Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Normally, a regular soul pet’s second stage of evolution would allow them to reach the rare level.
Every time it evolved, its vital structure would morph, and its species potential would be boosted.
The stronger a young soul pet’s starting point was, the more durable it would be after evolution; its upper limit would be even higher.
After a soul pet hatched, it could achieve a second and third stage of evolution. Under normal circumstances, a soul pet could evolve twice.
Once it completed the second phase, its strength would definitely be enhanced greatly.
The Triangular Hard Rock.
After it underwent its second stage of evolution, its surface was covered in a layer of silver that gleamed, and its originally uneven rocky exterior became much smoother.
At the same time, there were still many edges and corners, but they looked more aggressive now.
Other than its body being enlarged, the biggest change was its shape.
Three rocks were stitched together tightly and they moved as one. The two rocks above had steel-like arms on each side.
They looked just like pliers.
Even without feet, its arms had the ability to extend and transform, making up for some of the disadvantages caused by having low speed.
Especially since it was way larger than this green caterpillar and much more robust.
Without considering the growth of its arms, its height had already exceeded a meter.
From afar, it appeared to be like an indestructible fortress.
Just one look would cause anyone to be mortified.
It was clearly much stronger than the Triangular Rock from before.
“Both teams, please get into position.”
The referee waved to both sides from the center of the stage as he gave the order.
All eyes were focused onto the stage.
This battle would decide the winner of Zone J, and its fighters were a green caterpillar and a second-stage Triangular Hard Rock.
The difference between the two parties was obvious to the naked eye. It was enough to catch the attention of many spectators.
Everyone was looking forward to this match, be it Wang Che’s classmates, Father Wang and Mother Wang, the old audience the day before, or the eliminated contestants…
With one exception, however.
Wang Che himself.
On the contrary, he even felt that there was not much suspense or trouble in this match.
“Ssss!”
The green caterpillar hissed at Wang Che.
‘It is so sturdy-looking!’
“You’re not too bad yourself,” Wang Che assured as he stroked its head. “This Triangular Hard Rock has just evolved, so it’s not as tough as you think it is. Later, just strike with all your strength and swing your tail to upset your opponent’s center of gravity.”
“However, since it has already reached 60 years, we have to be on guard against the opponent’s soul skill.
“Generally, the Triangular Rock is able to comprehend a soul skill after 50 years. There are two possibilities, though. One is an attribute soul skill, Rock Throw, while the other is a conventional soul skill, called Harden, which is used to strengthen its defense.
“Rock Throw is a type of attribute soul skill that affects a large area but only exerts small power. If the opponent trained it well, it might be able to develop these two ten-year soul skills after its second stage of evolution.”
Wang Che nodded at the referee, indicating that he was ready.
The contestant No. 9 did the same as well.
The referee looked at the time and said slowly.
“Begin!”
As soon as he declared the start of the match, Wang Che was the first to make a move.
The green caterpillar rushed toward its opponent at lightning speed.
However, its competitor seemed to have expected this.
“Stabilize yourself on the stage and use the soul skill Harden!” No. 9 commanded.
Boom!
The triangular block of hard stone landed on the surface of the platform. Its eyes and mouth swapped positions and it let out a cackle. Soon after, a wave of soul power fluctuation emanated from its entire body.
A dent appeared on the stage.
Streams of colorful aura flowed out from the Triangular Hard Rock. Its entire frame seemed to be condensing within itself. It got a little smaller in size, but it turned smooth as glass and was suffused with a metallic luster.
As a mountain rock type soul pet that specialized in defense, even many modern firearms were unable to cause the slightest damage to it after it equipped its Harden soul skill.
Even if it only had 60 years of soul power cultivation.
Soon after, the green caterpillar approached the triangular rock.
Like a speeding maglev train, it suddenly stopped in its tracks.
When it was still a few meters away from the Triangular Hard Rock, it whipped its tail ferociously. The impact struck the opponent’s soul pet directly.
