Snowflake-like sword shadows swept in from the distance like a blizzard, striking every last one of the tenacious fire-resistant roots on the ground.

CLANG!

A crisp cracking sound echoed as the hard roots snapped wherever the sword light passed.

After all, in their evolution to specialize in Fire Attribute resistance, these roots had long since shed their defenses against all other Attributes.

Their surfaces were covered in thick, crimson bark capable of withstanding temperatures over a thousand degrees, yet they were utterly defenseless against Ice Element attacks.

And so, facing this sudden assault of icy sword shadows, the once-tough roots snapped on impact, shattering into dozens of pieces before everyone’s eyes. Fine ice crystals even formed on the broken ends.

The rescued Blast Flame Lizard dragged its battered body, staggering backward.

Gu Ming stood fifteen meters away, calmly observing everything without giving immediate chase.

He stroked Cyan Treasure’s head, mentally counting down the seconds.

In truth, his Sword Qi Divine Sense had already attached itself to the Blast Flame Lizard, allowing him to clearly perceive the Fire Element Pet Beast’s current condition.

’Damaged organs, torn muscles, a depleted fire sac, a dim Inner Core... it’s completely spent.’

’When it was tangled in those fire-resistant roots, at least three of its ribs must have broken.’

Gu Ming thought, his mind rapidly assessing the situation.

’The tendon in its right hind leg was severed, too. It’s running on sheer Willpower now.’

’It’ll collapse within five seconds!’

The Thousand-eyed Wind Bird, hovering in mid-air, closely monitored every detail on the battlefield.

As the referee, it judged from experience that after Cyan Treasure’s tight constriction, the Blast Flame Lizard’s combat capability was practically zero.

True, the Blast Flame Lizard was a Lizard Pet with a Sub-dragon Bloodline and immense Life Force, but it was only a One-star. Its defensive abilities were nowhere near a heaven-defying level.

No matter how tough a fighter it was, that just meant it could take a few more hits than others at the Same-star Level.

After that combo from Cyan Treasure and Ah Kun, its internal injuries were severe. It was clearly forcing itself to get back to its master.

On the sidelines, however, Zhou Lie hadn’t given up. He was still dreaming of a defensive counterattack.

He clenched his fists and said quickly,

"Blast Flame Lizard, in a moment, we’ll coordinate with the Snow Wind Butterfly. You use Flame Charge, and it will use the Wind Snow Sword Technique..."

However, he had barely finished laying out his plan when he saw his primary Pet Beast’s front legs give out as it ran back toward his feet. Its entire body slammed heavily onto the ground.

Its eyes, once bright and burning with firelight, had now turned into swirling spirals.

Foam mixed with sparks bubbled from the corners of its mouth, dripping to the ground and turning into scalding liquid magma.

"Contestant Zhou Lie, you are eliminated! Your Pet Beast has been confirmed as unable to battle!"

The Thousand-eyed Wind Bird announced in a booming voice.

It beat its wings, swelling in size with the wind, and in an instant, it swooped down, its talons leaving no room for argument as they snatched up Zhou Lie and his Pet Beast.

Just then, a late-arriving Feng Huaxue finally reached the edge of the battlefield and jumped down from her Snow Wind Butterfly.

Upon seeing the scene before her, the girl with the high ponytail’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

Her once-perfect makeup was now smudged with sweat.

Just ten minutes ago, she had confidently assured her teammates that Zhou Lie was strong enough to take on three opponents by himself.

But now, cruel reality had dealt her a heavy blow—Zhou Lie, with his perfect winning streak, had been defeated by another student.

’As expected,’ she thought. ’No one in this provincial exam is a pushover.’

’I shouldn’t have let him go in alone,’ Feng Huaxue muttered, biting her lower lip.

Her underestimation of the enemy had not only cost their team a key player, but it had also thrown their entire strategy into disarray.

Zhou Lie was now beside himself with rage. He flailed his arms in the air, roaring, "This isn’t fair! My Blast Flame Lizard can still..."

The sharp talons squeezed a little tighter, and he immediately let out a pained groan. His voice was carried away by the wind, growing fainter and fainter.

He became a small black dot in the sky before disappearing over the valley.

「Back on the battlefield.」

The two remaining members of Yangyang High School, the buzz-cut Zhang Meng and Feng Huaxue, stood together and looked at each other, both seeing hesitation in the other’s eyes.

According to their original plan, they should have launched an immediate offensive, but the current situation had clearly exceeded their expectations.

To complicate matters, about three hundred meters behind them, a second squad from Yangyang High School was slowly making its way toward the battlefield.

This team, led by the student council president, was from the same school but wasn’t necessarily an ally.

After they had captured the herb garden, the two sides had reached a tentative cooperative agreement.

They would split the herb garden’s yield fifty-fifty and take turns engaging any enemies they encountered.

Normally, given the style of the ’Three Heroes of Flame Sun,’ they would have wanted to monopolize the entire herb garden.

Zhang Meng wiped the sweat from his forehead. His Thunder Unicorn Pony had fought in several battles in a row, and the lightning crackling around its body was now noticeably dimmer.

"But we’ve already fought seven battles today," Zhang Meng said, feeling weary. He didn’t want to fight, but he didn’t want to give up either.

By now, Feng Huaxue had calmed down.

She carefully assessed the situation:

Her Snow Wind Butterfly didn’t have much Physical Strength left, but it should be more than enough to handle the fire-resistant roots, which were vulnerable to the Ice Element.

More importantly, she noticed that their opponent, Gu Ming, and his Little Cyan Snake had also expended a great deal of energy in the previous fight.

’Wait, is that snake a Little Cyan Snake?’

Feng Huaxue’s train of thought paused. It was only then that her sluggish mind finally processed it: the Blast Flame Lizard had actually been defeated by a Little Cyan Snake.

’And look at the other Pet Beasts next to him... a Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster? Oh my god!’

’The Dumb Flower is decent, I guess. It’s a Four-star Potential Pet Beast, so it has some fighting ability, but it hasn’t evolved to Two-star yet, so it isn’t a major threat.’

’It might be a bloodline mutation. In any case, I can’t underestimate them, but there’s no need to panic.’

’After all, Zhou Lie’s Pet Beast wasn’t in top condition to begin with, while his opponent was at full strength. He only won because he had the advantage.’

"Listen up," Feng Huaxue said, taking a step forward. Her voice was as cold as ice.

"This herb garden has been officially claimed by Yangyang High School.

"If you leave now, no one else has to get hurt."

As she spoke, her Snow Wind Butterfly vibrated its wings on her shoulder in coordination, scattering a shower of ice crystals.

Gu Ming’s expression was humorless. He reached out and stroked the scales of Cyan Treasure beside him.

Although Cyan Treasure was a bit fatigued from expending so much of its Life Energy at high intensity, the fighting spirit in its eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

"We’ve come this far. There’s no way we’re giving up," he said, turning to his teammates. "Right?"

"Of course!" Wang Teng immediately replied. The Dumb Flower beside him rustled the leaves on its head.

Lu You, quiet and socially anxious, said nothing, but she and her Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster had already struck a fighting pose in perfect sync.

The three of them and their three pets formed a perfect triangular formation, protecting Cyan Treasure in the center.

Just as everyone’s attention was focused on the battle before them,

no one but Gu Ming noticed an unidentified creature shrouded in transparent water vapor slowly moving through the bushes in the southeast corner.