it away!

No one forgot that fire also counters poison!

This was also one of the reasons why Blazing Demoness's energy went berserk during the experiment.

"Rockslide!" Mingxi changed her move.

Several rocks fell from the sky, smashing towards Blazing Demoness.

"Subtle Spirit Ambush."

Nino remained completely calm.

Blazing Demoness's form instantly dematerialized, merging into the shadows, avoiding the Rockslide, and the next moment appeared from behind Bright Crystal's side, its scorpion-tail-like tentacles striking fiercely with a poisonous attack!

"Backhand Hammer."

Bright Crystal reacted extremely quickly, its small fist, imbued with fighting energy, swung violently backward!

"Bang!"

Fist and tentacles collided, and energy exploded!

Bright Crystal was knocked back several steps, its fist showing signs of corrosion and burns.

The issue of attribute suppression still affected it after all.

The situation was subtly disadvantageous!

And Nino launched a relentless pursuit, "Plague."

Blazing Demoness emanated a more intense malice, and an invisible disease field spread out.

Bright Crystal's face immediately turned somewhat green, its movements noticeably slowed by a fraction, and it fell into a 【Poisoned】 state!

Its 【Thousand Poisons Body】 also couldn't neutralize the opponent's plague poison.

This showed how potent the toxins contained in this skill were.

The battle looked extremely unfavorable for Bright Crystal!

Its attributes were suppressed, the environment was controlled, and its energy was being depleted!