My cells devour all worlds.

"Explosive Flame Dragon Lizard, use Explosive Dragon Flame!"

As Ward spoke, the Blazing Dragon Lizard roared to the sky.

"hold head high--"

With a roar, the Blazing Dragon Lizard's entire body lit up from the inside out, with each scale starting from its tail and lighting up one by one, as if flames were flowing upwards and converging at the Blazing Dragon Lizard's throat, where a dazzling crimson light surged forth.

next second.

"boom--"

The Blazing Dragon Lizard opened its massive jaws, unleashing a torrent of crimson flames as thick as a giant tree, carrying endless heat and rolling waves of heat that spread forward relentlessly.

It spread to most of the site in an instant.

Wherever the flames passed, space distorted and blurred, water vapor evaporated completely, vegetation turned to ash, and the ground became as black as charcoal; all life was taken away.

Even the protective shield was buzzing, as if it was about to give way.

Despite being protected by the highest level of shielding, the audience members still felt as if they were being licked by flames.

My whole body was burning hot and I was sweating profusely.

The audience was thrown into chaos. If it weren't for the staff shouting to calm them down, they would have all run away in fear.

"Holy crap! Recorder, run!"

The referee, who was inside the protective shield, shouted that something was wrong and quickly directed the recording beast under his feet to leave the battle area through the special passage to avoid the attack.

at the same time.

Facing the attack of the Blazing Dragon Lizard.

Zhuang Jinyao was already prepared. Her dog, Er Gouzi, lunged forward with a wolf-like kiss, unleashing the energy it had been brewing.

"boom--"

A cold, icy blue current poured out, no less powerful than a torrent of fire, flowing from Er Gouzi's mouth like a rushing glacier, sweeping upwards.

Where the cold wave passes, everything freezes into ice, turning into a world of ice and snow.

In an instant, the two torrents collided head-on in the center of the field!

"Boom—"

Ice and fire, scorching heat and frigid cold—two completely opposite energies exploded upon contact.

Ice and fire intertwined, red and blue mingled, devouring each other, neither giving way to the other.

The resulting shockwave, carrying with it fiery currents and ice chunks, flew everywhere. Dense white mist rose slowly, forming a white mist area in the center of the arena, which quickly spread to both sides.

One part evaporates and disappears due to the intense heat, while the other part freezes into snowflakes and falls.

In an instant, most of the vast competition venue was transformed into a lava field, with molten lava churning and heat rising incessantly.

Half of it turned into a world of ice and snow, a vast expanse of white, with snowflakes and hail falling incessantly.

The commentator jumped onto the table, craned his neck, widened his eyes, and his trembling voice echoed throughout the venue:

"...Wald created distance and had his Blazing Dragon Lizard use Blazing Dragon Flame. A blazing pillar of fire swept across half the arena, instantly vaporizing the ground... Zhuang Jinyao's Snow Wolf King met the attack head-on, with icy blasts clashing... The two energies exploded in the middle..."

"A stark contrast! The arena is ruined! Luckily, the referee ran fast... They seem evenly matched! No! Judging from the position of the dividing line, Hua De seems to have a slight advantage! It seems Hua De did indeed throw the game last time, I wonder if he will this time..."

As they were talking.

With a serious expression, Zhuang Jinyao rode Er Gouzi forward at breakneck speed, ready to continue her attack.

Hua De was definitely careless in his previous match against her in the qualifiers.

After several matches, Ward was arguably the most formidable opponent she encountered at the Gill Arena.

Having undergone special training in the spiritual realm, the other contestants are no match for her in close combat and will be quickly defeated by her finding their weaknesses.

Only Ward was no weaker than her in the previous battle, and even made her feel the pressure.

Hua De's Blazing Dragon Lizard also demonstrated its formidable strength; in a one-on-one situation, Er Gouzi was the one being suppressed.