Upon seeing this unfolding, the crowd sighed.
They did not expect that force would still be countered with force.
This was something that came across as a surprise to many of them.
His opponent’s expression did not change, as if he had already predicted this.
For a green caterpillar that was not proficient in strength to directly strike the Triangular Hard Rock that had stabilized itself with the soul skill Harden on the stage…
It was like attacking an armoured soldier with a tree branch.
Bang!
The collision that happened next was not as everyone had forecasted, which was the green caterpillar being the one repelled.
Instead, a violent burst of soul power fluctuation accompanied by a gush of air formed by the collision obscured everyone’s vision.
The airflow dissipated, and the scene before them was visible once more.
The tip of the green caterpillar’s tail, which looked like a steel needle, was grabbed by the opposition’s hands, and the whole thing seemed to look like an image of a trident.
Its arms were trembling slightly. The dent that was caused previously had created a ditch less than two meters long, and tons of stones were scattered everywhere.
The Triangular Hard Rock’s expression turned grim. It caught the tail with both hands, clearly feeling a sense of oppression.
It had felt that it might take on a bit of damage from this tail strike, so at the crucial moment, it had decided to use its arms to deflect a portion of the attack.
In this case, the strength of this green caterpillar’s tail was definitely not meager.
No wonder it was able to instantly hit the Triangular Rock…
“Now, use Rock Throw!”
Contestant No. 9 shouted.
It was as if they were communicating through telepathy, and they had great chemistry together.
Once he gave out the order, his soul pet let out a vicious roar, and a striking soul power halo materialized from its entire body.
It was the prelude to the usage of an attribute soul skill, a powerful method formed by combining soul power with the respective attribute of the soul pet.
Unlike ordinary soul skills, this version had immense power that was tough to resist.
During the early stages, especially in beginner level soul pet competitions like the Enlightenment Cup, whoever could comprehend it first naturally had a higher chance of winning.
When this happened, the entire stadium let out a cry of surprise.
This was what it meant to have a climax fight in a zone.
To put it succinctly, every zone winner had cleared thousands of competitors out of their way. They had the potential to be in the top ten rankings, the top three, or even becoming the champion.
This was a Triangular Hard Rock that had evolved to the second stage and also possessed two ten-year soul skills; it definitely belonged among the top five rankings!
“Roll up your body!”
Wang Che said calmly.
The green caterpillar immediately curled up itself like an armadillo and tightly wrapped its tail around its head.
Its green skin on the outside was the only thing that could be seen.
Suddenly, pieces of rock the size of a fist emerged and rained down on the green caterpillar.
Every rock had a soul power boost, so each one contained a lot of power!
Crackle!
It hit the green caterpillar like a hailstorm, leaving a trail behind.
However, the defense of the green caterpillar seemed to have been out of everyone’s imaginations.
As the deadly rocks landed on the green caterpillar, they only left marks on its body. The caterpillar did not lose its fighting strength, despite being attacked from such a close distance.
An attribute soul skill’s power was equivalent to the combination of a soul pet’s soul power cultivation and vital structure.
Although there were many huge pebbles being thrown, the energy was too scattered. The green caterpillar could still withstand its aftereffects.
If the Triangular Hard Rock’s soul power cultivation had been another 20 to 30 years higher, then the green caterpillar’s current defense would definitely have been insufficient.
However, it was clear that things would still not go well if this were to keep up.
“Extend your body and use your tail to flick these rocks away!”
Wang Che instructed quickly.
His soul pet, who was hissing in pain from the beating, immediately reacted.
Its body instantly stretched out like a party roller, and its tail immediately hurled away the incoming rocks.
“Reflect the rocks and aim back at it!”
Wang Che continued.
This child was not smart enough to grasp his instructions. It only bounced the rocks away.
It seemed like its combat experience was not splendid, but this was only normal.