He could only nod and smile, maintaining an expression that suggested everything was under control.
Otherwise, he would have wanted to dig his toes into the ground out of embarrassment.
"Vine Cat, use Vine Whip."
Vine Cat's eyes glowed emerald green.
A green light suddenly enveloped its body.
The ground cracked open.
Four or five vines sprouted rapidly from the earth.
The vine whip lashed through the air, producing a sharp snapping sound.
Zhang Lingxue smirked wickedly. She intended to use this skill to test the formidable defense of the Thousand Transformation Silkworm.
Additionally, she aimed to teach the Thousand Transformation Silkworm a lesson.
When Vine Cat exerts its full strength, it can control up to sixteen vines, rivaling a third-level, first-tier pet beast.
If the attributes are advantageous—such as against pet beasts with earth and water elements—they would be utterly overwhelmed.
Despite its small size, Vine Cat is incredibly powerful and is a pet beast specially bred by the Yan Kingdom Alliance.
Their numbers are scarce, typically awarded only to individuals who have made significant contributions to the Yan Kingdom.
Upon seeing the vines emerging from the ground, the Thousand Transformation Silkworm sensed impending danger.
It retreated several steps, and suddenly, a green flash struck the spot where it had just stood.
Boom.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
The remaining vines, under Vine Cat's control, resembled upright pythons hunting for prey.
They transformed into streams of light and surged forward.
Hum, bang, bang.
The ground trembled slightly.
The smoke spread rapidly, enveloping the entire arena.
"Ahem, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough. How could the Thousand Transformation Silkworm withstand such a fierce attack? I doubt it!"
"Not necessarily. Vine Cat's jet bullets are comparable to regular bullets. If the Thousand Transformation Silkworm can catch them, there's no reason it can't withstand the Vine Whip's attack."
"Though I'm hesitant, I also believe the Thousand Transformation Silkworm isn't that simple."
"With all this dust, we'll only know the outcome once the smoke clears."
Others chimed in.
At this moment, Li Chen and Boxing Rabbit halted simultaneously, exchanging glances.
"You can sense it, Boxing Rabbit. That creature remained unscathed even under such an intense attack. Your loss wasn't in vain."
"Its defense is highly abnormal, perhaps nearing level 2 or even level 4."
"It is our ally, not our adversary. Your true enemy is the one who abandoned you."
Although Li Chen suffers from persecutory delusions, his intelligence is notably high.
Combined with his fearless talent, he perceives many subtle details.
Boxing Rabbit exhaled deeply after hearing Li Chen's analysis.
Realizing the Thousand Transformation Silkworm's exceptional defense, it resolved to train harder and defeat it with its blazing steel fists.
Unlike humans, it doesn't overthink matters.
As the smoke gradually dissipated, everyone observed the scene inside and appeared astonished.
The Thousand Transformation Silkworm remained completely unharmed, a glint flashing in Zhang Lingxue's eyes.
"If it were an ordinary Variety Silkworm, it couldn't have withstood Vine Cat's attack."
"The Variety Silkworm's defense can only handle pet beasts of the same level at best, whereas Vine Cat is a second-level pet. At full strength, it's comparable to a third-level beast."
Zhang Lingxue pondered silently.
She was an authority on Variety Silkworm research and had been exploring alternative advanced evolution paths, with results already achieved.
Now, only reproducibility and stability experiments remained before announcing a brand-new evolutionary route.
"This indicates that the Thousand Transformation Silkworm's defense is several times stronger than that of the Variety Silkworm. But this isn't necessarily beneficial."
When insect-type elves evolve, they undergo a cocooning process.
If their shell is too hard, they might suffocate inside the cocoon.
This could be detrimental to Ye Bai.
"Since physical attacks are ineffective against the Thousand Transformation Silkworm, let's try special attacks."
"Vine Cat, use Sun's Rays!"
Spots of light immediately appeared on Vine Cat's petals.
It opened its dark mouth, and beams of light shot forward.
Seeing the menacing approach of Vine Cat, the Thousand Transformation Silkworm began to sweat profusely.
It was eager to know whether being hit by Sun's Rays would result in serious injury and if it would qualify as a work-related injury.
If Ye Bai understood the Thousand Transformation Silkworm's thoughts, he might have slapped it away, feeling embarrassed on its behalf.
"You eat and drink what I provide, yet you still wonder if this counts as a work injury."
At this moment, Ye Bai suddenly commanded, "Thousand Transformation Silkworm, charge!"
The Thousand Transformation Silkworm leaped forward at high speed.
Although Vine Cat was concentrating on Sun's Rays, it remained vigilant of the Thousand Transformation Silkworm's movements.
It manipulated the vine whip to strike at the Thousand Transformation Silkworm.
"Thousand Transformation Silkworm, dodge!"
Upon hearing Ye Bai's order, the Thousand Transformation Silkworm hesitated, concerned about its image.
But as the vine whip approached, it gritted its teeth.
"Let's do this; I'll fight alongside you!"
The Thousand Transformation Silkworm rolled on the spot, making itself smoother.
"I see now. I wondered why the Thousand Transformation Silkworm rubbed its body against the ground earlier. It was to reduce friction."
"What a terrifying calculation. How has its speed increased so much in such a short time?" Everyone murmured.
Zhang Lingxue clasped her hands, feeling surprised.
"Does this Thousand Transformation Silkworm have another trump card?"
Just as Zhang Lingxue was curious, she witnessed an astonishing scene.
The Thousand Transformation Silkworm approached Vine Cat, extended its tongue, and licked it. Seeing the saliva-covered tongue coming toward it, Vine Cat was horrified.
A loud smack echoed as Vine Cat nearly fainted from the smell.
It was slapped hard by the Thousand Transformation Silkworm's tongue, leaving the struck area red, swollen, and burning.
Sun's Rays were interrupted, and the energy dissipated into the sky.
It was as if Vine Cat's efforts were in vain.
The Thousand Transformation Silkworm displayed a simple, honest smile.
Vine Cat glared at the Thousand Transformation Silkworm with extreme displeasure.
"Be careful, Thousand Transformation Silkworm."
Vine Cat leaped high, slashing forward with its sharp claws.
The claws glowed coldly under the sunlight.
They struck the Thousand Transformation Silkworm's body, producing a series of sparks.
"Unbelievable! Even this couldn't penetrate the Thousand Transformation Silkworm's defense."
Zhang Lingxue gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Stop, Vine Cat."
"That concludes our sparring session."
"Today was merely a basic test."
"And we are the examiners."
(End of this chapter)
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