However, she is no longer the same person she used to be. Even if it is difficult, she will still give it a try!

While he was thinking, Er Gouzi had already crossed the boundary between ice and fire and arrived at the lava area. With each step he took, white mist rose from his feet and the lava froze into ice.

Just as Zhuang Jinyao was only a few dozen meters away from Hua De, Hua De did not make the Blazing Dragon Lizard react, but instead gave a pause gesture.

Zhuang Jinyao frowned, not understanding what Hua De was going to do. There was no such thing as pausing in a single-elimination tournament, but she still patted Er Gouzi to make him stop.

Hua De looked up at Zhuang Jinyao and extended an invitation with deep affection, his tone becoming cautious, unlike before.

"Ms. Zhuang, wouldn't it be nice to have a drink together after the competition?"

A few days later, Zhuang Jinyao received another invitation and blinked in bewilderment.

One time could have been a joke, but twice is a bit off, especially with that expression...

She and Ward haven't met more than a few times, have they? How come he's already fallen for her?

He actually wanted to tell her during the competition; wasn't that practically a confession?

While it's nice to be liked, this situation is rather strange.

Zhuang Jinyao glanced at Hua De, seemingly at a loss, and Hua De's eyes seemed to brighten a little.

Zhuang Jinyao quickly moved away, afraid that Hua De would misunderstand something.

Ward wasn't her type, and wasn't this all too fast? Nobody could agree to that.

In the end, Zhuang Jinyao hardened her heart and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't have that thought."

"I see. I was just being presumptuous."

Hua De gave a bitter smile, his eyebrows drooping, his mood low, as if he had been quite affected. Even his voice was much softer. "I hope you can achieve better results in the future. Goodbye."

After saying that, Hua De gestured to the referee to concede defeat, and then walked step by step toward the exit.

He left everyone with only a dejected silhouette, like a defeated dog, and a single sentence.

"Blazing Dragon Lizard, let's... go."

"Aww~"

The Blazing Dragon Lizard seemed a little unwilling. It glanced at Er Gouzi, but eventually followed after him.

The man and the beast simply disappeared at the exit.

At this moment, the referee returned to the field, turning his gaze away from Hua De. Although somewhat puzzled, he still blew his whistle:

"Beep—Huade concedes defeat, Zhuang Jinyao wins!"

"Zhuang Jinyao launches another attack... Hua De..."

The commentator, who was passionately giving his commentary, was completely stunned by the current situation.

"...Has Hua De conceded defeat?"

His professional instincts allowed him to quickly react, and he announced the result:

"The winner is Zhuang Jinyao and her Snow Wolf King! Congratulations to Zhuang Jinyao for winning and qualifying for the final competition!"

Zhuang Jinyao was stunned. No? She won? And Hua De gave up on his own initiative?

Was it because her words were too hurtful?

Thinking about this, Zhuang Jinyao felt a little embarrassed; she should have been more tactful just now.

In the audience, tens of thousands of people belatedly realized what was happening, and there was an uproar.

"Holy crap, what's going on? Why did Master Huade suddenly stop fighting when he was doing so well? And he just conceded defeat?"

"It seems that Master Huade liked Master Zhuang Jinyao, but was rejected in public. He probably lost heart."

"Ah—I had the advantage, the Blazing Dragon Lizard wanted to fight, I could have won, my money! Master Ward, I hate you, I'll never bet on you again..."

"So even masters can be troubled by love and get rejected. Master Hua De's retreating figure just now was truly pitiful..."

"..."

at the same time.

Ward refused the medical team's offer and returned to the preparation room with the Blazing Dragon Lizard, closing the door behind him.

"boom--"

The moment the door closed, Ward could no longer hide the disappointment on his face.

Both the man and the beast lay down on the ground, panting heavily, completely unwilling to move.

"Hoo hoo~"

Panting, listening to the discussions outside, the man and the beast exchanged a knowing glance and smiled at the same time.